PROVENANCE
James Newman, Chevy Chase, Maryland (acquired new via J.S. Inskip Inc. in 1963)
Dr. Stanislaw Tucanowicz, Johnston, Pennsylvania (acquired from above in 1965)
Leonard Fiore, Altoona, Pennsylvania (acquired from above 2004)
Current Owner (acquired from above)

EXHIBITED
Aston Martin Owners Club North American Concours, Lime Rock, Connecticut, 2007 (Class Champion)

THIS CAR
The introduction of the Aston Martin DB4 marked a new era for the British sports car manufacturer that would restore performance and prestige to the fabled marque. Wrapped in a seductive, lightweight alloy body fashioned by Carrozzeria Touring of Milan and featuring a powerful 3.7-litre engine by designer Tadek Marek, the DB4 offered performance to match its pedigree, becoming the world’s first production car to achieve 0-100-0 mph in under 30 seconds.

Variations of the DB4 incorporated functional improvements throughout its five-year production run. These iterations would become known to enthusiasts as Series II, III, IV, and V cars. To many, the Series IV cars offered the best of the “early” DB4 variants; incorporating needed engine-cooling modifications, but not the altered dimensions that would mark the Series V and subsequent DB5.

The car offered here, chassis 817/L, is a brilliant example of a what might be the lowest-mileage DB4 in the world. Discovered in the garage of its long-term owner and pampered since, this car showed a documented odometer reading of only 12,473 miles at the time of cataloguing.

A left-hand-drive model delivered new to J.S. Inskip Inc. of New York City in November 1961, 817/L came well-optioned with power windows, chrome wire wheels, overdrive transmission, and a Motorola radio. According to a copy of its included factory build sheet, it was delivered in the striking shade of Caribbean Pearl with Fawn Connolly leather interior. It was sold new to James Newman of Chevy Chase, Maryland, before he sold it to its next longtime owner, Dr. Stanislaw Tucanowicz of Johnston, Pennsylvania, in early 1965.

Dr. Tucanowicz would drive the DB4 sparingly for the next 39 years, purportedly only using the car for short trips to work at the hospital a few blocks from his home. According to his widow, the low original mileage is accounted for as the DB4 split time with the family’s Rolls-Royce and Bentley. Dr. Tucanowicz stopped driving the DB4 altogether by 1990, and it was discovered in his garage and purchased by restorer Leonard Fiore in 2004.

Fiore realized he had found a very original, low-mileage car. “When we opened the spare tire compartment, we do not believe it was ever open prior…the tool kit was in the spare compartment and had never been used. The spare tire is brand new…and is obvious it was never used,” said Fiore.

Fiore continued, “We did the restoration in 2005 and 2006. We used all of the original parts…the only parts that are not original are perishable parts such as rubbers, hoses, and gaskets. The dash in the car was in such good shape that we did not need to do any restoration to it including the leather covering.” The comprehensive restoration was documented in a photo album, which still accompanies the car today.

Upon completion, Fiore showed the car at several British car concours events in the northeastern US, winning nearly every competition it entered. Its most prestigious honor came when the car won the Class Championship at the Aston Martin Owners Club North American Concours in Lime Rock, Connecticut, in 2007.

“We have been very careful over the years not to put unnecessary miles on this car in order to preserve its low mileage. We believe it to be not only the lowest mileage, but one of the finest DB4s in the world,” Fiore said of 817/L.

Today the car resides in a climate-controlled collector’s facility where the in-house staff tends to its every need.

Equipped with a tool roll, spare tire, jack, instruction book, David Brown DB4 folio, spare keys, photo album of its discovery and restoration, service records, build sheet, and correspondence, 817/L has the extensive history that sets it apart from others. Multiple sources and documents in the file attest to the car’s low mileage, making this beautiful example of a left-hand-drive Aston Martin DB4 an unquestionably attractive proposition for enjoyment and investment.