Some vehicles can only be described as gorgeous, and this 1954 Aston Martin DB2/4 Coupe by Bertone is absolutely one of them. The sleek lines, subtle creases, a teardrop silhouette, and tiny tail fins coalesce to create a shape you can’t look away from. RM Sotheby’s will auction this handsome machine on December 8 in New York with an estimated sale price between $1.2 million and $1.6 million.
Beyond its fantastic appearance, this Aston Martin is also extraordinary because it’s the only DB2/4 coupe with a body by Bertone. The Italian coachbuilder produced six convertible versions, but just one fixed-roof coupe.
This machine’s story starts with Stanley H. Arnolt II, a millionaire businessman from Warsaw, Indiana who loved cars. Arnolt established a close relationship with Bertone that included commissioning the coachbuilder to create a unique body for the MG TD in 1952. A couple of years later, another collaboration resulted in this series of DB2/4s.
Bertone was apparently quite proud of this coupe. Even after delivering it to the first owner, the coachbuilder displayed the car at the company’s booth for the 1957 and 1958 Turin Motor Show.
According to the auction listing, Bertone intended to make more of these coupes. However, Aston Martin refused to supply any more chassis to the company.
The current owner commissioned an $800,000 restoration of the Bertone-bodied Aston Martin coupe in 2019. The work brought the car back to how it looked at the 1958 Turin Motor Show, including repainting the body in this pale shade of blue. The builders had to fabricate new components for the front bumper, taillights, and much of the interior and exterior trim.
The original Aston Martin 2.9-liter inline-six engine block still rests under the hood. At some point in the car’s history, a rebuild included revised valves and camshafts to increase the output.
This car won first-in-class at the 2023 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. And it already has an invitation to the 2024 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este in Italy, meaning the new owner has a great excuse to attend the prestigious event.
