What's the news?
Aston Martin is milking the resurrection of its DB4 GT Zagato for all it's worth, using the completion of the first DB4 GT Zagato Continuation body as an excuse to remind us how astounding this car should be. And we have no problem with that.
By way of reminder, the DB4 GT Zagato Continuation is one half of the Aston Martin DBZ Centenary Collection. The other is the yet-to-be-fully-revealed DBS GT Zagato. Just 19 buyers were approved for the Aston Martin DBZ Centenary Collection, each spending some €7 million plus taxes. Released to coincide with the 100th anniversary of Zagato, the number 19 was chosen as that's how many examples of the original DB4 GT Zagato were built in the 1960s. Deliveries begin later this year, while buyers must wait another year to receive the DBS GT Zagato.
The DB4 GT Zagato Continuation is being built at Aston Martin Works in Newport Pagnell in the UK, proclaimed by Aston to be 'the largest, best equipped and most knowledgeable Aston Martin restoration centre in the world.' While traditional craftsmanship is employed to ensure that the Continuation cars stay true to the original, it is being combined with modern techniques, such as a digital body buck, to enhance quality and consistency between the cars.
Under the bonnet will be a straight-six petrol engine with two spark plugs per cylinder, producing about 380hp. This is fed to the rear wheels via a four-speed manual gearbox and limited slip differential. As the DB4 GT Zagato Continuation will not be road-legal, its bespoke tubular chassis and suspension will be optimised for use on track.
Anything else?
Paul Spires, President of Aston Martin Works, said: "We are bringing all of our hand-craftsmanship and expertise to bear in building these nineteen Continuation cars, sympathetically incorporating the very latest engineering advancements and performance enhancements, but remaining true to the purity and authenticity of the original design.
"Paired with the new beauty that is the stunning DBS GT Zagato, the DB4 GT Zagato Continuation cars that are being handcrafted here at Aston Martin Works are a unique and fitting celebration of the brand's 60-year love affair with this unmatched Italian automotive style icon."