A very limited edition of 25 Aston Martin DB4 G.T. models is to be built, each expected to cost around £1.5 million and to be effectively replicas of originals dating from 1959.
The Aston Martin DB4 G.T. Continuation follows a current trend, already undertaken by the likes of Jaguar with its lightweight E-type, to either continue the model numbers of classic cars, or fill in gaps in the original run.
Aston Martin Works will build the cars at the sports car brand’s original home of Newport Pagnell, returning car production to the Buckinghamshire town after a 10-year gap.
Each will be to lightweight specification, constructed for track use only, and following the original blueprints of the 1959 version. This was evolved from the production Aston Martin DB4, and launched in the same year Aston Martin took outright victory in the Le Mans 24hrs.
The DB4 G.T. was shorter, lighter and more aerodynamic than its production stablemate, and used a more powerful version of the car’s 3.7-litre straight-six cylinder engine. It won its very first race, at Silverstone driven by Stirling Moss.
Aston Martin built 75 DB4 G.T. cars between 1959 and 1963, of which just eight were to an even more bespoke lightweight specification. If one was to come up for sale today its price would comfortably exceed £3m.
The new car will be built to replicate the original but also to blend in modern construction techniques, particularly in performance, handling, braking and safety – power will be rated at 340bhp to the rear wheels through a four-speed manual transmission and limited slip differential.
The new line will be numbered from 0203R, the VIN number of the last original DB4 G.T. being 0202R.
To enable owners to enjoy their cars to the full, Aston Martin will also be creating a two-year track driving programme around great race circuits of the world, with expert instructors on hand to the level of the brand’s multiple Le Mans 24hrs class winner Darren Turner.
According to the commercial director of Aston Martin Works, Paul Spiers, the DB4 G.T. Continuation will combine the authenticity of a hand-crafted David Brown era car with sympathetic application of modern engineering advancements and performance enhancements.
“The DB4 G.T. Continuation is a fusion of classic design and contemporary methods,” says Spiers, adding that the production base at Newport Pagnell is equally notable.
“The DB4 G.T. Continuation is hand built in the same location as its illustrious forebears, and marks the return of production to the historic home of Aston Martin for the first time since the last Vanquish S was completed in 2007,” he says.
