Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato

Aston Martin does not build many cars like the Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato: a 2-door coupé with 3670 cc Marek DOHC I6, built from 1960 to 1963 in the decade that gave the world the pony car and the mid-engined supercar. Its designer of record is Ercole Spada at Zagato. Production ran to 19 cars.

The story

The Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato is a grand tourer sports car designed by Zagato and produced between 1960 and 1963. Introduced in October 1960 at the London Motor Show, it was effectively a DB4 GT, lightened and improved by the Zagato factory in Italy, by Ercole Spada. Initially, the factory planned to produce 25 cars, but demand was not as strong as expected and production was reduced to 19.

Growing popularity of the original DB4 GT Zagato resulted in two subsequent waves of cars based on DB4s being rendered into "Zagatos" through the cooperation of Aston Martin and the Zagato works in Italy. They are known as "Sanction II" and "Sanction III" cars. Also, an unauthorised industry of modifying original DB4 GTs into "Zagato" replicas has arisen.

What is underneath

Under the skin sits 3670 cc Marek DOHC I6. Kerb weight is 1225 kg. The gearbox is a 4-speed manual. The wheelbase is 2362 mm. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.

Its place in the line

Where it sits in Aston Martin's history is not in doubt: the Aston Martin V8 Zagato followed it. On a showroom list of its day it stood against the Mini Mini, the Jaguar E-Type, the Dodge Challenger. Nearby in the Aston Martin catalogue sit the Aston Martin Mark II and the Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3.

The money

MotorJury scores cars on the United States complaint and recall record, and the Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato has none: too old, too rare, or never sold there. Its value today is a collector's question, decided by provenance and condition rather than by a class average.