Legacy Metrics

1935 Aston Martin Ulster

F4/447/SracingUnited Kingdom
Colour
Dark green

Aston Martin Ulster chassis F4/447/S is one of approximately 28 surviving examples from an original production run of 31. It contested the 1935 Le Mans 24 Hours carrying race number 30, driven by RP Gardner and Alfred Beloë, finishing 15th overall despite front axle damage. Distinguished from new by a chrome radiator, the car passed through several notable custodians across eight decades, received a documented six-month restoration by pre-war Aston Martin specialist Ecurie Bertelli in the late 2000s, and remains actively campaigned in historic motorsport.

Ownership

  1. Auction sale
    Estimate €1,000,000 – €1,300,000

    RM Sotheby's catalogue lot →

  2. 1935 → 1938Acquisition unknown
    RP Gardner
    partial documentation

    One of the two drivers who raced the car at Le Mans in 1935; believed to have disposed of it around 1938.

  3. 1939 →Acquisition unknown
    Mr Dundas
    partial documentation

    Acquired the car after road registration in early 1939 and kept it in storage; died during wartime hostilities, leaving the car with his estate.

  4. → 1953Inheritance
    Mrs Dundas (mother of Mr Dundas)
    partial documentation

    Inherited custody of the car following her son's wartime death; offered it for sale at £495 in 1953 after it had sat unused since before the war.

  5. 1953 → 1986-08-01Private sale
    Basil Scully
    partial documentation

    Massachusetts-based workshop proprietor who had the car repainted dark green, maintained it himself, and entered it in hillclimb events; parted with it due to illness after roughly 33 years.

  6. 1986-08-01 → 1989Private sale
    Hugh Palmer
    partial documentation

    Rutland, UK-based buyer who insured the car for £52,000; owned it for approximately three years before selling.

  7. 1989 → 1993Private sale
    Simon Draper
    partial documentation

    Guernsey-based Virgin Records executive and occasional AMOC competitor; sold the car in 1993 but later reacquired it.

  8. 2003 → 2005-12-01Private sale
    Simon Draper
    partial documentation

    Repurchased the car roughly a decade after first selling it, before passing it on to a longer-term custodian.

  9. 2005-12-01 → 2023-02-01Private sale
    Alan Beardshaw
    full documentation

    Commissioned a six-month restoration by Ecurie Bertelli circa 2007, with invoices on file; the car was repainted based on original paint traces and used in AMOC racing and the 2009 Mille Miglia continuation.

  10. 2023-02-01 →Private sale
    UK-based consignor
    partial documentation

    Had the car serviced and race-prepared by Blakeney Motorsport, fitting new tyres and refreshing several mechanical systems; entered VSCC events including Oulton Park Gold Cup and Silverstone.

Competition

  1. 1935-06-16
    1935 Le Mans 24 Hours
    Driver: RP Gardner15th overall

    Co-driven by Alfred Beloë; the pair suffered front axle damage after contact with a bank, requiring a lengthy pit stop on Sunday morning, yet still averaged around 107 km/h.

  2. 2009
    2009 Mille Miglia Storica

    Entered as a continuation/retrospective event during the Beardshaw family's ownership.

  3. 2024Vintage Sports-Car Club
    Oulton Park Gold Cup

    Entered under the current consignor following preparation by Blakeney Motorsport; VSCC buff forms issued.

  4. 2024Vintage Sports-Car Club
    Silverstone VSCC race

    Second VSCC outing in the same season under current ownership, following the Oulton Park event.

  5. Hillclimb events (various)

    Multiple hillclimb outings during Basil Scully's ownership in the USA, spanning roughly 1953 to 1986; no specific event names or results recorded.

  6. Aston Martin Owners Club
    AMOC races (various)

    The Beardshaw family participated in AMOC racing following completion of the Ecurie Bertelli restoration; no individual event names or results noted.

Maintenance & restoration

  1. 2007Restoration
    Ecurie Bertelli

    A comprehensive six-month restoration was undertaken, including repainting in a colour derived from original paint traces found on the chassis; much of the car's existing patina was preserved rather than eliminated.

    Commissioned by Alan Beardshaw; invoices retained on file. Ecurie Bertelli is a Buckinghamshire-based specialist in pre-war Aston Martins.

  2. 2023Service
    Blakeney Motorsport

    Car serviced and prepared for racing following acquisition by the current owner; work included fitting new tyres, an oil catch tank, and a fire extinguisher, plus refreshing the radiator, ignition system, and carburettor.

    VSCC buff forms also obtained during this period.

  3. Service
    Basil Scully's workshop

    Routine servicing carried out through the owner's own Massachusetts workshop during Basil Scully's long custodianship; car also repainted dark green at this time.

  4. Bodywork

    Car repainted dark green during Scully's ownership period in the United States.

    Date unknown; occurred sometime during Scully's 1953–1986 ownership.

  5. Service
    Ecurie Bertelli

    Ecurie Bertelli carried out work on the car over a period of approximately 15 years prior to the formal restoration commission, details unspecified.

    This preceding work was noted as context for why Ecurie Bertelli was selected for the full restoration.

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Each chassis record is compiled from public auction archives and links to its source material. Ownership, competition and maintenance entries are extracted from those catalogue listings by an LLM, which can make mistakes — please contact us with any corrections. The summary is Legacy Metrics’ own writing; we do not reproduce catalogue text.

“Full” and “partial” documentation labels indicate how well each entry is corroborated in the underlying sources, not an audit of the car’s physical paperwork. Names of recent or living owners are withheld for privacy.