Aston Martin Team Car LM7

Between the two world wars, many sports car manufacturers romped around the famous race tracks to fight among themselves to see who could build the better cars. Especially the Le Mans 24-hour race gained in importance during this period. In addition to MG, Bentley, Mercedes-Benz, Bugatti, Frazer Nash and Alfa Romeo, the works team of Aston Martin also gathered here. The latter brand celebrated various class and team successes, especially in the 1930s. Since the mid 1920s, racing driver Augustus ‘Bert’ Bertelli and the rich heir William ‘Bill’ Renwick had been in charge of the British manufacturer and moved production to new brick buildings in Feltham. Their plan was to develop sports cars that could be driven on their own wheels to the race tracks, where they would achieve success without radical changes.

The first two Team Cars, LM1 and LM2, were created as early as 1928 and competed in Le Mans the same year. LM3 followed in 1929 and LM4 in 1930, both of which never made it onto the track at the Sarthe in northwest France. HJ Aldington, who actually worked for Frazer Nash, injected fresh money into the Aston Martin company in 1931 and at the same time ordered three new racing cars, LM5, LM6 and LM7. As final examples of the Bertelli design, which was based on the International model, they received a 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine with redesigned cylinder heads that produced more compression. This provided 70 hp at 5,000 rpm, which ensured a topspeed of 90 mph. A special fuel was used in racing, consisting of 75 percent ethylene and 25 percent benzol. A manual four-speed gearbox transferred the power to the rear axle and wider drum brakes all around provided good deceleration values.

Harry Bertelli, a brother of ‘Bert’, designed the bodywork with a long bonnet, narrow fenders and a long, pointed and sloping rear end under which is the horizontal spare wheel and a large fuel tank with two filler necks. Doors and a roof were completely dispensed with, allowing the driver and the then obligatory mechanic in the passenger seat to quickly hop into their bucket seats. In front of their heads there are only small rectangular windows as minimal weather protection.

LM7 is currently available for sale from classic car specialist Kidston SA. This factory racing car first competed in the 1931 Double 12 race at Brooklands, where it was raced over a distance of twice 12 hours, separated by a night break. With new, more powerful Zeiss headlights, it then went on to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where, however, due to their higher weight, these light units broke the screws of their brackets, which led to additional pit stops. In the case of the LM7, the mountings of the front left fender also broke eventually, which led to exclusion from the race due to the regulations at the time. Until the next event at the Ards Royal Automobile Club Tourist Trophy in Northern Ireland in August 1931, all three cars were checked at the factory and equipped with a more accessible spare wheel, for which it was no longer necessary to remove the seats. On the offside, a bulge in the bonnet provided the necessary space for a larger carburettor. LM7 got fenders from an older Team Car, which are still on the car today.

After the 1931 season, Mortimer Morris-Goodall bought LM7 and used the car in various events in 1932 and 1933, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans. From the end of 1933, various other owners followed, who rarely brought the rare Aston Martin to race tracks. In the late 1960s Inman ‘Ted’ Hunter, the first registrar of the Aston Martin Owner’s Club (AMOC), had an extensive restoration carried out, during which a rear axle from a later Team Car was installed. Pink Floyd’s drummer Nick Mason bought the sports car in the late 1970s, used it himself in various races, loaned it to friends and family and finally sold it to its current owner in Italy in 2007. The current owner used LM7 in five Mille Miglia editions. Now a new owner will soon be able to enjoy the performance of this pre-war road-legal racing car.

Images: Kidston SA