In 1958 Aston Martin launched it’s all new DB4, which owed very little to the Claude Hill designs that spanned the 1939 concept Atom through the; DB2, DB2/4 and concluded with the 1957 Mark III. In September 1959 a short wheel base of the DB4GT was announced of which 75 were built and in October 1960 a DB4GT with light weight body work and further weight saving by Ercole Spada at Zagato was shown at the London Motor Show.

The DB4GT Zagato was powered by a Tadek Marek designed 314 hp, 3670 cc / 223 cui, all aluminium straight six motor fitted to a 4 speed all synchromesh gearbox that could push the car from rest to 60mph in just 6.1 seconds, 3 seconds faster than a standard DB4, and on to a top speed of 154mph. The disc brakes however did not have servo assistance.

The plan was to build 25 DB4GT Zagato’s however at £5,470, they were not a fast seller and production was halted with just 19 original cars built. Today’s featured car is unique among the 19 because it does not feature the faired in front head lights common to it’s 18 siblings.

With the relative rarity of these cars pushing up prices and numerous of the 75 DB4GT’s being converted to Zagato specification, in 1988 Aston Martin approved the uprating of four DB4 chassis to DB4GT specification and for these chassis to be sent to Zagato in Italy to be built into works approved replica’s known as Sanction II’s, which were outwardly similar to the original but in no way identical. These four cars sold for over US$ 1,000,000 … each !

In 2000 Aston Martin sanctioned two further DB4’s to be similarly upgraded by Zagato and this pair of cars are known as Sanction III’s.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton for sharing today’s photograph’s taken at Danville Concours d’Elegance last year.

Thanks for joining me on this “Unique Among Rare” edition of Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at another Aston Martin DB4. Don’t forget to come back now !