by Mike Gulett –
Between 1959 and 1963 Aston Martin made 75 of the fabulous DB4 GT. Now Aston Martin has made 25 DB4 GT Continuation examples which they sold for about $2 million each.
I saw two of these Aston Martin DB4 GT Continuation models at the Carmel Concours on the Avenue in August 2019. Here are my photos.
These beautiful Aston Martins are No. 001 and 002 of the limited production run. They are owned by Bob and Randy Smalley respectively, both of Florida.
Do you think that continuation cars reduce the value of the originals? Or will they stimulate interest in the originals?
Aston Martin writes,
Launched in 1959, the DB4 G.T. was immediately celebrated as one of the rarest and most revered of all Aston Martins. Evolved from the production DB4 and introduced in the same year Aston Martin scored its historic outright win in the Le Mans 24 Hours, the DB4 G.T. was a true supercar of its day. Shorter, lighter, sleeker and with a more powerful version of the legendary 3.7-litre straight-six engine, not only was the DB4 G.T. Britain’s fastest passenger sports car, it was a born winner, scoring a debut race victory at Silverstone in the hands of Sir Stirling Moss. A total of 75 DB4 G.T.s were built between 1959 and 1963. Of these only eight were lightweight models, most of which survive today, and values now comfortably exceed £3m.
At its heart is a version of the celebrated Tadek Marek-designed straight-six cylinder engine with two spark plugs per cylinder, transmitting its 340bhp to the rear wheels through a four-speed manual transmission and limited-slip differential, just as in the original DB4 G.T. Thanks to its shortened wheelbase the DB4 G.T. is a strict two-seater blessed with greater agility than the regular four-seater DB4. Its body follows the original construction, with thin-gauge aluminum panels fitted over a tubular frame. To improve the accuracy and consistency of the panels, the continuation car’s bodywork uses state-of-the-art digital technology, before being hand-finished in time-honoured tradition.
Let us know what you think in the Comments.
All photos by Mike Gulett.
In a world where original cars fetch astronomical numbers, a factory doing new versions of old cars somehow makes sense… and these are still not for the faint of heart or weak pocketbook… so not really seeing how it dilutes the value of the originals… and more likely the owners of these newer cars will likely enjoy they.
I agree with Jim. Original cars are out of reach for most, and hard to buy. Some people that are fortunate enough to obtain an original car are inhibited about driving it on the edge and you can’t blame them. A reproduced car is easier to obtain, it’s new when you get it, and it’s value will probably be less impacted if you bend it up as long as it is properly repaired. Take for example the great job that GTO Engineering does with the 250 SWB. Hard to tell from the original at a significant discount. And, you don’t have to be a billionaire to buy one. A mere millionaire can have one!
Mike, I agree with the above comments. A mere mortal (a wealthy one nonetheless) can own a car much the same as one of the originals for a fraction of the cost. Your AC Mk. IV and mine are continuation Cobras (similar construction but not to original specification though) and somewhat the same in this regard as these DB4 GT continuation cars, though not celebrated anywhere near as much and can also be had for a fraction of the cost of an original Cobra! Our cars, produced in somewhat larger quantities to the original 427 style cars, have definitely not diluted the value of original Cobras nor have the large quantity of replica Cobras out there. If anything, they have brought the Cobra that much more fame and attention and helped create a larger value (IMO) for the original Cobras. Thus, I see these continuation Astons in much the same light as allowing folks to actually see one of these beautiful cars and shedding that much more glory on the originals with no diminution of value to the originals.
Rob,
I agree with you. The AC Cobra Mk IV at about 15% – 20% of the price of an AC Shelby Cobra is a great deal!
Here is a photo of your beautiful AC Cobra.
Thanks Mike!
your all too rich on here.
buy a kit car for 2 million as original cars are out of reach.
Somehow Mark Nolan referring to one of these factory built continuation cars as a kit car seems a bit unfair… be different if it was a fiberglass Chevy powered car on a cobbled together chassis… jus sayin, and the reality is most of us are not in a position to purchase one unless we won the lottery… but we can still see the logic in a manufacturer building a continuation of a car they made years ago to help satisfy a small market segment…