The remaining items on the facia are a concealed ash-tray, c.igar lighter and a cabby hole at each end, these cubicles being devoid of lids ; the entire panel is leather covered. •

A bar beneath the Witt opens s the reversed-alligator bonnet–and once it is opened the engine and i.f.s. units are laid bare in a quite immodest manner, ideal from the servicing point of view: Jack, tools andbutehanuner (there are knock-off wheels on this car!), etc.,, are carried in the front wheel wells. There are small but deepdoor pockets. a visor to shield the driver’s eyes from diessle.and another for his lady to powder her nose in, side and folding central arm-rests. horn-push in the •wheel centre and twin Inel tillers beneath flaps in the lad, these flaps being released by pulling Icintileti Iceside the luggage shelf, so Butt %slam the car is locked the fillers are thief-proof also.

The good aerodynamics of the body are cOrdirmed by the absence of air noise, although the coupe top drummed at speeds above 60 M.p.h. Air reaches the radiator through a duet beneath the front number plate and leaves via grilles.. on each side of the scuttle, on which the vulgar might be tempted to strike Matches.

The inbuilt MeV:4 give a useful dipped beam and a long. concentrated full beam, but are rather too yellow for maximum performance to be enjoyed after dark. Fog, roof and reversing: lamps are not provided. Tlwre are dual sereen-wipers but they refused to cope with snow and became unsynehronised.The front number plate distorted somewhat under snow conditions. The spare wheel locks away in the tail. H.M.V. radio, with speaker in the rear compartment, is an extra.

The only Serious criticism we have is that a certain amount of rain entered the body, along a seam at the near side of the head and by the scuttle. It must be emphasised that this car was a prototype; we are confident that elimination of water leaks will be a matter cclt hihighest priority at Fatten’s, Where many practical motorists are numbered amongst the development staff.

The foregoing disposes of this remarkable motor car in some detail and we come back to the broader appreciation of it. It is, no exaggeration to state that it stands out as One of the world’s really great cars. That it is selling very readily in dollar markets isn’t in the least surprising. Perhaps. the hest way of summing up the DR II is to say that it offers the performance, stability, and joy-of-handlitig associated with the sports/racing car while remaining a completely docile, comfortable. practical and withal economical high-grade touring car, allied to which is the unquestionable convenience offered by the aerodynamic closed coachwork. If three features stand out above many other superlatives in the modern AstonMartin they are the very high maxiem on all gears. the remarkable acceleration to these high speeds and the very high degree of controllability.” Running these close is the all-round excellence of the six-cylinder 2i-litre engine With its four-bearing crankshaft and chain-driven twin o.h. camshafts. This engine, which

is very smooth running in spite of scorning a vibration damper, achieves a performance which before the war would scarcely have been realised even had supercharging been resorted to. These qualities have been so skilfully blended in the DRII Aston-Martin that to the layman it becomes a veritable ” magic carpet,” ideally suited to shrinking the motor roads of Europe. The

THE ASTON-MART1N 1)13 11 OROPHEAD COU

Engine : SIX cylinders, 7N rum. (2.58(4 e.e.), 6.5 to I compression ratio. 103 h.h.p. i 3,0i in r.3 1.

Uriir llutios : first, 11.03 : seemol.

7.05 third_ 4.75 : top. ti.77 lo I. yres : 6.00 b In Dunlop ” {load Speed ” on cent re-lock wire wl wets.

ll’,’12h4 S Approximately 22 cwt., without. occupants.

,skeeing Batin : 2/ turns lock-tolock.

Puel Capacity : .gallons (3 in reserve). Range approximately 400 miles.

Wheelbase : 8 ft. 3 in.

Track : .4 ft. 6 in.

Overall Dimensions : 13 ft. 61 in. by 5 ft. 5 in. by 4 ft. 5/ in.

Price : £1,598 (X2,042 19s. 1.141. with p.t.). PERFORMANCE DATA Speeds in gears : 1st, 4o m.p.h. 2nd ; 68 10.11.11. 3rd : 93

Ton : 109 imp.h. . lecrlera( i Ion wet road) : Through genes 30 m.p.h. in 3.0 C) to „ -„ 6.0 30 „ 0.6 60 „ 12.7 Cl 70 „ 15.8 Cl Sc) „ 20.7 90 „ 29.8 Seromel grur : 10 30 4.4 211 „ 4.4 30 50 4.4 Thi en’ gear.: 20 141 0.4 tt 7.2 •■• 60 -80 7.9 Top 2101

Mt -30 ,„, 8.0 „ Brands Balch flying lap : due to snowstorm. Makers Aston-Marlin, Ltd., Felthane

enthusiast expresses the matter lie ire briefly, terming the 1)I3 II a ” real mot Or car.” With both sentiments I readily concur.—W.13.