Cars

Aston Martin launches 'new' version of 1959 GT sports car

An original Aston Martin DB4 GT in its 1959 pomp; the sports car company is building 25 new versions for wealthy customers
An original Aston Martin DB4 GT in its 1959 pomp; the sports car company is building 25 new versions for wealthy customers An original Aston Martin DB4 GT in its 1959 pomp; the sports car company is building 25 new versions for wealthy customers

ASTON Martin is going back to the future for its latest super-exclusive project, writes William Scholes.

Having watched Jaguar introduce 'new old' versions of the E-Type and XKSS with million-pound plus price tags, Aston Martin is raiding its own storied back catalogue to create 25 new DB4 GT models.

The so-called continuation cars will cost around £1.5m, which is a lot of money for a car that was first launched in 1959, the same year that the original Mini first took to the roads.

Still, many more millions would be needed today to buy one of the original DB4 GTs. Just 75 were built, of which only eight were in the 'lightweight' specification that the continuation cars will echo.

Here, 'lightweight' means bodywork crafted from thin aluminium panels and aluminium elements in the chassis.

Aston Martin says that while the 2017 cars will be as close as possible to the original, they will also blend "old world craftsmanship and modern techniques" with improved engine performance, handling, braking and safety.

Great care, it says, will be taken "to ensure these enhancements build upon the original's exceptional qualities while retaining its feel and character".

The continuation cars will be handcrafted in the same Newport Pagnell factory as the original vehicles, meaning a return to the facility of Aston Martin production car manufacture for the first time in 10 years. Chassis numbers continue from where the last DB4 GT ordered left off.

The 'new' car is a track-only special, so a rollcage will be fitted. As well as the car, buyers also get a two-year support package of race track events and training from Aston Martin racing driver Darren Turner.

The DB4 GT was a shortened version of the 'standard' DB4 and while it made for an enormously fast road car, it was really developed with an eye to circuit racing.

It launched at the same time that Aston Martin won the Le Man 24 Hours race outright, and the GT won its first race at Silverstone with Stirling Moss at the wheel.

Aston Martin boss Dr Andy Palmer said that in the company's 103 years of building sports cars, "the DB4 GT stands proud as one of the most coveted of all".

The continuation project "taps into the unique passion and skills that exist within Aston Martin", he said.

An engineering development car is under construction now, with customer car production due to start at the rate of two per month in the summer.