Aston Martin
Works team cars LM1 & LM2

Why it matters

LM1 and LM2 were the first two Aston Martin works team cars, built for the 1928 season by A. C. (Bert) Bertelli. The LM prefix was given to works racing cars to distinguish them from production cars, and the lessons from racing them fed directly into the production cars.

How rare is it?

Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.

Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.

Production

Every figure says what it counts.

Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.

History

Bertelli built the two cars with lightened components, lightweight Harry Bertelli three-seater coachwork and a dry-sump engine giving up to 63 bhp. Both started the 1928 Le Mans 24 Hours and retired: LM1 after damaging its rear axle on lap 31 and LM2 with a broken gearbox after 18 hours. The team still won the Rudge-Whitworth prize of 1,000 francs for the fastest cars over the first 20 laps.

Back in Britain LM2 was rebuilt and used as a works demonstrator, then entered with the new LM3 in the 1929 Brooklands Double Twelve. Both cars were soon rebodied to smarten them up as demonstrators.

Technical specifications

Engine

Transmission & drivetrain

Chassis, body & dimensions

Performance

“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.

Identification guide

How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.

Genuine works cars carry the LM prefix to the chassis number (LM1, LM2). Distinguishing details are the lightweight three-seater body by Harry Bertelli, the dry-sump 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine, and parts lightened by machining or remaking in lighter materials: about 6 lb was machined off the front axle forging alone, with aluminium replacing bronze and 'Electron' replacing aluminium in places.

Sources

Each number links to the exact facts it supports.

1. 1
   Team cars LM1 to LM7 Level B Ecurie Bertelli

   • two works racing cars for the 1928 season; LM1 and LM2
   • dry sump engine now giving up to 63 bhp

   Accessed 2026-11-12
2. 2
   Ecurie Bertelli – Team cars LM1–LM7 Level B

   • 2 Works racing cars developed by Bertelli for the 1928 season (LM1 and LM2)

   Accessed 2026-11-12
3. 3
   The 1931 Aston Martin team cars (May 1980) Level B Motor Sport magazine

   • dry-sump lubrication... 1½-litre, four-cylinder
   • eight valves were overhead... single overhead camshaft

   Accessed 2026-11-12
4. 4
   90 years of racing passion - the story of the Aston Martin LM2 Level B PreWarCar

   • 1.5-litre, four-cylinder engine

   Accessed 2026-11-12