Classic Car Overview
--Navy Blue with Grey leather interior, Grey carpeting and Grey hood, Restored, Concours winner, 1,949 cc SOHC inline four-cylinder engine, twin SU carburetors, four-speed Moss manual transmission with synchromesh and four-wheel mechanical Girling drum brakes, One of only 50 15/98s produced.By the mid-1930s, Aston Martin was one of the most admired of British sporting makes, as it was now under the design and technical direction of Augustus Bert Bertelli. The cars were undeniably pretty, but they were also purposeful, solidly engineered, hand-built, quick, and agile. The signature 1.5-liter endurance sports racers continually evolved and gained great success, taking the team prize in the 1934 Tourist Trophy race in Ulster and finishing in an impressive 3rd place at the 1935 24 Hours of Le Mans. As a production car, the newly christened Ulster model made for a very desirable 100 mph sporting mount for the enthusiastic driver. Ultimately, though, its market was limited to a small number of serious (and well-heeled) sportsmen. Aston Martin took the decision to develop a more versatile offering for the companys next generation of cars, starting with an updated new chassis by Bertelli, with credit to another brilliant engineer, Claude Hill. Significantly, the new specification mandated an increase in displacement to two liters, as its longer stroke could provide plenty of torque for a more relaxed motoring experience. With its four-cylinder, single overhead-camshaft wet sump engine, the new car developed some 98 brake horsepower, and it featured a four-speed Moss synchromesh gearbox and Girling rod mechanical drum brakes. Overall, it was an exceptionally well-balanced machine, now marketed as being the Two Liter range. Accolades piled up, the Aston Martin Two Liter is softer, quieter, and more flexible, while acceleration and general suitability for everyday purposes had increased incredibly. Recorded by its original build sheet, the 15/98 offered here was delivered to A.W. Stewart-Dean, Esq. of Sudbrook Manor, Grantham, on 21 October 1938. Interestingly, Mr. Stewart-Dean had acquired a brand-new DB2 in 1953, and so it seems likely that the sale of the 15/98 was spurred only by an enthusiasts acquisition of the latest and greatest Aston Martin. He was a longstanding and well-known customer of the factory, whose daughter carried on the tradition of Aston ownership following his passing. Records further indicate the 15/98 passed to second owner I.H. Mann of Terreagles, Maidenhead, Berkshire, on 6 March 1954. The next known owners, recorded in Aston Martin Owners Club records, were R.W. and R.J. Mills, who apparently acquired the car in the early 1980s. In their ownership, the chassis was shortened to the Short-Chassis configuration, and a two-seat Open Sports body built, to the original Abbey styling, with its wonderful flowing lines and lovely proportions.In this form the 15/98 was later acquired by longtime Aston Martin Owners Club North America member and media mogul, Vincent Young, who commissioned a fresh and complete, body-off restoration by the noted marque specialists Steel Wings of Ivyland, Pennsylvania, well-known for their Aston Martin restorations and whos restorations have been honored with multiple Pebble Beach, Villa DEste and AMOC best of show awards. Their work truly represents amongst the finest in the world of Aston Martin. As part of the restoration, the car was converted to left-hand drive and outfitted with hydraulic brakes and a gearbox with synchromesh on second, third, and fourth gears, while also being finished to show-quality standards throughout. The entire machine-turned aluminum firewall of the car was professionally fabricated, as part of the left-hand-drive conversion, a prewar Aston reimagined. Done to be both a b
