1938 Aston Martin 2.0-Litre 15/98 Sports Tourer Coachwork by Abbey Coachworks Ltd Chassis no. D8/872/SO Manufactured by Robert Bamford and Lionel Martin, the first Aston-Martins (the hyphen is correct for the period) rapidly established a reputation for high performance and sporting prowess in the immediate post-WWI years. Unfortunately, the management's concentration on motor sport, while accruing invaluable publicity, distracted it from the business of manufacturing cars for sale, the result being just 50-or-so sold by 1925 when the company underwent the first of what would be many changes of ownership. The foundations were laid for the commencement of proper series production with the formation of Aston Martin Motors Ltd in 1926 under the stewardship of Augustus 'Bert' Bertelli and William Renwick. Built at the firm's new Feltham works, the first 'new generation' Aston Martins were displayed at the 1927 London Motor Show at Olympia. Like his predecessors, 'Bert' Bertelli understood the effect of competition success on Aston Martin sales and the 1928 season sanctioned the construction of two works racers. Based on the 1½-Litre, overhead-camshaft road car, the duo featured dry-sump lubrication and this feature was carried over to the International sports model, newly introduced for 1929. The new Aston was soon making its mark on the racetrack, 'Bert' Bertelli and Pat Driscoll winning the Biennial Cup at Le Mans in 1932, one of many competition successes achieved before the International was superseded by the Le Mans and Ulster models. Racing was still at the forefront of company policy under the stewardship of new owner R G Sutherland, and the 1936 Le Mans race was chosen for the new 2-Litre model's public debut. Basically the same as the existing 1½-Litre model, two works cars were produced only for the '36 Le Mans to be cancelled as a result of strikes in France. However, Speed Models did subsequently compete at Le Mans, the Ulster TT, Spa Francorchamps, the Mille Miglia, Brooklands and Donington