A classic Aston Martin car once owned by Belgian King Baudouin has been put on sale for a staggering €4,121,246 in the UK by the Aston Workshop.
Aston Martin's DB2/4 Vignale Chassis was only produced for a short time between 1953 and 1957 in which 552 vehicles were made and this one was delivered to the young King Baudouin on 10 March 1955.
The DB2/4 is not just any car, it is one of only 12 left-hand drive DB2/4 delivered in Italy and Switzerland. The car was crafted by the Italian coach-builder Alfredo Vignale and is showcased in the first James Bond movie. This is the car that has ignited a love for classic motor vehicles in many people.
Vignale created a new fastback body from hand-shaped aluminium as well as a large glazed opening rear hatch with Perspex. This car also had a wraparound windshield and an elegant interior which featured beige fawn leather. The historic DB2 was Aston Martin's first model to bear the initials of David Brown, the new owner of the company at the time.
Related News
- King Baudouin had a relationship with his stepmother according to former Belgian Prime Minister
- Aston Martin once owned by King Baudoin up for auction
King Baudouin had only kept the car for a few years before selling it in the late 1950s. The car was kept in Moselle before being sold to James Toth, an American soldier working for NATO in Paris in the early 1960s. The car travelled to the United States with the soldier, where she was sold to an army captain.
Eventually, it was returned to the "Aston Workshop" to be restored. Although the vehicle had sustained significant damages, the original Vignale aluminium panels and much of its impressive detailing remained intact. "The finished vehicle remains faithful to the original while adding a handful of carefully chosen and hidden mechanical enhancements," Aston Workshop said in its brochure.
In 2020, another Aston Martin DB2/4 owned by King Baudouin was sold. It was completely restored to its original specificity between 2001 and 2008, and according to the auction house Bonhams, it was sold for €264,500.
