Cost of a DB4 in 1960 ref Octane greatest cars of all time

[RichB]

So chaps, reference the article in this month's Octane (December) - The Greatest Cars of 1900-2010; they selected the E-Type Jaguar for the 60's - for those who've not seen it yet they pick the top 3 or 4 cars of each decade since 1900. Interesting piece I thought and I've not finished reading it yet but selecting the E-Type seemed fairly predictable and one of the justifications is that at £2097 they say it was one third of the cost of an Aston Martin DB4. Now I thought the DB4 was around £3900 which I make less than half as much not one third. Anyone know how they may have arrived at this thought? Rich...

[lady topaz]

No knowledge whatsoever but a quick trawl says £3976 when launched or £5470 for the Zagato.

[Speedraser]

For what it's worth (no pun intended), I have a 1962 copy of Road&Track magazine with a test of the DB4. I don't have it in front of me, but if I remember correctly, the DB4 cost somewhere in the $10,000 - $12,500 range (I'll check the article when I get home to confirm the price). According to the Consumer Price Index, that converts to between $71K - $89K in 2008 dollars, which is a LOT less than the $121K that a MY09 V8 Vantage starts at in the US.

[williamp]

I remember an article done in the 80s about the DB4Gt v 250SWB v lightweight e-types, and they mentinned that the E-type was the cheapest, the Aston about hlaf as much more, and the Ferrari about half as much more again.

...But come on. Would a Uk journalist ever pick anything other then an E-type or a Mini as the greatest car of the 60s?...

[RichB]

so teh E-Type could have been approx 2/3 the cost of a DB4 but never 1/3rd - I might let them know

[Speedraser]

I checked the US prices from Road&Track articles. Here they are, with the CPI conversion to 2008 dollars:

DB4 1962: $10,500 = $75,000 in 2008

DB5 1964: $13,200 = $91,700 in '08

DB6 1966: $15,500 = $103,300 in '08

V8 Coupe 1977: $35,250 = $125,400 in '08

V8 Coupe 1984: $110,000 = $227,700 in '08

It's interesting that the DB4/5/6 were significantly less expensive when they were new than a new V8 is today, and even in '77 it was comparable to a new V8. Yet by '84 the price had skyrocketed.

[RichB]

I think you would also have to factor in the $/£ exchange rate in each of those years to get a better picture. That said I was more interested in the comparative cost of a DB4 and an E-Type.

[Simpo Two]

If the E-Type was £2097 and the DB4 was £3976 (assuming those figures come from the same year), then:

1) An E-Type was 52% of the price of the DB4

2) A DB4 cost 90% more than an E-Type





I did maths, me


ETA: My Jaguar book says the E-Type was announced in March 1961

Edited by Simpo Two on Wednesday 28th October 14:22

[V8LM]

Simpo Two said:

If the E-Type was £2097 and the DB4 was £3976 (assuming those figures come from the same year), then:

1) An E-Type was 53% of the price of the DB4

2) A DB4 cost 90% more than an E-Type

EFA.

[Jasper Gilder]

Saw a chum with a lovely DB4 a couple of weeks ago and laughingly offered him 10 grand for it. He accepted - but there was a trick condition - the 2 before the 10. Bit of a deal breaker that....

[Speedraser]

Rich,

The prices I posted are all US prices in dollars for the cars in those years and the CPI info is also just in dollars -- nothing was converted from pounds. I have no idea whether the US price trend applies in Britain, but I was surprised to see how much less expensive the cars were in the '60s (not just in actual '60s prices).

[cardigankid]

The DB4 was launched in 1959, so greatest car of the 50's maybe

[RichB]

cardigankid said:

The DB4 was launched in 1959, so greatest car of the 50's maybe

I won't give the game away but their choice of car for the 50's was a bit left field but actually a bit of a favourite of mine. However I agree, the car that established the pattern for the most glorious period of Aston's history is to me the most significant car of the 50's.