One And Only Aston Martin DB2/4 Coupe's Backstory Justifies Million-Dollar Price

An Aston Martin DB2/4 Coupe made by Bertone has been sold for over a million dollars at a New York auction by RM Sotheby's. It's the only one of its kind existing in the world and the only coupe among the seven Bertone-bodied DB2/4 two-doors ever made in 1954.

Commissioned by Stanley H. "Wacky" Arnolt II, this particular Bertone DB2/4 is the only one made with a hardtop (the others were roadsters), making this a unique masterpiece that stood the test of time.

California-based Kevin Kay Restorations, an Aston Martin specialist, led the full concours restoration of this unique DB2/4, a very distant relation to today's DB12 Coupe.

The Aston Martin DB2/4 Coupe by Bertone's wraparound rear window distinguishes itself from other DB2/4s - a signature touch of Bertone's Franco Scaglione. It bears chassis number LML/765 and was delivered to "Monsieur Henrey Pagezy" of Paris, its first owner, on January 7, 1955. Curiously, the owner's name is believed to be misspelled, with the real owner said to be Henri Pigozzi, founder of Societe Industrielle de Mecanique et Carrosserie Automobile (SIMCA). Evidence of this is seen on the coupe's taillights, which were borrowed from SIMCA automobiles.

The Bertone-bodied DB2/4 Coupe made its way to the United States in 1976 and then through various owners until 2019 when the current owner restored it to its pristine state.

The restoration work saw the car getting repainted to its "show stand-correct" metallic blue shade, while other parts of the body - such as the front bumper, taillights, bonnet trim, sun visors, and most interior trim hardware - had to be fabricated to replicate the original. The entire restoration work was valued at $800,000 and completed just in time for the 2023 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, where it was honored with First in Class.

At the auction in New York, this unique Aston Martin DB2/4 Coupe by Bertone was sold for $1,105,000 - rightfully so, given its scarcity and historical significance. It hasn't been seen in public since the last Concours at Monterey, but it has already received an invitation to the upcoming Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este in 2024.