A showman’s motor car: Jimmy Nervo and the International Le Mans

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Jimmy Nervo was a British comedian and entertainer, best known as one half of the classic music-hall and revue duo Nervo and Knox. Born in London in 1897, he witnessed the rise of the motor car at close hand. Yet he grew up in a travelling circus family, a life in which horses, caravans and trains were far more familiar than motorised vehicles.

That changed as he developed into an acrobat and, eventually, a crowd favourite on Britain’s stages. With Nervo and Knox he conquered the variety theatres, revues and even the early film world. Later, he became a founding member of the legendary comedy group The Crazy Gang, which enjoyed enormous success from the 1930s onward.

Success brings freedom. And freedom calls for powered wheels. For a British showman with style, there was really only one logical means of transport: an Aston Martin. In 1931 the new International Le Mans model appeared at the Olympia Motor Show. Aston Martin built a small number of replicas of the two-seater racing cars that had competed at Le Mans. These models were given the name International Le Mans.

Only five examples were produced with coachwork closely resembling that of the factory team cars: with fold-flat windscreens, low radiators and a distinctly sporting appearance—yet fitted with doors. Thanks to a close-ratio gearbox, they performed every bit as impressively as they looked. One can easily imagine Jimmy Nervo strolling across the show floor, his performer’s hat tipped slightly back, thinking: that’s the one! He ordered one.

The sporting two-seater became his travelling companion across the country. But a touring entertainer has luggage, costumes and props. So in 1932 Nervo had his Aston converted into a 2/4-seater by coachbuilder Freestone & Webb. A little less racer, a little more grand tourer, perfect for a man who moved as effortlessly between cities as he did between bursts of laughter.

In the decades that followed, the car went through several transformations, until a later owner decided to return it to the condition in which Jimmy had first bought it.

This week, the ex–Jimmy Nervo Aston Martin International Le Mans will once again be presented to the public in its original form at the Salon Rétromobile in Paris. Perhaps it will gaze out over a hall filled with light, glamour and admiring glances.

Just the thing for modern Parisian showgirls… Who knows.

Details:

• Event: Salon Rétromobile
• Date: 28 January – 1 February 2026
• Location: Parc des Expositions Porte de Versailles, Paris, France
• Tickets: Click here

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