DB4 series is regarded by many
people as
the greatest Aston Martin of all. In its days, it was the English
answer to Ferrari's GT cars. People admired its elegant styling and
quality, its comfortable ride and high-speed cruising ability. In
short, it was a very good long-distance grand tourer. On the other
hand, its short-wheelbase version GT was a formidable force in motor
racing, winning many races and eventually forcing Ferrari to develop
250 GTO. During its 5 years life, some 1100 cars were produced.
 The DB4 was born in 1958 London
Motor Show. It was styled by Italian design house Touring of Milan, no
wonder its sleek profile differed somewhat from the subsequent Aston
Martins' bulldog muscular shape. Mechanically, it was not as
technological advanced as contemporary Ferraris, but the steel tubular
frame chassis was enclosed with aluminum bodywork, and Aston's chief
engineer Tadek Marek introduced the legendary twin-cam straight-6
engine in this car. Displacing 3670 cc, the engine could pump out 240
horsepower and especially strong bottom end torque, which was very
useful to a luxurious grand tourer. Autocar magazine found it could top
141 mph and accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 8.5 seconds. That's
remarkable for a 2+2 grand tourer - Ferrari 250GT was only half a
second quicker.
Compare with Ferrari, the DB4 preferred wide open roads than corners.
It was never renowned for handling, because it was quite heavy and high
on center of gravity. In return, the driver got a high-mounted seat for
a commanding view. The cockpit was spacious and luxuriously decorated.
The ride was comfortable because of soft suspension setting. In
addition to the flexible straight-6, DB4 established a strong luxurious
GT image for Aston Martin. Today AM cars still follow the path set by
DB4.
DB4
GT
In 1959, Aston Martin introduced
a short-wheelbase version of DB4 called DB4 GT. It was used to compete
with Ferrari's new 250 SWB (also short wheelbase, of course) in GT
racing. The DB4 GT was not only 13 cm shorter in wheelbase than the
standard coupe, but it was some 120 kg lighter, thanks to thinner
aluminum panels and deletion of the rear seats.
The straight-6 engine also received heavy modifications, such as
twin-spark per cylinder, high-lift camshafts, raised compression and 3
Weber carburetors. As a result, maximum output raised to 302
horsepower. That's 22 horsepower more than its Ferrari rival could
muster (although the Ferrari was lighter). Performance was therefore
dramatically improved from the standard coupe. The DB4 GT could break
150 mph and took only 6.4 seconds for 0-60.
The muscular look of Aston Martin cars started take shape from the DB4
GT. Visually, its shorter wheelbase put more weight to the front. The
rounder front flanks - now added with perspex headlamp covers -
delivered a muscular feel, while the large bonnet air scoop added to a
bulldog appeal.
Aston produced only 75 units of DB4 GT from 1959 to 1962, many of them
enjoyed great success in motor racing. It eventually forced Ferrari to
develop an even better car, 250 GTO.
DB4 GT Zagato
To
car collectors, DB4GT Zagato is the most desirable Aston Martin of all.
The first reason is rarity - from 1960-63, only 19 units were built.
This made it the rarest Aston Martin until today. Second, many people
regarded this car as the most beautifully styled Aston Martin, and
probably the most beautiful design from Zagato. In 2005, a DB4GT Zagato
was sold for US$2.7 million ! That's one of the most valuable classic
cars today.
In the end of 1950s, the competition between Aston Martin and Ferrari
in GT racing intensified. In order to get the leading position, both
companies rushed out newer and more exotic version of their weapons. In
the AM side, it was DB4 GT Zagato. The DB4 GT was already a competitive
road racing GT. In the Zagato version, the emphasis was even lighter
weight and more power, virtually pushing everything to the envelop.
 
The bodywork of the car was designed by Zagato's young designer Ercole
Spada. The chassis was sent from Newport Pagnell to Italy, where Zagato
put its aluminum bodywork on, and then shipped back to UK for final
assembly. This explain why the car was super-expensive. Nevertheless,
Zagato's bodywork was even lighter than the DB4 GT because it used even
thinner aluminum panels. Parts of the chassis was also converted from
steel to aluminum to save weight. For the same reason, windows were
converted from glass to perspex. Besides, all the creature comfort was
deleted from the cabin, even the seats were lightweight items. It is
difficult to say how much weight was saved in total, because none of
the 19 cars built were exactly in the same specifications. However, the
weight save is believed to be around 40 kg.
 
The 3670 cc straight-6 got a slight power increase to 314 hp, thanks to
raising compression from 9.1 to 9.7:1. This mean the Zagato was
slightly faster than the DB4 GT.
Unfortunately, the Zagato version actually got little racing success.
It always lived under the shadow of Ferrari 250 GTO, a car having
better chassis, lighter weight and better aerodynamics. In short,
everything better than the Zagato. In fact, GTO also cost a deal more
in auction - it set a world record of US$10.7 million in 1990.
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