On Tuesday 27th September 2022 a small team of enthusiasts will be at the grounds surrounding Belleisle House in Ayr, set in Belleisle Park, Ayr. The car, known as LM4, was an Aston Martin team racing car built in 1930.
After its racing career with the Aston Martin factory LM4 was sold to its first private owner, Henry Leeson in 1931. Mr Leeson sold the car a few months later to Rolland Cookson, a young businessman from the North of England. For reasons still unknown, Mr Cookson gave his address as ‘Belleisle House, Ayr’ in October 1931. As to why he gave Belleisle House as his address, we are not sure. One theory is that he was on an extended honeymoon trip with his new wife, or staying in the area to conduct business. We are hoping that returning the car back to the house might stir up some memories amongst local people.
LM4 was built as racing car by Aston Martin and it raced in the prestigious J.C.C. ‘Double Twelve’ held at Brooklands in 1930, finishing 4th and 2nd in its class. A few months later the won its class in the R.I.A.C. Irish Grand Prix and came 7th overall. The car has a 1.5 litre four cylinder engine and has been recently repainted in its original racing green colour scheme by Aston Martin Works at Newport Pagnell. The car is maintained and prepared for racing by marque experts Ecurie Bertelli Ltd and although it spends most of its time on the race track, it is also road registered too.
The new owners of the car have commissioned Aston Martin historian, Steve Waddingham, and genealogist Martin Saul, to uncover the cars history. The team are taking the car back to places where it has ‘lived’ and raced, and from this we hope to publish a book in the future that will tell the story in words and dramatic photographs. As part of this exercise we will be photographing LM4 in Belleisle Park and in front of the remains on the old house.
