DB4GT Zagato

Posted on November 11, 2015 by classiccarweekly

1962 Aston Martin DB4GT Zagato

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | New York, New York | December 10, 2015

Photo – RM Sotheby’s

This is one of the Holy Grail Aston Martins. The DB4GT itself is a rare, highly sought-after machine – but those handful of Zagato versions are really where it’s at. The DB4 was produced by Aston Martin between 1958 and 1963. The DB4GT came out in late 1959. It was a lightweight, high-performance version of the standard 2+2 road car.

The engine in the GT (including this car) is a 314 horsepower 3.7-liter straight-six. That’s actually serious horsepower – even today. About 75 standard GTs were built. But this is one of only 19 Zagato cars.

The car is instantly recognizable with that grille as an Aston. But the soft, sloping rear end makes it obviously a work of Zagato. This is car #14 and it was shipped new to Australia where it led a life as an independent racer. It went back to the U.K. in the 1990s, was restored in 2002 and has been shown all over the world. What’s truly impressive: not one of the 19 DB4GT Zagatos has traded hands in more than 10 years. This truly is a car that rarely comes up for sale. RM compares it to the 250 GTO and they aren’t wrong. While it won’t bring $30+ million dollars, it will definitely bring multiple millions. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $14,300,000.

DB4 Vantage Convertible

Posted on May 5, 2015 by classiccarweekly

1962 Aston Martin DB4 Series IV Vantage Convertible

Offered by Bonhams | Newport Pagnell, U.K. | May 9, 2015

Photo – Bonhams

The Aston Martin DB4 is the car that started a styling trend that would continue for over a decade in a handful of models. They’re beautiful cars with a lightweight body, as designed by Carrozzeria Touring. They were built between 1958 and 1963 in five different series with each successive series featuring slight styling tweaks.

This is a Series IV car. It is also a “Vantage” car – Aston speak for the biggest and baddest available. In this case, it means it features a triple-carbureted version of the DB4’s 3.7-liter straight-six, making an impressive 266 horsepower. Vantage cars were only available beginning with the Series IV launch in 1961.

Of the total 1,110 DB4s built (not counting DB4GTs), only 136 hard tops were built with the Vantage engine. An even fewer 32 convertibles had the same motor. Only 70 DB4 Convertibles were built in total. And yes, this car is a pre-Volante terminology Aston Martin “convertible.” It’s a rare car.

This car was purchased new by actor Peter Utsinov and it is left-hand drive. It has seen very little use since the mid-1980s and has never been restored. It will need a little attention before you take it out on the road, but that shouldn’t hamper the price too much – it is estimated to bring between $1,400,000-$1,500,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $2,332,827

Aston Martin Bertone Jet

Posted on May 13, 2013 by classiccarweekly

1960 Aston Martin DB4GT “Jet” by Bertone

Offered by Bonhams | Newport Pagnell, U.K. | May 18, 2013

The year 2013 is the 100th anniversary of the founding of Aston Martin. It’s only appropriate that the rarest and one of the most desirable examples of Aston’s early GT cars would come up for sale to cap off a year of celebrations.

The DB4 was introduced in 1958 to replace the DB Mark III. At the end of 1959, Aston introduced the DB4GT – a sporting, lightweight version of the grand touring car. The engine was an upgraded 3.7-liter straight-six making 302 horsepower – a 60+ horsepower bump over the stock car. The factory-bodied GTs used a body designed by Carrozzeria Touring. They also made for successful race cars.

The next iteration of the DB4GT was made by Zagato. They were even lighter and had a very racy body and are highly sought after today. And then there is this car. The only DB4GT bodied by Bertone. It’s a steel body and it was actually penned by a young man just getting his start at Bertone: Giorgetto Giugiaro. The car resided in Lebanon before coming to the U.S. In the 1980s it was discovered by the chairman of Aston Martin and it was taken back to the factory.

The restoration – which was immense – was completed by Aston Martin in 1988 and the car has racked up over 35,000 miles since. It’s being offered for sale for the first time in nearly 30 years (the time before that spent mostly sitting out of the public eye). Only one was built. The name “Jet” was acquired over the years and it is speculated that Bertone wanted to build a run of these cars, but the premiere of the car was overshadowed by the debut of the Jaguar E-Type at the same show. Talk about bad luck!

The pre-sale estimate is $4,300,000-$5,900,000. That’s a big range but high-dollar cars like this usually aren’t even assigned a reserve. It’s nice to Bonhams to do so, though. Click here for more info and here for more from Bonhams’ 14th annual Aston Martin auction.

Update: Sold $4,897,334.

Bonhams’ 2012 Aston Martin Sale

Posted on May 26, 2012 by classiccarweekly

Bonhams’ almost exclusively Aston Martin sale (there were a few Lagondas), held on May 19, 2012, was a huge success. The sell rate was very high and some cars brought a lot of money – and by a lot of money I mean some cars sold for up to five times the amount of the high-end of their estimate. Such as our featured 1971 DBS Estate. The upper end of the estimate was $110,000. It sold for $533,000. Wow.

The top sale of the auction was a 1991 DB4GT Zagato. While not one of the original 1960s DB4GT Zagatos, this was one of a handful of DB4s that were upgraded by the factory in the late-80s/early-90s. It sold for $1,896,720. But look at it. If there was a “perfect shape,” this is about as close as I’ve seen.

The second highest-sale was a 1962 DB4 Vantage Convertible with single-family ownership from new. It sold for $967,000.

Other interesting sales included a pair of sedans. First was a 1963 Lagonda Rapide – one of only 55 produced. It brought $90,800. The second was a Series I Aston Martin Lagonda from 1975. It is one of only seven made and it sold for $533,000.