Lot 316: 1960 Aston Martin DB4

Britain's first real Gran Turismo worthy of the appellation, the Aston Martin DB4 made its debut at the 1958 London Motor Show. Successor to the DB MklII, it was the first production Aston Martin to use Tadek Marek's new twin-cam, all aluminium straight six engine and a lightweight aluminium body designed by Touring of Milan using its Superleggera method of construction. Beneath the DB4's sleek and beautifully proportioned lines the 3,670cc engine developed 240bhp at 5,500rpm, mated to a four-speed David Brown gearbox, while the new platform chassis featured independent coil spring/wishbone front suspension, a coil sprung live rear axle located by Watt linkage and parallel trailing arms, and all round disc brakes. Performance of 140mph, 0-60mph in around nine seconds and 0-100mph in 20 seconds ranked it amongst the fastest grand tourers available, and its Connolly leather and Wilton carpeted interior ensured it was one of the most luxurious. The DB4's somewhat hasty introduction resulted in various improvements during its almost five year production life. For the Series II of 1960 - already heavy duty bumpers and over-riders had been produced after the first 50 cars - the bonnet was hinged from the front rather than the rear, heavy duty calipers were fitted to the front brakes, engine oil sump capacity increased and there was now a radiator blind. Restored without compromise in 2000 by Upper Classics in Eindhoven, Holland, an undertaking that occupied no less than 2,300 man hours and included a cylinder head conversion allowing the use of unleaded petrol, this splendid Aston Martin has covered fewer than 3,000 kilometres since. Originally delivered to Phoenix, Arizona in America, and fitted from new with the optional extras of chrome wire wheels, wing mirrors and a Motorola radio, the car is accompanied by a history file which includes a British Motor Industry Heritage Trust Certificate detailing the above. Strikingly finished in silver with complementary red leather interior, this much sought after and beautiful British thoroughbred is described as being excellent in every respect. A connoisseur's delight.Dieser Aston Martin DB4, der erste englische Gran Turismo, wurde im Jahr 2000 vom hollndischen Spezialisten Upper Classics in Eindhoven ohne Kompromisse in ?ber 2.300 Arbeitsstunden restauriert. Bei dieser Gelegenheit wurde auch der Zylinderkopf f?r den Einsatz von bleifreiem Benzin umgerstet. Seit dieser Restaurierung wurde dieser DB4 nur wenig mehr als 3.000 km bewegt. Urspr?nglich wurde dieser linksgelenkte Aston Martin nach Phoenix/Arizona ausgeliefert. Der Erstbesitzer bestellte unter anderem die optionalen Chromspeichenrder, zwei Au?enspiegel und ein Motorola Radio. Zu der Dokumentation zum Fahrzeug gehrt auch ein Zertifikat vom British Motor Industry Heritage Trust, welches diese Spezifikation besttigt. In der klassischen Aston Martin Farbe silber-metallik mit einem kontrastierenden dunkelroten Lederinterieur gehalten, befindet sich dieser Aston Martin nach Angaben des Einlieferers in einem exzellenten Gesamtzustand.