A rare, £12m DB4 is for sale. Is it the finest Aston ever built?

In 1960, Aston Martin’s DB4 GT Zagato cost £5,470. In December 2015, auctioneers RM Sotheby’s expect this Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato to fetch somewhere in the region of twelve million pounds.

A respectful welcome, then, to what will likely become one of the world’s most expensive cars; one packing less power than a Volvo SUV. It’s being offered up for auction at RM’s ‘Driven by Disruption’ sale in New York.

But what the Zagato-bodied DB4 lacks in power by modern standards, it more than makes up for in heritage, ineffable cool and, of course, looks. Simply put, it’s gorgeous.

The DB4 Zag first premiered at the 1960 London Motor Show, featuring that lovely lightweight body designed and built by the Italian stylists. All in, it was 129kg lighter than the ‘regular’ DB4, and 44kg lighter than the DB4 GT.

Underneath sat a 3.7-litre, 314bhp straight-six, with a heady 240lb ft of torque - both impressive figures by the standards of the era - and all sent through a four–speed manual gearbox to the rear wheels. The DB4 GT Zagato could do 0–60mph in 6.1 seconds, and a top speed of 153mph.

This particular car – model number DB4GT/0186/R – is the 14th car from just nineteen Zagato DB4s ever built, constructed in 1961 and badged as a ’62 car. It first went to Australia, raced, and then returned to England in 1993 where it was shown off at Goodwood.

In 2002, it underwent a two-year concours-spec restoration too, and has garnered a few awards at places like Villa d’Este, Pebble Beach and the Quail. Not exactly lowbrow, then.

“To many,” explains RM Sotheby’s chairman Rob Myers, “it is more beautiful than the stunning Ferrari 250 SWB but it is also vastly rarer.

“Never mind being the greatest Aston of all time, this is one of the greatest GT cars every produced."

It’s reckoned to sell for anywhere between $14 and $18 million – so up to £12 million – which is a huge sum. So, two questions: a) is it worth £12m, and b) is it the finest Aston Martin ever built?

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