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Guide to the Aston Martin DB4
Produced between October 1958 and June 1963, the Aston Martin DB4 was an entirely new project for all of the teams involved in its creation.
The initial design works for the DB4 commenced at the same time as work began on the DB MKIII, with both cars being available for sale new for approximately a year after the release of the DB4. The team responsible for the Aston Martin DB4, designing all key components from new, were Aston Martin General Manager, John Wyer, Chassis Designer, Harold Beach and Engine Designer, Tadek Marek. The body design was carried out by Carrozzeria Touring of Milan using their signature Superleggera construction. Superleggera body work fixes alloy panels to a tubular frame which is built onto Beach’s extremely strong platform chassis.
The engine was 3.7 litre with 6 cylinders and twin overhead camshaft, capable of 240 bhp, a top speed of 140 mph and 0 to 60 mph in 9 seconds.
This entirely new car was first shown at the London Motor Show in 1958 and was displayed alongside the DB MKIII.
This was also the first production car capable of 0 to 100 to 0 mph in less than 30 seconds, an incredible feat of engineering at the time and claiming to achieve the 0 to 100 mph mark in just 21 seconds.
A convertible model was introduced in 1961 and by the end of production of this landmark model, there were five series available:
Series 1: Supplied with a rear hinged bonnet and had heavy duty bumpers fitted after the first 50 cars produced.
Series 2: Supplied with front hinged bumpers, larger brake callipers and an enlarged sump.
Series 3: Fitted with separate rear lamps mounted on a polished aluminium plate. Also fitted with 2 bonnet stays, electric tachometer and some improvements to the interior.
Series 4: Fitted with a new design grille with 7 vertical bars, a shallower bonnet intake and recessed rear lamps.
Series 5: This model had a slightly longer wheelbase and a higher roof line giving more headroom. It was also fitted with 15” wheels and a DB4GT style instrument layout.
Supplied new, the DB4 saloon cost £3,976 and the convertible £4,194.
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