Celebrating 60 years of the pivotal DB4

Celebrating 60 years of the pivotal DB4

Published: Aug 16, 2018

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Neil Allison

Aston Martin stunned the world when it first unveiled DB4 in 1958 and now, on its 60th anniversary, an exclusive display will take place at the Concours of Elegance, hosted at Hampton Court Palace, from the 31 August until 2 September 2018.

16 August 2018, Gaydon: Aston Martin stunned the world when it first unveiled DB4 in 1958 and now, on its 60th anniversary, an exclusive display will take place at the Concours of Elegance, hosted at Hampton Court Palace, from the 31 August until 2 September 2018.
Assembled by the Aston Martin Owners Club, the line-up will include a DB4 prototype, an example of DB4 Series 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 plus an original DB4 GT, DB4 GT Zagato and DB4 Bertone Jet. The newly launched DB4 GT Continuation will also form part of the display.
Joining this exquisite line-up will be latest Aston Martin models to bear the famous David Brown badge including the DB11 Grand Tourer and the brand’s latest release, the DBS Superleggera. Although not a part of the DB bloodline, Aston Martin’s two-seater sports car Vantage and special edition Rapide AMR will also be at the Concours of Elegance, giving visitors a chance to see the famous marques most recent iterations.
Aston Martin president of the UK and South Africa, Phil Eaglesfield, said: “Beauty, performance and quality are still central to Aston Martin’s ethos as a brand, something that was initiated by our founder David Brown and something which we still exemplify.
“We continue to produce cars with the famous DB initials and the DB11 Coupe, DB11 Volante and DBS Superleggera that exist on our current range carry the same characteristics as their predecessors. We create cars with genuine passion that sit side by side with the iconic vehicles of our past.”
DB4 was the first in the Aston Martin trilogy that included DB5 and DB6, a series of three magnificent cars that secured the brand’s position in the hall of automotive fame. Handcrafted at Aston Martin’s, Newport Pagnell facility, DB4 was the brand’s first true Grand Tourer. It was an entirely new car with the platform chassis, disc brakes and 3.7-litre straight six-cylinder engine developed especially for the DB4, quite an achievement for a highly regarded but small British manufacturer.
The evolution of the DB4 was gradual but constant with each ‘Series’ categorising individual changes to design or engineering performance. In 1959, the DB4 GT was introduced following on from its DB4 GT prototype forefather, DP199, that was raced by Sir Stirling Moss at Silverstone winning its first ever outing at the BRDC race in 1959. With bodywork made of thinner aluminum, the wheelbase reduced by 13cm, the engine tuned and the rear seats removed on all but a few examples, the DB4 GT enjoyed a long and distinguished career on the racing circuit.
The DB4 GT Zagato is regarded by many as one of the most beautiful cars of all time. Each DB4 GT rolling chassis was sent over to the Zagato factory in Milan where it received a lightweight body designed by Ercole Spada, creating the distinctive design. Raced at Le Mans, the factory only ever planned to produce 25 with only 19 cars completed. Due to its relative scarcity, the DB4 Zagato is considered one of the most desirable Aston Martins ever built.
Tickets to see the DB4 anniversary display at Concours of Elegance can be purchased from https://concoursofelegance.co.uk/.

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Aston Martin Prepares For Final Construction Phase of New DBX Factory

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Aston Martin Prepares For Final Construction Phase of New DBX Factory

23 Jul 2018, 7:16 UTC · by Mircea Panait
/ Home / News / Industry

After acquiring the former Royal Air Force compound at St Athan from the Ministry of Defence in February 2016, Aston Martin started to convert the facility into an assembly plant in December 2016. Fast-forward to the present day, and phase two of the project has been completed according to the British automaker.
20 photosThe third and final part of the factory’s preparation is now underway, with Aston Martin confirming that production of the automaker’s first sport utility vehicle will begin in late 2019. What that means is, the DBX concept-inspired SUV with seating for at least four people will arrive at authorized dealers for the 2020 model year.
Matt Becker, the chief engineer of Aston Martin, said on the sidelines of the 2018 Goodwood Festival of Speed that the DBX is its own thing, riding on “a completely new platform.” Knowing the limited budget of the British automaker, it is more likely for the DBX to ride on a modified version of the Second Century platform.
Taking its name from the Second Century plan from 2015, the vehicle architecture is currently used by the DB11, Vantage, and DB11-based DBS Superleggera. In total, Aston Martin will have introduced “seven new models” by the end of the plan.
Given this information, Becker added that the DBX is inspired from a technical standpoint by Aston Martin’s other new models. The chief engineer also said that the suspension is on a different level, most likely referring to a system that can transition from a luxury car-like ride to a no-holds-barred sport setting at the touch of a button.
There’s still no consensus on the means of propulsion for the DBX, but given the underpinnings, the Mercedes-AMG 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 and Aston Martin 5.2-liter twin-turbo V12 are the most likely candidates for the engine bay. According to chief executive officer Andy Palmer, the DBX won’t be offered with a plug-in hybrid option as it was rumored not that long ago.
Of the total workforce tasked with building the DBX in South Wales, 150 people have been employed so far. The St Athan facility is believed to “bring up to 750 new employment opportunities” to the region. For the time being, the company employs more than 2,700 people worldwide.

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ASTON MARTIN models:ASTON MARTIN DBS Superleggera CoupeASTON MARTIN DB11 AMR CoupeASTON MARTIN V12 Vantage V600 CoupeASTON MARTIN Vantage CoupeASTON MARTIN DB11 Volante Roadster & ConvertibleAll ASTON MARTIN models

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