24h Le Mans
During this first week of February, Paris is a world capital of collection cars, with a special place for the 24 Hours of Le Mans not only at Retromobile with the exhibition of the 110th anniversary of the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (Paris Expo, February 3rd-7th), but also at the Bonhams auction which will take place Thursday, February 4th at the Grand Palais.
The presence of a 1933 Aston Martin Le Mans 1/2 liter (lot 334) traces the origins of the British manufacturer's history at the 24 Hours. The model was given the name "Le Mans" in 1931 to celebrate the fifth place finish of the duo Bertelli-Harvey. The following year, Aston Martin placed two "Le Mans" in the top 10, with the fifth place finish of Henken Widengren-Sammy Newsome and the seventh of Bertelli, that time along with Patrick Driscoll.
The "Le Mans" evolved into a 2+2 version, as well as into a 4-place version called the "Le Mans Special." The first Aston Martin seen at the 24 Hours, it opened the door to a regular presence up until 1939. After World War II, the British manufacturer returned when the 24 Hours of Le Mans started back up in 1949. A new life began under the leadership of entrepreneur David Brown (1904-1993) who bought the marque in 1947, represented by the initials "DB" on the models ever since. A highlight was the win of the DBR 1 of Carroll Shelby-Roy Salvadori in 1959.
Jean-Philippe Doret / ACO - Translation by Nikki Ehrhardt / ACO
Photo: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, 24 HOURS OF LE MANS, SATURDAY & SUNDAY JUNE 18-19 1932. Thanks to the duo Widengren-Newsome, the Aston Martin Le Mans won its second consecutive top 5 at the 24 Hours, four years after the British manufacturer's first appearance at Le Mans.
