Film Star Aston
Discussion
I just watched "School for Scoundrels", a 1960 film with Ian Carmichael and Terry Thomas. It features an Aston Martin DB3S badged as a "Bellini".
Few cars can have had a more interesting and tragic history...
Quote - "An Aston Martin DB3S team car gunned by Moss, Collins, Brooks and Salvadori, subsequently driven into the Solent by a suicidal love-sick mechanic and later co-starring with Terry-Thomas in the legendary film School for Scoundrels? DB3S/5 started as a road car for David Brown with an experimental glassfibre body. After a disastrous '54 Le Mans it was given the aluminium body of 3S/2 for an active racing life as a factory team car. After success with Roy Salvadori, it went to privateer Dennis Barthel in 1957. He had the car prepared by Rob Walker's Pippbrook Garage where it was fettled by Alan Overton. Unfortunately the caddish DB3S owner took up with the young mechanic's fiance and tragedy followed. Barthel let Overton drive the Aston at the Gosport Speed Trials and although the mechanic set fastest time in his class he didn't live to collect his trophy on that April bank holiday. Overton never lifted off the throttle beyond the finishing post and ended his life by driving straight into the sea. The car was rebuilt with a new body; re-registered PAP 625, it was christened the Bellini to co-star with Terry-Thomas and Ian Carmichael in School for Scoundrels. The car, with its distinctive front end, was styled by Carrozzeria Touring and passed through the hands of several enthusiasts until the late Bill Lake had it meticulously restored to its original factory team car style and tracked down its old works registration 9046 H. The present owner, Erich Traber, is a regular Mille Miglia entrant following in the tracks of Peter Collins."
Apologies if it has already been discussed.
Few cars can have had a more interesting and tragic history...
Quote - "An Aston Martin DB3S team car gunned by Moss, Collins, Brooks and Salvadori, subsequently driven into the Solent by a suicidal love-sick mechanic and later co-starring with Terry-Thomas in the legendary film School for Scoundrels? DB3S/5 started as a road car for David Brown with an experimental glassfibre body. After a disastrous '54 Le Mans it was given the aluminium body of 3S/2 for an active racing life as a factory team car. After success with Roy Salvadori, it went to privateer Dennis Barthel in 1957. He had the car prepared by Rob Walker's Pippbrook Garage where it was fettled by Alan Overton. Unfortunately the caddish DB3S owner took up with the young mechanic's fiance and tragedy followed. Barthel let Overton drive the Aston at the Gosport Speed Trials and although the mechanic set fastest time in his class he didn't live to collect his trophy on that April bank holiday. Overton never lifted off the throttle beyond the finishing post and ended his life by driving straight into the sea. The car was rebuilt with a new body; re-registered PAP 625, it was christened the Bellini to co-star with Terry-Thomas and Ian Carmichael in School for Scoundrels. The car, with its distinctive front end, was styled by Carrozzeria Touring and passed through the hands of several enthusiasts until the late Bill Lake had it meticulously restored to its original factory team car style and tracked down its old works registration 9046 H. The present owner, Erich Traber, is a regular Mille Miglia entrant following in the tracks of Peter Collins."
Apologies if it has already been discussed.
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