RM Auctions 'Automobiles of London'

The story behind this car is particularly interesting.
The following description is excerpted from a July 1951 Autocar article by Gordon Wilkins:

Aston Martin DB2 Team car - 'VMF 64'.
Some cars seem destined to draw the spotlight and hold it. Take the Aston Martin DB2 saloon VMF 64, for example. It made one of the outstanding British performances at Le Mans last year, when it was driven by George Abecassis and Lance Macklin, finishing fifth in the general category at 87.26 m.p.h. and tying for first place on Performance Index. Before that it had been driven by the late Raymond Sommer on his memorable run in the 1950 Production Car Race at Silverstone and by September it was in Northern Ireland, where Lance Macklin brought it home third in its class in the T.T. race.

For some months afterwards, it had a somewhat quieter life, being used for business journeys by Mr. David Brown, head of the group which controls Aston Martin and Lagonda, but early this year Mr. Brown decided to lend the car to T.H. Wisdom for the Mille Miglia race. The service department at Feltham gave it a thorough check over and towards the end of April the car was on its way to Brescia.

The result was a success which created a considerable impression in Italy, for the car covered the difficult route of over 970 miles at an average of 68.79 m.p.h. and won the class for fast convertibles and closed cars of production type over 2,000 c.c. with a margin of six minutes ahead of Amendola's Ferrari.

After that it came back to England and was soon handed over to the experimental department of the Aston Martin works to be prepared for the Le Mans 24-hour race. The treatment was rather more extensive this time and a two-pronged programme was undertaken to produce more power and less weight in an effort to improve on last year's performance. The compression ratio was pushed up to 8.16 to 1.

Meanwhile appropriate steps were taken within the framework of the regulations to jettison unnecessary weight. The bonnet was given one of the new light alloy radiator grilles, the interior trim and head lining were removed and very light seats were installed. These alterations permitted a change in the axle ratio, which was lowered from 3.77:1 to 3.27, allowing a very high cruising speed to be maintained down the long straight from Tertre Rouge to Mulsanne without overstressing the engine.

Once more VMF 64 rose to the occasion, making the best performance of all the five Aston Martins which made such a brilliant showing in the race. Driven once again by Lance Macklin, who this time had Eric Thompson as co-driver, it won the three-litre class and finished third in the general classification at an average of 90 m.p.h. In the excitement over the high speed at which this year's race was won it is easy to overlook the fact that this 2-litre saloon, in finishing third, maintained a higher average speed than Rosier's 4 Talbot when it won last year's race, despite the bad weather conditions this year."

The above article, written in July, 1951, cannot of course predict the future, so a brief look at VMF 64's further adventures is in order. The 1951 Alpine Trial saw Mr. and Mrs. Wisdom gain an Alpine Cup while scoring a 1st in four stages. A second Mille Miglia with Wisdom/Lown followed in 1952 where VMF 64 again scored a class win, finishing 12th overall at an average speed of 72 mph. A second Alpine Rally, also in 1952, recorded 15th overall and a 5th in class for Tommy Wisdom with Nockolds navigating.

Except for a 1952 Earl's Court display, that ended VMF 64's competition career as the factory service department converted it to road specification for Chairman David Brown's use.

Although this DB2 had frequent factory service, it is worth noting the absolute excellence of design and build quality of these early Astons. Despite being subjected to some nine grueling speed events, including two 24 hour Le Mans races, two Mille Miglias, two Alpine Trials and an Ulster TT grind, VMF 64 never suffered a DNF (did not finish) during its entire career!

1905 Sunbeam 12/14 hp Five Passenger Side-Entrance Tonneau
12/14 hp, 2,660 cc four-cylinder T-head engine, four-speed gearbox with dual chain drive, solid front axle and live rear axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs, gearbox brake and handbrake to rear wheels. Wheelbase: 94"

Excellently presented in dark blue with black buttoned leather upholstery, it has both hood and tonneau cover. Brilliant Lucas No. 721 brass side lamps hang from the dashboard.
Passed in at $280,000

1956 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Coupé
The brilliant 300SL remains the most enduring icon of Mercedes' racing program of the 1950s, as it directly spawned what many enthusiasts consider the most attractive and desirable sporting automobile of all time.

Interestingly, the car's most distinguishing feature, the "gullwing" doors, which hinged at the centreline of the car, were far more than an incidental aesthetic benefit. They were actually developed to maintain the structural integrity of the chassis, which required very high sides. Devoid of bumpers, door handles and trim, the sleek and low body achieved a drag coefficient of just .25. In its first race, the 1952 edition of the gruelling Mille Miglia, the 300SL piloted by Karl Kling finished in second place. This vehicle sold for $545,000

1928 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Torpedo
First introduced in 1925, the Rolls-Royce New Phantom (later known as the Phantom I) boasted an entirely new overhead valve six-cylinder engine displacing nearly 7.7 litres. In stock form, it developed 40/50 horsepower.

Specs: 92.6 hp, 7,668 cc overhead valve inline six-cylinder engine, four-speed manual gearbox, forged beam front axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs, rear cantilever leaf springs, four-wheel rod and cable-operated drum brakes. Wheelbase: 144" . Sold for $773,000

AC Cobra
289 cu. in. Ford V8 engine with overhead valves, fuel injection and a Vortech T1 centrifugal supercharger, five-speed manual gearbox, four-wheel independent suspension with wishbones and coil springs, and four-wheel hydraulic disc brakes.
Wheelbase: 90.0 inches. Passed in at $69,000