Photo: RM Sotheby’s
Some cars are just like wine, they get more valuable and more enjoyable with age. Such is the case of the Aston Martin DB4 GT, a car that was introduced in 1959 as a high-performance version of the original DB4 model and benefitted from a lightweight aluminum chassis construction and bodywork.
The DB4 GT is a highly coveted Aston Martin model among wealthy car collectors, especially considering only 75 units were produced before its discontinuation in 1963. An Aston Martin DB4 GT Lightweight example is now up for sale via RM Sotheby’s, and it’s not just your regular DB4 GT but the very car that was driven to victory by Stirling Moss on its debut at Goodwood in 1960.
The incredible feats it went through since it saw daylight until the present day, combined with the fact that it’s one of only five units that were constructed around a “Lightweight” race-specification chassis, only adds to its desirability factor. And to the sum it will sell for at auction, of course.
Delivered to its first owner on April 16, 1960, chassis number DB4GT/0124/R went out the factory doors finished in Jaguar Indigo Blue. That first owner was none other than Tommy Sopwith, the only son of aircraft pioneer Sir Thomas Sopwith. He ordered the Aston Martin for his racing team, Equipe Endeavour.
The car made its competitive debut in the Fordwater Trophy at Goodwood on Easter Monday of that same year and came out victorious with Stirling Moss behind the wheel. Later in the year, the DB4 GT proved its worth on several other occasions, this time with Jack Sears at the helm, including at the Aintree 200 meeting, the Oulton Park circuit, the Lancashire & Cheshire Car Club meeting, and the GT/Touring Car race at Snetterton.
It then passed through the hands of various racing and marque enthusiasts, like Ron Fry, Ted Jones, David Ham, and Steve O’Rourke, and continued its competition career.
The drop in gross weight combined with a powerful 3.7-liter, twin-plug ignition straight-six engine delivering 302 hp (306 ps) allowed the Aston Martin DB4 GT to do the 0 to 60 mph (96.5 kph) sprint in 6.1 seconds and reach a top speed of around 153 mph (246 kph).
Chassis 0124/R was well taken care of under current ownership by leading marque specialists Aston Engineering Limited of Derby, and it is now being offered for sale in immaculate and fully FIA-compliant condition, meaning it could even resume its racing career should the next owner so desire.
Its race-winning pedigree and the association with some of the most loved figures of British and international motorsport - Stirling Moss and Jack Sears - make this particular Aston Martin one of the most interesting examples to come up for auction in recent times and we expect it to sell for big bucks.
The incredible feats it went through since it saw daylight until the present day, combined with the fact that it’s one of only five units that were constructed around a “Lightweight” race-specification chassis, only adds to its desirability factor. And to the sum it will sell for at auction, of course.
Delivered to its first owner on April 16, 1960, chassis number DB4GT/0124/R went out the factory doors finished in Jaguar Indigo Blue. That first owner was none other than Tommy Sopwith, the only son of aircraft pioneer Sir Thomas Sopwith. He ordered the Aston Martin for his racing team, Equipe Endeavour.
The car made its competitive debut in the Fordwater Trophy at Goodwood on Easter Monday of that same year and came out victorious with Stirling Moss behind the wheel. Later in the year, the DB4 GT proved its worth on several other occasions, this time with Jack Sears at the helm, including at the Aintree 200 meeting, the Oulton Park circuit, the Lancashire & Cheshire Car Club meeting, and the GT/Touring Car race at Snetterton.
It then passed through the hands of various racing and marque enthusiasts, like Ron Fry, Ted Jones, David Ham, and Steve O’Rourke, and continued its competition career.
The drop in gross weight combined with a powerful 3.7-liter, twin-plug ignition straight-six engine delivering 302 hp (306 ps) allowed the Aston Martin DB4 GT to do the 0 to 60 mph (96.5 kph) sprint in 6.1 seconds and reach a top speed of around 153 mph (246 kph).
Chassis 0124/R was well taken care of under current ownership by leading marque specialists Aston Engineering Limited of Derby, and it is now being offered for sale in immaculate and fully FIA-compliant condition, meaning it could even resume its racing career should the next owner so desire.
Its race-winning pedigree and the association with some of the most loved figures of British and international motorsport - Stirling Moss and Jack Sears - make this particular Aston Martin one of the most interesting examples to come up for auction in recent times and we expect it to sell for big bucks.
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