Footnotes

Manufactured by Robert Bamford and Lionel Martin, the first Aston-Martins (the hyphen is correct for the period) rapidly established a reputation for high performance and sporting prowess in the years immediately following The Great War. Unfortunately, the management's concentration on motor sport, while accruing invaluable publicity, distracted it from the business of manufacturing cars for sale, the result being just 50-or-so sold by 1925 when the company underwent the first of what would be many changes of ownership.

The foundations were laid for the commencement of proper series production with the formation of Aston Martin Motors Ltd in 1926 under the stewardship of Augustus 'Bert' Bertelli and William Renwick. Bertelli was an experienced automobile engineer, having designed cars for Enfield & Allday, and an engine of his design - an overhead-camshaft four-cylinder of 1,492cc - powered the new 11.9hp Aston. Built at the firm's new Feltham works, the first 'new generation' Aston Martins were displayed at the 1927 London Motor Show at Olympia. These new Astons were available on long and short chassis, the former being reserved for saloons and tourers and the latter for the sports models.

The early 1930s was a period of economic recession, and with sales of expensive quality cars falling off, some serious rethinking had to be done at Feltham. The prudent decision was taken to redesign the chassis using proprietary components to reduce cost. A Laycock gearbox was adopted, mounted in unit with the engine, and the worm drive rear axle, which had never been completely satisfactory, was replaced by an ENV spiral bevel. There was a redesigned chassis frame and many other modifications, including a counter-balanced crankshaft, resulting in what was virtually a new car, although it carried the same coachwork. The original line-up of what would become known as the '2nd Series' did not last long, disappearing from the range in 1934, by which time the chassis numbers were being suffixed 'S' or 'L' depending on wheelbase length (8' 7" and 10' respectively).

The car offered here is one of the relatively small number built on the long-wheelbase Standard chassis, the bulk of Aston Martin production at the time being of the short-chassis New International and Le Mans models. 'G3/297/L' was originally bodied as a saloon and was finished in black over maroon with black leather upholstery. The accompanying chassis card, dated 1st February 1934, records the first owner as one E C Peacock Esq of Castleford. Two further owners are listed, the most recent being W G Paddon (1946), while the AMOC Register records the car as participating in the 1938 International Scottish Rally driven by its then owner, Christopher Angell. Angell modified the car with AM 'helmet' front wings and twin outside exhaust pipes, and also had it repainted white.

An old-style continuation logbook on file lists one Roy French as owner in 1968, followed by Richard Loveys, from 1971. By this time the Aston had been re-bodied as a tourer, as evidenced by reference to a 1967 advertisement in accompanying correspondence. Some restoration work had been done by Roy French, including new green trim and carpets; nevertheless, it was decided to strip the car down to the chassis and start the rebuild from there. It was discovered later that the engine required major work, there was no wiring at all, and that the body needed extensive repairs. Various specialists, principally Morntane Engineering, carried out the works, which were completed in August 1979. The Aston was now painted white with green interior, the latter being re-trimmed later in tan leather.

Richard and Sandra Loveys used the car extensively over the next 35 years, as evidenced by its lengthy entry in the AMOC Register. As well as AMOC events, the Aston took part in the two-day Norwich Union Classic Run on numerous occasions, and in 2005 formed part of the St George's Day parade at Windsor in front of HM The Queen. The Loveys' last entry is for the year 2013 when the car attended no fewer than seven events. The current owner has used 'UG 8090' on three occasions, on all of which it performed exceptionally well.
This Aston Martin tourer is a full four-seater with roomy accommodation, particularly in the rear. With the hood stowed the car is a most attractive open tourer, while with the hood and full side screens in place the occupants are well protected from the weather. The history file contains the aforementioned documentation together with a V5C registration document, a quantity of expired MoT certificates, and bills from Morntane Engineering and Ecurie Bertelli, the latter for maintenance work up to the mid 1990s. A quantity of spares to include a sump, instruments, magnetos (x2), switches, fuel pump, and an instruction manual is included in the sale.