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Ask the Experts: The market for pre-War Aston Martins

Ask the Experts: The market for pre-War Aston Martins 22nd May 2018

Ecurie Bertelli has been at the forefront of the pre-War Aston Martin world for the last four decades. Who better to ask about the current state of the market for these cars than Robert Blakemore, the company’s MD?


Although we met Blakemore in early April, his focus was very much on the 16-19 May Mille Miglia Retrospective, an event that suits the elegant West-London-built sports cars well and has done much to raise the value of MM-eligible Astons to the level at which they sit today.

Which is…?

“There are three pre-War Aston Martins in which you can compete in the modern Mille Miglia: the Le Mans as a two-seater Sports, the Ulster and the Speed Model.

“Asking me for values, I’d say £500k for the Le Mans, £1.75m for a non-Team Car Ulster and £750k for a Speed Model. They only built 23 of the latter and, with a dry-sumped 2.0-litre engine and hydraulic brakes, it’s a more potent machine. We have, though, seen 110bhp on our dyno, maybe 120-130bhp on someone else’s, for a 1.5-litre Ulster engine. That’s 118mph on the Mulsanne Straight at the Le Mans Classic.

“As a comparison, away from specific ‘event cars’, a 2.0-litre 15/98 can be bought for £250k. That’s the entry level now. And those were raced in period and throughout the 40s, 50s and onwards at AMOC events.”


So who’s buying them?

“Most are Aston Martin enthusiasts who have worked their way through the David Brown post-War cars. They are probably in their late 40s to early 60s and buying them to use. Of course there’s the investment angle, but primarily it’s to enjoy a car to the full on today’s heavily regulated roads.

“If you want to do an event, a pre-War Aston is relatively rare – so will generally get an entry – and there are plenty to do: ERA (Endurance Rally Association), Vintage Sports Car Club and the Le Mans Classic, to name a few.

“The cars are usable and we have a client who is towing to this year’s MM but driving the car back to the UK…”



These are over 80 years old now; how original are they and, more to the point, what do buyers expect in terms of matching numbers and parts?

“First of all, there are very good records for pre-War Astons. We have them here and the Club and Trust also maintain scrupulous paperwork. Two-thirds of all pre-War cars have been through the Ecurie Bertelli (and before that Morntane Engineering) workshops.

“The concept of ‘matching numbers’ is realistic, although many owners replace the 1930s block with one remanufactured by ourselves, safely storing the original for posterity. The ash frame is unlikely to have survived so many decades and will probably have been replaced.

“We make around 1,500 components for the Bertelli-era cars, so anything can be supplied.”


And is it the case, as with Vintage Bentleys, that owners butcher more sedate saloons and four-seaters to make racier two-seater sports cars?

“That certainly happened in the 1980s and 1990s but less so now. Those cars are probably half the value of an original. It’s still early days, but very few are being converted back to as-delivered. The market will know what the car was – and is today – which goes back to the comprehensive records kept on every chassis number.”

Are there any undiscovered cars?

“There are certainly cars lying derelict awaiting restoration, but they are ‘known’ and at some point will come to market.”


And are pre-War Astons selling?

“We’ve sold 25 to 30 cars over the past three years, so I’d say definitely. And with Aston Martin becoming more visible in F1, the profile of the marque has been raised and more people are becoming interested in its heritage beyond the well-known DB Astons. Which is good for us!”

For further information, see www.ecuriebertelli.com

Photos by Ecurie Bertelli