A THOROUGHBRED WITH A HISTORY

A THOROUGHBRED WITH A HISTORY

For more than a Decade, Road and Track Racing has been the Arduous School through which the Aston-Martin has Received/ its Development

RACING Improves the Breed.” This is a very old saying, but like many such is an extremely true one, and it would be hard to find any case in which it applied more strongly, or in which the results were more evident, than in the case of the Aston Martin car. The majority of motorists have long been aware of the good qualities and fine workmanship which have always characterised this product, and its merit has now been brought into well deserved and fuller notice by the outstanding success of this make in the Double Twelve hour race of last month. In this race Mr. A. C. Bertelli, the designer, driving in turn with Mr. Holder, after a trouble free run for the whole distance, finished fourth in the general classification of the race. At the end of the race the car, which had been going faster in the later stages than at the beginning, finished in perfect condition. Such results are not achieved without wide knowledge and careful preparation, and their success is mainly due to Mr. Bertelli’s great experience of motorcar engineering, and to his ability as a designer. It is indeed rare that one finds a designer with sufficient grasp of his subject to be able to follow the construction of his car from. the

drawing board, through all the stages of experiment and manufacture, until he finally drives it to success in an important event ; and when one finds such a man, his products are bound to be something to reckon with in competitions.

Sometimes one finds that manufacturers, in producing a sports model, skimp matters in regard to equipment, fittings and subsidiaries either on the score of economy or, one assumes, because their concentration does not extend to further than the main units—the engine and transmission—of their car. No such ill-advised methods can be traced in the Aston Martin, and the tout ensemble, from the raw material used to the smallest auxiliary incorporated, is of the highest grade. This policy is the direct outcome of years of intensive experience in racing which can alone show up latent weakness in any part or component. In the light of the recent performance of the Aston Martins it is interesting to trace its history and the various trials through which it has gone to achieve its present standard. The first appearance of this make in an important race was when one Aston Martin, manufactured by Mr. Lionel Martin, and driven by the late

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