Thus it was decided that to make the car more competitive in the market place, to increase the capacity of the engine (and thus the power output) whilst keeping the price about the same. It was also planned that with a 2 litre engine Astons could both broaden the range of models and broaden the appeal of the marque beyond the small and specialist market for sportscars.

The resulting 2 litre long chassis tourers and saloons became something of a disappointment as their excess weight blunted performance. More successful were the sportier cars built on the short chassis; the Abbey bodied 2/4 seater and Abbott 15/98 drophead coupe. The overtly sporting Speed models, based on the 1936 team cars were somewhat slow to sell, even the aerodynamic and futuristic ‘C’ Type. The company struggled to clear the cars before the outbreak of the Second World War when the factory concentrated on war work.