NEW YORK, USA: THIS UNIQUE Aston Martin is going to auction which is projected to sell for between Ł952,248 and Ł1.2 million. Favoured by the iconic superspy movie character James Bond, the Aston Martin’s history of making cars that will stop you in your tracks goes back even further than the DB5. This gorgeous car is a 1954 DB2/4 rebodied by Bertone will be auctioned off by RM Sotheby’s on Friday 8th December in New York. The two-door isn’t just a beauty, though, it’s also unique, which is why it will likely fetch a seven-figure sum. It was in the late 1940s that David Brown Limited would buy Aston Martin (and then Lagonda) and begin turning it into one of the most revered names in the British automotive industry. Soon after, the company began producing the “DB” series of cars that would establish itself as a force in European motorsports. One of the first of these models was the DB2/4, an elegant grand tourer (and predecessor of the James Bond-approved DB5) that would be in production from 1953 to 1957. The car heading to the auction block, chassis no. LML/765, stands out from the other DB2/4s built by the automaker during that period because it is one of seven reworked by Bertone at the behest of businessman Stanley H. “Wacky” Arnolt II, according to the sales listing. The Italian coachbuilder replaced the DB2/4’s shapely body with something much sleeker. LML/765 is the only coupe (the others are all spiders). Highlights of the car include a hardtop finished in period-correct metallic blue with chrome trim, under the hood, you’ll find a rebuilt, but numbers-matching, 2.6-liter Lagonda inline-six. The interior is just as attractive, and features seats covered in tan leather with white piping matching carpeting. Despite being 69 years old, the car looks as good as it did brand new thanks to impeccable work by Kevin Kay Restorations in California, which meant that the car claimed a class win at this year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. “The tale of Stanley H. “Wacky” Arnolt II is well-known to sports car enthusiasts”, said the sales listing. “The Warsaw, Indiana businessman made his first fortune as a manufacturer of marine engines, then branched into the selling of British automobiles in Chicago in late 1950. In 1952 he commissioned Italian coachbuilder Bertone to build a limited run of custom-bodied MG TDs, known as Arnolt-MGs, for sale through his showroom. This relationship soon expanded, with Bertone collaborating with “Wacky” on, most famously, the Arnolt-Bristol, as well as Bertone-bodied Alfa Romeos, Bentleys, Ferraris, and other fabulous coachbuilt creations. “This unique Aston Martin DB2/4 is a singular and exquisite automobile, representing the epitome of English sporting heritage, but inspired by American ingenuity, passion, and ambition, and styled and built by Bertone and Italy’s finest artisans. “In so many ways, the Bertone Aston represents the ultimate iteration of company owner David Brown’s gentleman’s express. A lively, smooth performer, it is a consummate English gentleman indeed, but clothed in a bespoke Italian suit.” mediadrumimages / @RMSotheby's