The DB2 was the first Aston Martin produced after David Brown purchased both Aston Martin and Lagonda companies in 1947 – creating Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd. The Lagonda 2.6 litre, dual overhead cam, straight-six engine was the principle gain from one half of this merger, which Brown used to replace the smaller, less powerful engine used in the earlier Aston Martin 2-Litre Sports in a shortened version of its tube-frame chassis, with a freshly designed coupé body, to create the DB2.

The DB2 Coupé was first shown at the New York Auto Show in April 1950 and a little later in the same year, a Drophead Coupé variant was introduced. Both continued in production until April 1953, by which time it is believed over 400 had been made, of which just 102 were drophead coupés. The Vantage upgrade option made available by Aston Martin used the VB6B engine with larger HV6 SU carburettors, revised inlet camshaft and higher compression ratio, for a claimed output of 125hp. It is understood that less than 250 cars were produced with the more powerful Vantage engine.

At launch, the car’s performance potential caught the attention of visitors to the show and 100 cars were ordered. The Motor magazine tested a standard coupé in 1950 and recorded a top speed of 116 mph and 0-60 mph acceleration time of 11.2 seconds.

This particularDB2 Vantage Drophead was first supplied in the USA to a New York purchaser in August1952. Perhaps unusually, it is right hand drive and the manufacturer’s note identifies the original colour of Jubilee Blue with Beige trim. There is no other significant documented history prior to its purchase and repatriation back to the UK in 2016, whereupon it underwent a complete mechanical and body restoration at great expense, incorporating many upgrades.