The Ex-Works 1950 Aston Martin DB2 Team Car ‘VMF 65’ Offered at Bonhams|Cars Goodwood Festival of Speed

CHICHESTER, UK – May21, 2024 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – Bonhams|Cars will offer the most-Britannic of Le Mans and Tourist Trophy Grand Touring cars, the Ex-Works 1950 Aston Martin DB2 Team Car ‘VMF 65’, estimated at £800,000 – £1,200,000 at the Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale on 12 July. Driven in period international world-championship events by illustrious British racing drivers such as Eric Thompson, Rob Walker, George Abecassis, Major Tony Rolt, Stirling Moss, and Peter Collins, it is today a veteran of the Mille Miglia retrospective, the Tour Auto, and of both the magnificent Goodwood spectaculars. It is eligible for the Le Mans Classic and a plethora of other blue riband events worldwide.

1950 Aston Martin DB2 Team Car, estimated at £800,000 – £1,200,000

This wonderfully, well-preserved and highly original ex-works Aston Martin team car which was prepared as new in 1950, to compete in the second postwar Le Mans 24-Hours race. Unfortunately, en route to the Sarthe circuit, the body was damaged and couldn’t be repaired in time for the 24-Hour race. It was returned and repaired at the Works in time for Eric Thompson to drive it in the ‘Daily Express’ One-Hour Production Car Race at the important BRDC International Trophy meeting, Silverstone.

‘VMF 65’ completed a DB works team 2-3-4 finish in that race, and then raced in the RAC Tourist Trophy with driver George Abecassis of HWM team fame behind the wheel, finishing 5th. Three weeks later at Shelsley Walsh hill-climb – an important event at that time – Abecassis clocked 47.73secs in this car, and in early-November it was shared by two of Abecassis’s HWM team drivers – none other than Stirling Moss and Lance Macklin – to contest the MCC ‘Daily Express’ 1,000-Mile Rally.

Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd then used it as their dedicated press road-test DB2. In this role it featured prominently in ‘The Autocar’ magazine of 17 September 1950 and in a John Bolster test in the ‘Autosport’ magazine issue of 2 March 1951, where it appeared on the front cover.

1950 Aston Martin DB2 Team Car, estimated at £800,000 – £1,200,000

‘VMF 65’ is well-known to the Bonhams|Cars team, who have handled the sale of more DB2 Team Cars than any other house. James Knight, the specialist handling the sale and who pioneered the annual Bonhams Aston Martin sale at the Newport Pagnell Works, said, “I’ve known VMF 65 for over 25 years and it’s a privilege to represent…