1958 Aston Martin DB4

Between 1914 to 1940, Aston Martin produced approximately 679 vehicles, with production increasing after English industrialist David Brown acquired the company and Lagonda in the late 1940s. Aston Martin was appealing due to its reputation for sporting motor cars, sound engineering, and impeccable craftsmanship. Following David Brown's acquisition, the first model designed and engineered completely in-house was the DB2 of 1949. Beneath the bonnet was a 2.5-liter W.O. Bentley-designed Lagonda engine which would later be used in the DB2/4 and MKII and DB MKIII, remaining in use through 1959.

The long-stroke, essentially pre-war Lagonda engine was replaced by a new six-cylinder 3.6-liter engine with an alloy block, twin camshafts, and hemispherical combustion chambers. It was designed by newly hired Polish-born engineer Tadek Marek and would remain in use for the next 13 years, powering the DB4, DB4 GT, DB5, DB6 and DBS models.

Along with road-going production, a small series of sporting racing cars were built by General Manager John Wyer, Engine Designer Marek and Race Engineer Ted Cutting. The list included the DB3 S and DBR 1 and helped David Brown achieve a victory at the 24 Hours of LeMans outright, with Carroll Shelby and Roy Salvadori driving, as well as the
1959 World Sportscar Manufacturer's Championship, aided by team drivers Stirling Moss, Tony Brooks, Jack Fairman, Maurice Trintignant and Paul Frere.

The Aston Martin DB4
Production of the Aston Martin DB4 began in 1958 and continued through 1963 with 1,204 examples produced including 56 examples of the DB4 GT and 19 of the DB4 GT Zagato. Its predecessor was the DB Mark III which rested on a 99-inch wheelbase platform (an overall length of 172 inches and a width of 65 inches) and was powered by the 2.9-liter Lagonda inline-6. Production lasted from 1957 through 1959 with 551 examples built during that time.

The DB4 had a steel platform type chassis designed by Harold Beach, replacing the preceding multi-tubular spaceframe which was considered incompatible with Touring's Superleggera body construction. Its wheelbase measured 98 inches (overall length of 177 inches and width of 66 inches) and wore lightweight superleggera coachwork designed by Carrozzeria Touring in Milan. The previous trailing-link independent front suspension gave way to unequal-length wishbones while at the rear the DB4 sported a live axle located by a Watts linkage instead of its predecessor's Panhard rod. The 3.7-liter engine was designed by Tadek Marek and delivered 240 horsepower. Its cylinder head and block were formed from R.R.50 aluminum alloy, dual overhead camshafts, and twin-SU carburetors. The Marek-designed 3.7-liter engine was first seen at Le Mans in 1957 in the DBR2. With the potent engine and lightweight coachwork, the DB4 began the first production car capable of accelerating from a standing start to 100mph and back to rest again in under 30 seconds.

The transmission was a new David Brown four-speed all-synchromesh unit and stopping power was courtesy of servo-assisted disc brakes. Early examples wore 11.5-inch Dunlops which were soon replaced by Girlings. Disc brakes on production Aston martins were a new feature, having been fitted as standard to the front wheels of all Mark III Astons after the first 100 had been made. Many cars were upgraded later.

The early examples of the DB4 wore 16-inch wheels with 600H16 Avon TurboSpeed cross-ply tires. 185VR16 Pirelli Cinturato CA67 were optional. British and European-based cars typically received a 3.54:1 final drive ratio while the United States-destined cars had a 3.77 ratio. The optional drive ratio for achieving a high top speed was a 3.31:1 ratio.

The DB4 'Series'
The Aston Martin DB4 was developed through no fewer than five series - a classification meant to distinguish changes made during production. The second series arrived in January of 1960 with the most visible feature being the addition of window frames and a front-hinged bonnet. Additional updates included larger brake calipers and an enlarged sump The third series had separate rear lights, two bonnet stays, and a host of improvements to the interior fittings. The fourth series wore a new grille with seven vertical bars, recessed rear lights, and shallower bonnet intake. Coinciding with the arrival of the Series IV was the arrival of the 'Special Series' (SS) or 'Vantage' engine in September 1961 as optional equipment. The 'SS' incorporated a 9.0:1 compression ratio, larger valves, triple SU HD8 carburetors, and delivered 266 horsepower. Most Vantage models had enclosed headlights - like the DB4 GT. A total of 136 saloon examples were built to Vantage specification along with 32 convertibles.

The fifth and final series, manufactured between September 1962 and June 1963, was built atop a 3.5-inch longer wheelbase which improved legroom and increased the trunk (boot) space. Additionally, there were 15-inc wheels, an electric radiator fan, and the DB4GT-type instrument panel.

The Aston Martin DB4 GT
The DB4 GT was introduced in September of 1959 and production was exclusive, with a total of seventy-five examples being built with an additional nineteen being modified by the Zagato works in Italy, resulting in the DB4 GT Zagato These special vehicles wore Borrani wire wheels, a smoothed out rear end, devoid of the stock GT tail fins, and plain oval grilles.

The Aston Martin DB4 GT was a high-performance, lightweight, shorter wheelbase Gran Turismo that had thinner aluminum skin, enclosed headlights, and was powered by a tuned 3.7-liter or 3.8-liter engine. The engines had two spark plugs per cylinder, two distributors, twin-choke Weber carburetors, modified cylinder heads, and a higher compression ratio of 9.0:1. Horsepower was rated at just over 300 bhp making them the fastest road-legal production car at the time. Zero-to-sixty mph took just 6.1 seconds and top speed was achieved at 151 mph.

Coachbuilder Bertone created coachwork for a single example and it was known as the Bertone Jet.

The DB4 was replaced by the DB5 with the principal difference between the two is the larger, 4.0-liter engine backed by a new ZF five-speed transmission. Production continued through 1965 with 1,059 examples being built.

by Daniel Vaughan | Apr 2022