Tuesday 11th June 2019

DB4 GT Zagato Continuation gets Le Mans debut

'New-build' version of Aston Martin's historic track car will go on display this weekend

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Millionaires rejoice, Aston Martin will publicly display the second model of in its DBZ Centenary Collection trackside at this weekend's 24 Hours of Le Mans. If said collection has passed you by, the clever wheeze includes two very special cars - a 'new' (i.e. continuation) DB4 GT Zagato and an actually new DBS GT Zagato - for the price of one. One price that is. Which is £6.2m.

The brace of old/new Astons is intended to celebrate the Zagato's one hundredth year, and frankly where better to do that than Le Mans, where the original DB4 GT Zagato burst onto the motor racing scene in 1961. True, that entry ended in the retirement of both cars, but the model found later success in sports car racing and eventually secured its status as an icon. Today, originals can fetch north of £10 million at auction - as one did last year.

To create the 'new-build' Zagato, Aston's Heritage Division in Buckinghamshire created a digital body buck - a virtual 3D model of the car - to provide craftsmen with intricate measurements to hand-shape the 1.2mm-thick aluminium skin over a lightweight tubular frame. The work on the track-only Zagato takes around 4,500 hours per car, but the result is something that should perfectly match the details of the 60-year-old racer.

The car's exterior colour is matched to the original Max Meyer and ICI-supplied Rosso Maja red paint, although inside you get carbon fibre racing seats, trimmed in Obsidian Black leather to match the Black Wilton carpets below.

Upgrades have been made under the bonnet, too, with a 4.7-litre straight six engine, shared with the 25-car-run DB4 Continuationproducing more than 395hp. It drives through a four-speed manual gearbox and limited-slip differential, with power finding its way to the road via the historic-spec Dunlop racing rubber wrapped around Borrani wire wheels.

Ahead of the car's public showing, Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer said: "The development and successful creation of this latest Continuation car is an achievement that should not be underestimated. Celebrating our brand's deep and enduring partnership with Zagato in this, their landmark year, by launching the DBZ Centenary Collection has been a mammoth undertaking and I'm personally extremely proud of the results in the shape of this new DB4 GT Zagato."

The first DB4 GT Zagatos will beat their DBS siblings to the road in the autumn; the new (new) car is not due for completion until the end of 2020.

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[Q Car]

I know it’s beautiful, but I’m trying to work out what it’s for?? You can’t drive it on the road. The heritage boys at Goodwood, Donnington, Silverstone Classic won’t let you in because it’s a new motor and you are hardly going to take it to a local track day to mix it up with some RS Clio’s and MX5’s? Any ideas anyone?...

[GTEYE]

I guess it’s automotive art.

As said, functionally it’s quite useless unless you own your own road/track.

[GranCab]

Surely Zagato should have been commissioned to build the bodywork for these ?

[VanquishRider]

You could take it to the Aston Only track days? Of which there are several a year and I believe you can enter it into the Aston Racing series organised by the club?

And despite whatever you hear. People have managed to use them on the road. (Think D Type and XKSS Continuation runs)

[VanquishRider]

GranCab said:

Surely Zagato should have been commissioned to build the bodywork for these ?

How would that keep all the tradesmen busy at Aston Martin Works Services?

These projects will run and run at both Aston and Jaguar just to keep the tradesmen busy.

[Esceptico]

The price of these is out by a factor of ten.

A friend was looking (unfortunately only half-heartedly despite having the money) at a Ferrari 250 SWB replica. 4 litre Ferrari V12 with I think 350 bhp. He said it looked and went fabulously. However, "only" £600k. Seems like good value compared to this.

[V8 FOU]

First time ever an Aston Martin has made me gasp. So beautifull. I would stick on my trade plates and rag it properly. Just the question of the money......

[Midgster]

Esceptico said:

The price of these is out by a factor of ten.

A friend was looking (unfortunately only half-heartedly despite having the money) at a Ferrari 250 SWB replica. 4 litre Ferrari V12 with I think 350 bhp. He said it looked and went fabulously. However, "only" £600k. Seems like good value compared to this.

Agree with this. At £6.2m for 2 cars, each taking 4500 man hours to build, that works out at nearly £700 per hour. I know they are master craftsman, but only London Lawyers charge that much! (I know you also have the cost of material parts etc, but that won;t affect the figure by that much)

Beautiful cars, pointless, but beautiful. If you had £6.2m to buy these 2 cars that you can't drive on the road or at 99% of track days etc, you probably have enough to buy an original for £10m that you can do what you like with.

[3795mpower]

Carbon fibre buckets is one bridge too far.

[thegreenhell]

There is/was a Sanction 2 Zagato for sale recently for less than 20% of that price. Handbuilt by Aston Martin in about 1990, sent to Zagato in Italy for coachwork, and fully road legal. They built four Sanction 2 cars at the time, and I believe a couple of Sanction 3 cars later on.

[rare6499]

Bloody brilliant. Yes it’s expensive, yes you can’t drive it anywhere....but look at it! It’s beautiful. It’s also fantastic that Aston are keeping these skills and supply chains alive. How anyone can be negative about this kind of artistry from such a wonderful British brand I don’t know.

The price of setting up some of the supply chains in such small numbers must have been extremely high. Anyway, if Aston can turn a profit by finding buyers at this price then good luck to them. At a tenth of the price most of us could never afford it anyway so it’s irrelevant. I’m sure AM have some specific customers in mind.

[Andy83n]

Could always find a friendly jurisdiction to register it for road use...

[ogrodz]

Now why cant BMW design a body shell like that - to wrap around the new Z4?

[sgtBerbatov]

When a Ferrari has an affair with Aston Martin, you get something beautiful. I love it.

[Dave Hedgehog]

Midgster said:

Beautiful cars, pointless, but beautiful. If you had £6.2m to buy these 2 cars that you can't drive on the road or at 99% of track days etc, you probably have enough to buy an original for £10m that you can do what you like with.

If i owned the original i would buy one and stick the original plate on it and use it to save the original, who would know or be able to tell it wasnt the original

[LotusOmega375D]

Wow, if a brand new replica costs nigh on £6 million, then £10.1 million for the original Le Mans entry and ex Jim Clark car (2 VEV) at auction last year represents an absolute bargain!

[Augustus Windsock]

Dave Hedgehog said:

Midgster said:

Beautiful cars, pointless, but beautiful. If you had £6.2m to buy these 2 cars that you can't drive on the road or at 99% of track days etc, you probably have enough to buy an original for £10m that you can do what you like with.

If i owned the original i would buy one and stick the original plate on it and use it to save the original, who would know or be able to tell it wasnt the original

Everyone
Well, that is, as soon as you have a bump in it, plod finds that it’s not road legal or registered for the road and you end up as a page in one of the tabloids under ‘Clown crashes non-Road legal £3.1m Aston’!

[Augustus Windsock]

Midgster said:

Esceptico said:

The price of these is out by a factor of ten.

A friend was looking (unfortunately only half-heartedly despite having the money) at a Ferrari 250 SWB replica. 4 litre Ferrari V12 with I think 350 bhp. He said it looked and went fabulously. However, "only" £600k. Seems like good value compared to this.

Agree with this. At £6.2m for 2 cars, each taking 4500 man hours to build, that works out at nearly £700 per hour. I know they are master craftsman, but only London Lawyers charge that much! (I know you also have the cost of material parts etc, but that won;t affect the figure by that much)

Beautiful cars, pointless, but beautiful. If you had £6.2m to buy these 2 cars that you can't drive on the road or at 99% of track days etc, you probably have enough to buy an original for £10m that you can do what you like with.

Excellent maths but doesn’t take into account the raw materials, engine etc..

[thegreenhell]

Augustus Windsock said:

Midgster said:

Esceptico said:

The price of these is out by a factor of ten.

A friend was looking (unfortunately only half-heartedly despite having the money) at a Ferrari 250 SWB replica. 4 litre Ferrari V12 with I think 350 bhp. He said it looked and went fabulously. However, "only" £600k. Seems like good value compared to this.

Agree with this. At £6.2m for 2 cars, each taking 4500 man hours to build, that works out at nearly £700 per hour. I know they are master craftsman, but only London Lawyers charge that much! (I know you also have the cost of material parts etc, but that won;t affect the figure by that much)

Beautiful cars, pointless, but beautiful. If you had £6.2m to buy these 2 cars that you can't drive on the road or at 99% of track days etc, you probably have enough to buy an original for £10m that you can do what you like with.

Excellent maths but doesn’t take into account the raw materials, engine etc..

And you get a new DBS GT Zagato thrown in for free as well.

[Dave Hedgehog]

Augustus Windsock said:

Everyone
Well, that is, as soon as you have a bump in it, plod finds that it’s not road legal or registered for the road and you end up as a page in one of the tabloids under ‘Clown crashes non-Road legal £3.1m Aston’!

so your avg plod is an expert in historic cars?