If the Aston Martin DB2 was one of the best sports cars of its generation, then the DB2/4 - with its hatchback door and vestigial rear seats - can only have been better. Handsome, rugged and built to exacting standards that were reflected in its price, its fastback profile was the inspiration for a generation of GT cars, including the fixed-head E-Type Jaguar.
It was powered by one of Britain's best engines, WO Bentley's twin-cam, 2.6-litre straight-six, shared with the big Lagonda saloon. Company patron David Brown owned Lagonda too and united the two makes in a factory in Feltham. The rear door gave access to a decent-sized load area, designed to take your handmade luggage on that long continental tour rather than accommodate the weekly shop.
In a way, this was the most important car Aston ever made, defining its post-war image: a powerful but comfortable modern sports car rather than the rugged, cycle-winged machinery upon which it had built its pre-war reputation.
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