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| University of Miami. Library. Cuban Heritage Collection. Ramiro A. Fernández Collection: chc52600002940001001. |
WHEN I came across this photo of a Havana race in the University of Miami's Ramiro A. Fernández Collection, I thought the car that has slid up against the hay bales might be the Aston Martin DB 2/4 that recently resurfaced in Cuba.
Then I noticed that the photo is recorded as being taken on Oct. 10, 1957, which would be months too early for that Aston Martin, a rare, race-prepared 1958 Mark III model.
This suggests that the DB 2/4 above is from the Mark II series made between 1955 and 1957. It also would be rare. Wikipedia– and we can probably trust it here – reports that only 146 Mark IIs were made in the body style we see here; another 53 were convertibles or "fixed head coupes," also known as hardtops.
But ... while it's hard to tell from this photo, the taillamps on this Aston Martin do appear more like the elongated lights of the Mark III (1957-1959, 551 produced in all body styles) than the small, bud-like lamps of the earlier series.
So maybe it is that car.
Or maybe there's another racing Aston Martin in Cuba, hidden away for decades and perhaps ready to also re-emerge.
This suggests that the DB 2/4 above is from the Mark II series made between 1955 and 1957. It also would be rare. Wikipedia– and we can probably trust it here – reports that only 146 Mark IIs were made in the body style we see here; another 53 were convertibles or "fixed head coupes," also known as hardtops.
But ... while it's hard to tell from this photo, the taillamps on this Aston Martin do appear more like the elongated lights of the Mark III (1957-1959, 551 produced in all body styles) than the small, bud-like lamps of the earlier series.
So maybe it is that car.
Or maybe there's another racing Aston Martin in Cuba, hidden away for decades and perhaps ready to also re-emerge.