This Aston Martin owner has had his DB2 so long it’s like a member of the family

Phil Westbrook says British cars have a reputation for leaking oil – “but Aston Martins don’t leak oil, they mark their territory”.

His gorgeous DB2 has been part of the family since 1968 and there’s no sign it will soon be moving from the Westbrook home in Bardwell Valley, Sydney.

“I think about selling it every now and then and I realise that I can’t,” says Phil, a retired engineer.

His son and daughter tell him there is no way he can sell it, and he knows they’re right. “It’s become a family heirloom,” he says.

Phil fell for Aston Martins in the 1950s when he watched some of the greats of racing set speed records in DB3s.

“It’s not just that they were fantastic sports cars,” he says. “They were beautiful looking as well.”

When a family friend told him he knew of a DB2 for sale, Phil jumped at the chance to buy it. Having originally used it as a family car, he has since given his DB2 a complete refurbishment and now only uses it occasionally.

“I have taken it to every state in Australia apart from the Northern Territory,” he says.

Phil sees himself as a custodian of the brand. In 1999, he became NSW president of the Aston Martin Owners Club (AMOC), which he describes as the biggest one-make car club in the world, as well as one of the oldest (founded in 1935). He recently stood down from the position, but he maintains a lot of close friendships and contacts with club members.

The DB2 is a bona fide head-turner, no matter where Phil takes it: “People sometimes look at the grille, think they recognise it and call it an ‘Austin Martin’. I find it hard to forgive them for that little furphy.”

He says his car is red, “like all sports cars should be”, but that only seems to cause more problems. “I have other people ask me if it’s a Ferrari,” he says with a hearty laugh.

A self-confessed petrolhead, Phil has owned several cars during his lifetime including a Jaguar. There are other cars he is not so ready to admit to owning, although some would go for a tidy sum today if he still had them.

“Hindsight is a wonderful thing,” he says with a sigh – and you know his Aston is a keeper.   

By Paul Rodger

Open Road January/February 2009