Aston Martin

1.5L - Le Mans Short Chassis

1933 Aston Martin Le Mans 1.5L Short Chassis powered by the 1.5L 4 cylinder engine producing 70 bhp


In the early days, Aston Martin concentrated on racing events such as Le Mans and Mille Miglia, which was due in no small part to the fact that the engineer and main shareholder Bertelli was himself a passionate racing driver. The Aston Martin Le Mans was presented at the London Motor Show in 1932. The special features were mainly technical: new frame with only 102 inches length, dry sump lubrication, four cylinder engine with overhead camshaft and Laycock gearbox, etc. An Aston Martin 1.5L Le Mans took part in the original Mille Miglia, which ensures the eligibility to participate in the current Mille Miglia today. They can also be raced at Le Mans Classic.


Being that only a total of 85 Le Mans were built, 69 short chassis and 16 long chassis, they were mostly documented very well. This means that it is known that 5 short and 1 long chassis were scrapped. The 1.5L Le Mans which we are presenting here today is chassis B3/238/S, which is a genuine short chassis. She was sold new back in 1933 to someone in the UK. Before the war she had 3 documented owners. Once WWII had passed she traded ownership at least 3 more times. One of these owners was Ken Dace, who drove her to the Bol d’Or back in 1951. There is even a picture of this event. She was exported to Japan in 1979 where she competed in multiple events with Nakauchi. She was owned in Japan by the Club Representative of the Aston Martin Owners Club Japan. We understand that Mr. Shimazaki drove in Le Mans in the late 1990s. The complete car was professionally restored in the mid-80s by Morntane Engineering Ltd. (the predecessor of Ecurie Bertelli). Ecurie Bertelli imported her back into the UK in 2015 where she was acquired by her current owner in 2016.


She is finished in the classic shade of British Racing Green, which is arguably the perfect colour for a pre-war British racer. During her restoration she was changed to green as her original specification was black with red accents. Inside you will find an equally as beautiful interior with black leather seats and a wooden dashboard, both of which are in great condition. She comes with a full tonneau cover and a set of side windows for those longer journeys.


As mentioned before, she is chassis 238 but has engine number 288, this is an original LeMans engine, fitted in the 1950s to replace engine 238. The donor car (288) is 1 of the 5 scrapped cars and no longer exists. It is very rare to have an original 1.5L Le Mans engine such as the one which we are presenting here today. The history of our chassis 238 is correctly documented and known to the AMOC. Our engine was upgraded with a steel crankshaft and conrods and main bearing caps and thus is fool proof.


The car has a B3 Fiva pass on her original British registration. She was however imported into Belgium before Brexit and can be registered in the EU. We also have a copy of the original build sheet from 1933 and many other history documents.


So what are you waiting for? Here is your chance to own a rare and wonderful example of a classic British Pre-War racer. If you want to participate in Mille Miglia or Le Mans Classic, then look no further. Get in touch for more information.


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