Aston Martin · 1950–1953

Aston Martin DB2

The Aston Martin DB2 is a grand tourer that was sold by Aston Martin from May 1950 until April 1953. The successor to the 2-Litre Sports model (retroactively referred to as the DB1), it had a comparatively advanced dual overhead cam 2.6 L Lagonda straight-six engine in place of the previous pushrod four-cylinder. It was available as a closed, 2-seater coupé which Aston Martin called a sports saloon, and later also as a drophead coupé, which accounted for a quarter of the model's total sales. The closed version had some success in racing.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Predecessor: Aston Martin 2-Litre Sports · Successor: Aston Martin DB2/4

All Aston Martin DB2 data: UK builds, safety, recalls, model years →

Development and racing

In 1947 David Brown bought the Aston Martin and Lagonda companies and incorporated them as Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd. Lagonda's 2.6 L (2580 cc/157 in3), dual overhead cam, straight-six engine, more powerful than the pushrod 2.0 L straight-four in the Aston Martin 2-Litre Sports, was the main objective in Brown's acquisition of the company. W. O. Bentley had supervised the engine's design, which was largely by William (Willie) Watson, an engineer with the pre-war Invicta company who had collaborated on Lagonda's pre-war V12 and also designed the short-lived post-war version. In its original form the Lagonda straight-6 had a 78 mm (3.07 in) bore and 90 mm (3.543 in) stroke, and produced about 105 hp (78 kW) with dual SU carburettors. The DB2 utilized it in a shortened version of the tube-frame chassis designed by Claude Hill for the Aston Martin 2-Litre Sports, with a fastback coupé body designed by Frank Feeley. Three pre-production cars were entered for the 1949 24 Hours of Le Mans. One, which would become the development car for the production DB2, had the Lagonda straight-6, while the four-cylinder Aston Martin 2-litre unit powered the other two. After six laps the Lagonda-powered car, driven by Leslie Johnson, retired with overheating caused by failure of the water pump. One of the 2-litre cars was in 4th place and running without brakes when it crashed two hours short of the finish, fatally injuring driver Pierre Maréchal. The other finished 7th, crewed by Arthur Jones and Nick Haines. A month later, the larger-engined car, driven by Leslie Johnson and Charles Brackenbury, finished 3rd in the Spa 24-hour race, where one of the 2-litre cars was driven to 5th by Nick Haines and Lance Macklin. For 1950 all three factory team cars were equipped with the Lagonda engine. A

Production

The DB2 debuted at the New York Auto Show in April 1950 and continued in production until April 1953, by which time 411 had been made. The first 49 had a chrome-framed front grille in three separate parts, and large rectangular cooling vents in the front wings. Subsequent cars had a one-piece grille with horizontal chrome slats, and no side vents. The single-piece bonnet was hinged at the front. At the rear of the fixed-head coupé (FHC) a small top-hinged lid gave access to the spare wheel, and luggage space was behind the front seats, accessible only from inside the car. Later in 1950, a Drophead Coupé (DHC) variant was introduced. At least 102 were built. In April 1950, an engine with larger carburettors, inlet camshaft the same as the exhaust (for increased duration), and higher compression ratio pistons (8.16:1) was made available. Aston Martin's first Vantage upgrade option, it offered 125 hp (93 kW). Initially the higher compression ratio made the engine unsuitable for the British market, as the postwar austerity measures of the early 1950s restricted UK vehicles to 72 octane "Pool petrol". The first DB2 Vantage, LML 50/21, was delivered to, and raced by, Briggs Cunningham in the United States.

Performance

A closed coupé tested by the British magazine The Motor in 1950 had a top speed of 116.4 mph (187.3 km/h) and could accelerate from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 11.2 seconds. A fuel consumption of 20 miles per imperial gallon (14 L/100 km; 17 mpg‑US) was recorded. The test car cost £1914 including taxes.

Sections adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0); text is shortened. Read the full article for the complete history and citations.

Specifications

name: Aston Martin DB2
Manufacturer: Aston Martin
Production: May 1950 – April 1953, 411 produced
Predecessor: 2-Litre Sports "DB1"
Successor: Aston Martin DB2/4
Related: Aston Martin DB3
Class: Grand tourer
Body style: 2-seat coupé, 2-seat drophead coupé
Layout: FR layout
Engine: 2.6 L Lagonda I6
Wheelbase: 99 in
Length: 162.5 in
Width: 65 in
Height: 53.5 in
Designer: Frank Feeley
Top speed: 187 km/h

Specification summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Measured facts from Wikidata (CC0). Check the linked sources for citations.

More photos

Sources

Wikidata — https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q283346CC0 1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-01
Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aston_Martin_DB2CC BY-SA 4.0 · Text © Wikipedia contributors; revision 1371704380 · retrieved 2026-10-01
Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:DB2-Vantage-Seite-Vorn.jpgCC BY-SA 3.0 · Photo: Chilterngreen at German Wikipedia Later version(s) were uploaded by Noddy93 at de.wikipedia. (Original text: Michael Schäfer) · retrieved 2026-10-01
Car Model Index — https://models.autoculturesociety.com/Compiled record. Sources that do not permit reuse are not copied; this index is credited instead.