Vehicle Description
Chassis No. 129R
Engine No. LM3/2
Before becoming widely recognized as a builder of prestigious
road-going grand tourers, the marque formerly known as Bamford &
Martin enjoyed a rich racing heritage steeped in victories at the
Aston Hill Climb where their success gave birth to the name Aston
Martin. However, their ultra-low-volume creations did not translate
to profit, and by 1924, the firm faced its first bankruptcy.
Augustus "Gus" Cesare Bertelli and William Somerville Renwick -
entrepreneurs with industry experience at Enfield-Allday and
Armstrong Siddeley respectively - joined as investors and
development engineers in 1926, and Aston Martin Motors Ltd. was
incorporated.
Using their one-off, experimental car known as the "Buzzbox"
developed in 1924-25 as a basis, and with the help of young
draftsman Claude Hill, Renwick and Bertelli set about designing
what would become known as the "Bertelli cars." These sporting
models were to be powered by an overhead-cam four-cylinder engine
using Renwick's patented wedge-shaped combustion chamber, drawn by
Hill to have a displacement of 1,492 cc. It marked the beginning of
a long-lived engine design that would continue to power all Aston
Martin cars until 1940. Initially named the "Sports Model," Aston
Martin's first road car appeared at the 1927 London Motor Show,
debuting the trademark features of the marque for the next decade,
with two seats, a low pointed tail, and cycle fenders.
Bertelli, a racer at heart with a formidable post-WWI driving
career, firmly believed that competition was necessary as a means
of improving the breed. He was keen to prove his designs and to
promote Aston Martin at the world's finest international events,
which of course included the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans. In
1928, Bertelli developed the first two of what would ultimately be
seven specially-prepared Aston Martin Works racing cars to compete
in international races between 1928-1931: LM1 and LM2. Given the
evocative prefix "LM" to distinguish them from their production
counterparts, these lightweight racers had their axles, kingpins,
rear spring shackles, bulkheads, and many other components machined
to shave off excess weight. Many of their bronze components were
exchanged for aluminum where possible, and further performance was
gained through improved brake shoes, gear ratios, and a higher
output of 63 horsepower from the 1.5-liter dry sump engine.
After a short but promising debut at the 1928 24 Hours of Le Mans,
improvements were made to the rear suspension design and an
additional Works Team car, LM3, was built in 1929. The car's racing
debut took place at the Double 12 Hours at Brooklands, reportedly
Bertelli's favorite race, with chief mechanic Jack Bezzant and
Bertelli himself sharing driving duties. They finished an
impressive fifth overall and third in the 1.5-liter class, marking
the beginning of LM3's long international racing career. LM3's next
outing came at the 1929 Irish Grand Prix where Bezzant and Bertelli
finished ninth, followed by the 1929 RAC Tourist Trophy, also in
Ireland, where Bezzant failed to finish.
LM3 was subsequently re-bodied with stub-tailed, two-seater Sports
Model coachwork before its next outings at the 1930 Double 12 Hours
at Brooklands and the 1930 Irish Grand Prix at Phoenix Park, where
it was piloted by Bertelli and Auburn to a twelfth-place finish.
According to a letter from Aston Martin Owners Club technical
consultant Andy Bell, LM3 was retained by the Works Team and used
as a development and testing car over the next two years. In 1932,
LM3 was fitted by the factory with its present "International" 2/4
seater body, stamped with chassis number 129R, and sold to Peter
Farquharson. The Works race car, now registered GX599, was
campaigned by Farquharson at the 1932 International Relay Race at
Brooklands before it was sold to John Horsfall. Horsfall, a British
racing driver and later a spy in WWII, took his first of many wins
in an Aston Martin at the Five Lap Handicap race at Donnington Park
in 1935. Digital copies of Aston Martin factory service cards
record that by 1939, LM3 had passed to R. Churchill of 1 Broad St.
London, who subsequently sold the Works Aston to David Elwell-Smith
in June of 1963. Fortunately, LM3's next caretaker was well-known
Aston Martin historian Jim Young, who was able to verify that the
chassis, engine, running gear, and coachwork were all correct and
original during his exacting restoration conducted in the
1980s.
In more recent times, invoices on file show that LM3 was treated to
a comprehensive mechanical and cosmetic refurbishment courtesy of
SPB Historics in East Sussex, England from 2015-2016. The Aston's
impressive originality and superb provenance were recognized at the
2015 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance where it was shown for the
first time in the United States in the K-1 British Prewar Sports
Early Class, and the 2016 Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance where
it received First in the Race Cars (Pre-War) Class. In addition to
remaining in remarkable as-delivered 2/4 seater International
specification, LM3 also remains highly usable and has been a repeat
entrant in the Mille Miglia in 2015, 2016, and 2017.
Joining the consignor's well-respected collection of important
Aston Martins in 2016, Aston Martin Works Team car LM3 presents
today in lightly patinated, well-kept condition as a testament to
the quality of its restoration. Laying the foundation for Aston
Martin's racing heritage at Le Mans and securing the financial
future of the marque, the importance of the 1.5-liter, pre-war LM
cars cannot be overstated. Chassis LM3, raced by Bertelli himself
during its impressive competition history, occupies an important
place in Aston Martin's history and would undoubtedly be welcomed
with open arms at a wide range of prominent concours and vintage
racing events.
