1960 Aston Martin DB4 GT Coupe

The DB4 well and truly marked a beginning of an era for Aston Martin. And while the company would become most recognized for its iconic DB5, it would be the DB4 that would pave the way. The competition model of the DB4 would represent the best British hope to challenge the Italian rivals in Gran Turismo. Created in a very small quantity, the Aston Martin DB4GT would represent the ultimate in performance and comfort and would represent one of the best of the DB-series ever produced by the small manufacturer.

Just a total of 75 DB4GTs would ever be produced. Chassis 0104 would be one of those 75 and one of just 30 that would be built with left-hand drive. Produced in February of 1960, 0104 would be noted as just the fourth GT to be produced. It would be produced with a Sea Green livery with the Off White Connolly upholstery.

Sea Green would be the same livery as that which would adorn the victorious DBR1s at the 1959 24 Hours of Le Mans. The color would be an almost natural livery for the DB4GT given its own performance. Complete with a 302 bhp, 3.7-liter overhead cam engine with three Weber carburetors and a four-speed syncromesh gearbox with limited-slip differential, chassis 0104 would be capable of reaching speeds in excess of 150 mph and had a zero to 60 time of just over 6 seconds! Complete with four-wheel Girling disc brakes, the DB4GT was a real performer, and yet, incredibly sophisticated at the same time.

Though an aggressive performer, the DB4GT always boasted of incredible refinement and luxurious touches. Besides the Connolly leather and deep pile Wilton carpet, the interior would have features that would also remind of the car's sensuous side.

Still, the GT was a performer. And this could not have been better demonstrated then when Stirling Moss took chassis 0103, literally right from the parking lot, and won a GT race with the DB4GT. The DB4GT would be the car that would break Ferrari's winning streak in GT racing. It would also be the car that would touch off an incredible rivalry that would last for more than a couple of years. As a result of the DB4GT, Ferrari would introduce the world to the 250GT SWB.

Even amongst its more famous DB5, the DB4GT remains unmatched and 0104 would be just one of those to which its more famous brethren has to take a back seat.

Much of 0104 is original and early, from the dual venting nacelles, headlamp cover mountings and quick-release spare tire to the many other smaller details that are only known to the DB4GT.

When sold in 1960, the car would be delivered to a Mr. James Murray of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania via Garage Mirabeau, the famed French Aston Martin distributor in Paris. James Murray had been a Commander and a U.S. Naval attaché to France when he came to purchase the car. Complete with the Powr-Lok differential, 0104 would remain with Mr. Murray of Pittsburgh until 1967 when it would come to be purchased in 1967 from its second, and current, owner.

The car would remain in its highly original and untouched state for years until it would undergo a rotisserie restoration throughout 1993 to 1996. This restoration work would be extensively recorded with many pictures, invoices and other paperwork. This frame-up restoration would see the chassis, panels and other portions of the bodywork painted with the correct 'red oxide' before being finished in black. The engine would undergo a thorough and complete rebuild while many of the other components would also undergo overhaul.

Still presented in its original Sea Green livery and its Off White upholstery, 0104 graphically reminds all of the car that changed the course of GT history and that presented Ferrari with its first great opponent. Boasting of less than 43,000 miles and an engine still capable of some mind-numbing performance it is very easy to understand why the DB4GT would earn the nickname of 'bankers hotrod'.

Complete with a thoroughly remarkable provenance and an incredible originality it is clear to see why 0104 has to be regarded with great significance within the DB series. Expected to draw between $1,500,000 and $1,900,000, the price reflects that truth very ostensibly.

Sources:
'Lot No. 228: 1960 Aston Martin DB4GT', (http://www.rmauctions.com/FeatureCars.cfm?SaleCode=MO12&CarID=r227). RM Auctions. http://www.rmauctions.com/FeatureCars.cfm?SaleCode=MO12&CarID=r227. Retrieved 6 August 2012.

'1960 Aston Martin DB4 News, Pictures and Information', (http://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z9304/Aston-Martin-DB4.aspx). Conceptcarz.com; From Concept to Production. http://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z9304/Aston-Martin-DB4.aspx. Retrieved 6 August 2012.

'1961 Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato', (http://www.supercars.net/cars/64.html). Supercars.net. http://www.supercars.net/cars/64.html. Retrieved 6 August 2012.

By Jeremy McMullen