Awe-inspiring £1.8m racer
A World-renowned County Durham-based custom car builder has unveiled its latest bespoke recreation, an iconic Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato with added royal kerb appeal.
The thoroughbred track car that was synonymous with the swinging 60s, has been reproduced over 6,000 hours by the Aston Workshop at Red Row, near Beamish.
In trademark Zagato green, the car has a powerful 4.2 litre engine, top speed of 153mph with a leather, Wilton carpet and wood interior, and handcrafted body.
A collaboration between Italian coachbuilder Zagato and luxury British car brand Aston Martin, only 19 prototype DB4 GTS were made in the early 1960s. The Aston Workshop’s custom-built recreation is equally unique.
David Cummings, Aston Workshop’s Consultant Management Coordinator, says: “Basically, we only build one of these cars every three years, so whilst ours are recreations of the original, they are as rare and sought after as a 1960s Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato.
“Those cars were based around an Aston Martin DB4, and we do the same. We get a donor DB4, giving our recreations real authenticity. We then handcraft and remake everything in our workshop to the original specifications, hence the two years build time.
“The accuracy of our recreation, when compared to the original, is second to none.”
The sleek Italian-designed supercar has taken two years to build, with a price tag of £1.8m and already has a new home.
Next week, the sporty classic once championed by motor racing legends Sir Stirling Moss and Jim Clark, will make the journey to Switzerland to be with its new mystery millionaire owner. Whilst the buyer of this latest bespoke Aston Martin Zagato wishes to remain anonymous, the original owner of the DB4 donor car is no secret.
David says: “It has been built using an Aston Martin DB4 Saloon registered in Paris in 1959 and whose first owner was the fabulously wealthy HH Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan of Persia.
“So you can say the car has a serious, heavyweight provenance.”
An original Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato cost £5,470, the equivalent of around £105,000 in today’s money.
But whilst Aston Martin and Zagato are still continuing their 60-year collaboration with new limited edition marques, the prototypes rarely come on to the market.
David says: “When you consider that only 19 of the Zagato built cars ever left Italy, then you can understand why so few are ever offered for sale. Like ours, the originals were handmade and, as such, there were variations in the styling.
“Here at Aston Workshop we are familiar with the nuances and have chosen a balanced design using the best features from those 19 originals.
“What you get is an awe-inspiring car that pays homage to the original but which has been elevated in very subtle ways to meet current needs.”
The Aston Workshop has been helping car enthusiasts with deep pockets to live their classic Aston Martin dream for the past 25 years.
Set up by North East businessman Bob Fountain, the workshop makes bespoke versions of all Aston Martin’s classic and iconic DB cars as well as the V8.
The company – which services and repairs any model of modern Aston Martin car – also has a restoration division, and is currently working on a 1930s Aston Martin Lagonda alongside a pre-war Rolls Royce and a Bentley.