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Welcome to the Aston Workshop news section. This section will update regularly, enabling you to keep up to date of changes and new information relating to the Aston Workshop and the Aston Martin Marque.
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The Aston Workshop has presented Dr. D S Ellis with a copy of the Peking-Paris commemorative book in recognition for his contribution and continued interest in the ongoing story of Lagonda AUF 77.
AUF77 was the car that Aston Workshop owner, Bob Fountain, restored to compete in the Peking-Paris endurance race earlier this year. The book, ‘History of Lagonda AUF 77 and the Peking to Paris Challenge’, was produced by the Aston Workshop as a commemorative publication to accompany Bob on the rally as an illustration of the Aston Workshop’s ability to produce a thoroughly reliable and outstanding restoration in an incredibly short time span. The book was backed up by Bob’s success in the race, as he finished in 14th place and collected a silver medal.
Dr Ellis, who lives in London, was the fourth owner of AUF77 and bought the car in June 1953 shortly after qualifying as a doctor. He kept the car until 1968 and over the years has kept detailed records of the car’s history through correspondence with previous and subsequent owners of the car. The Aston Workshop contacted Dr Ellis after learning that he had been in touch with the Lagonda Heritage Trust to discover the whereabouts of AUF77.
Dr Ellis was always fascinated in the history of the car and when he bought it in 1953 he made a point of contacting all three previous owners to find out its history. He wrote to them asking for invoices of services, repairs and overhauls since the car was made in 1934 and found a great deal of pleasure in collecting all of the documents and information to make sure that subsequent owners could benefit from his knowledge.
However, by the early 1960’s, the wooden frame in AUF77 was becoming rotten. As the mechanics were in sound condition it wasn’t until 1967 that Dr Ellis realised he would have to do something to fix it. He had to decide whether to keep the car and undergo the expensive cost of a total rebuild, or whether to allow the car to go to a new owner. Dr Ellis spent a long time deliberating over his decision but in the end decided to sell her to the Beaulieu Motor Museum for just £200 on the understanding that AUF77 would be restored and displayed.
Some months later, Dr Ellis was contacted by Timothy Brown of Austin in Texas, to say that the car had been sold to him by an intermediary for a very handsome profit, and exported to the USA. Although Dr Ellis was shocked to realise that AUF77 had not been displayed in the Beaulieu Museum as he believed, he decided to help Timothy Brown to understand the history of the car by writing long and detailed letters containing diagrams and sketches to give him an idea of the original condition of the car. When Bob Fountain bought AUF77, Dr Ellis contacted the Lagonda Heritage Trust to find out where the car had gone.
Aston Workshop contacted Dr Ellis in order to hear his story and use his letters and documents to restore the car as far as possible to the original specifications. In this information, the most noticeable expenditure in the AUF77’s history was the complete overhaul and rebore of the engine which took place in 1958.
As a gesture of thanks for Dr Ellis’ contribution, The Aston Workshop has presented him with a copy of ‘History of Lagonda AUF77 and the Peking to Paris Challenge’ which the Lagonda Heritage Trust has described as a 'landmark publication'.
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