ASTON MARTIN DB4 GT ‘CONTINUATIONS’ CONFIRMED

It’ll soon be possible to buy a new track-only Aston Martin DB4 GT from the firm’s historic home of Newport Pagnell.

Twenty-five DB4 GTs, all built to racing Lightweight specification, will pick up from where the original cars left off in 1963; new cars will take the next available Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) in the DB4 GT production logs.

Known in the trade as ‘continuations’, building the new cars falls under the remit of in-house marque restoration division Aston Martin Works in Newport Pagnell. “The DB4 GT [Lightweight] Continuation is a fusion of classic design and contemporary methods,” explained Aston Martin commercial director Paul Spires.

Aston Martin Works hasn’t built a car since 2007; back then, it was responsible for the Vanquish S. Following an extensive refit, Newport Pagnell will deliver its first DB4 GT Continuation at the end of next year. The announcement comes hot on the heels of Jaguar Land Rover Heritage’s recent decision to restart Jaguar XKSS production with ‘continuation’ VINs, finishing off the planned run of 25 cars, nine of which were destroyed by a fire at its Browns Lane factory in 1957.

DB4 GT Lightweights, spun off the shorter, two-seater DB4 GT, were the rarest of the rare in period; just eight of these cars were built between 1959 and 1963 while the model was current.

With values of surviving Lightweights surpassing the £3 million mark, the 25 Continuation cars – expected to be priced at around £1.5 million each – will use a mixture of 1950s design blueprint and modern materials.

“Employing a blend of old world craftsmanship and modern techniques, continuation cars benefit from improvements in engine performance, handling, braking and safety, with great care taken to ensure these enhancements build up the original’s exceptional qualities while retaining its feel and character,” an Aston spokesperson confirmed.

As before, the 2017 DB4 GTs will be built in ‘Superleggera’ fashion – the traditional method of fitting thin-gauge aluminium panels to a tubular frame. While hand-finished, the body parts will be rather more consistent this time around, thanks to computer aided design.

Unlike Jaguar’s track-derived, road-biased XKSS, Aston’s DB4 GT Lightweights are circuit specials; to that end, Aston Martin Works plans to offer DB4 GT buyers a two-year circuit training programme to help them get to grips with their new car.

Billed as the ‘ultimate arrive-and-drive experience’, the course employs expert instructors (headed by works Le Mans winner and Goodwood Revival regular Darren Turner) to ‘master driving techniques from an era when driving was more art than science’.