Bertone-beauty Aston Martin coupe from the Fifties is up for bid
Most Aston Martins of a certain era would deserve a place in the All-Time Gallery of Gorgeous Cars. A 1954 Aston Martin DB2/4 Coupe designed by Nuccio Bertone — best known, simply, as Bertone — would be among them.
This special coupe, with its sleek, understated shape, luscious metallic blue shade, and meticulous restoration, is scheduled to go to auction this Friday, December 8, at RM Sotheby’s in New York, and is expected to attract bids of between $1.2 million and $1.6 million.
The car’s history dates back to the early 1950s, when Midwestern businessman Stanley Arnolt began a relationship with the Italian coachbuilder, one that ultimately led to the creation of seven Aston Martins dressed by Bertone under Arnolt’s auspices. The car at auction was the only coupe.
Historians claim that the car’s dramatic creases and its unique wraparound rear window were both signature touches of Bertone’s designer Franco Scaglione. The coupe apparently was intended to have been the first in a small run of cars, but by the time it appeared, Aston Martin had refused to supply any more chassis to Bertone. It was shown, well after its completion, at both the 1957 and 1958 Turin Motor Shows, finished in white and then in blue. The DB2/4 later made its way to the United States in 1976, where it had a series of owners and wound up in the Blackhawk Collection.
In the 1980s it underwent a restoration and was shown in 1987 at Pebble Beach. Yet another rework of the car, at a cost of more than $800,000, was completed for the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in 2023 where it was honored with First in Class.
The restored car retains its original numbers-matching drivetrain, per its build documentation, with its Aston Martin 2.9-liter inline-six engine block under the hood. At some point in the car’s history, a rebuild included revised valves and camshafts to increase the output.
