According to RM Sotheby’s, not one Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato has changed hands in the last decade, such is the value put upon them by their owners. Certainly, no one in the Classic Driver office can remember spotting one in the Market, or hearing of a sale on the proverbial grapevine. This is a remarkable opportunity, then, to acquire what is arguably the most desirable Aston Martin ever made.

Delivered Down Under

The 14th of just 19 Zagatos built, this car was delivered new to Australia and campaigned by its owner in 1962, earning a number of overall and class victories. After a subsequent 30 years spent 'Down Under', the car was returned to the UK where, following a ‘minor restoration’, it was raced at a host of historic events including the 1998 and 1999 Goodwood Revivals. 

A timely restoration

Its next owner took the decision to fully restore the car, and entrusted both the renowned Aston Martin specialist Richard S. Williams (the man responsible for the four Sanction II Zagatos) and Zagato itself with the task. Over two years, ‘4 RTA’ was painstakingly returned to ‘as new’ condition, with new panels (where necessary) fabricated by Zagato’s own craftsmen in Milan, and almost every mechanical component rebuilt. Needless to say, the result was astonishing, as confirmed by the plethora of concours trophies it has since amassed (including Best in Show at the Louis Vuitton Concours at Hurlingham in 2002). 

A different beast

Ercole Spada’s sensational design is fluent, yet also incredibly intricate. The standard Aston Martin DB4’s more muscular lines were softened at the edges, and the shapely, well-defined hips, combined with the tapered rear end and vast rear window, equip the car with unmistakable Italian flair. We wonder what ‘Q’ would have made of the trio of bonnet humps and gaping front grille?

It looks fast even at rest: always a good sign. In fact, ogling this green beauty conjures up images of Jim Clark all crossed up in ‘2 VEV’ – the famous Essex Racing team car – in the Goodwood RAC TT race, perhaps one of the most evocative sights in British motorsport history… Might this car's next custodian want to emulate the legendary Scot at the Goodwood Revival?

Don’t miss out...

When this Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato crosses the block at the RM Sotheby’s ‘Driven by Disruption’ sale, taking place in New York on 10th December 2015, we’ve no doubt interest will be at fever pitch. Though we’re tentative about predicting high-profile auction results, RM Sotheby’s has estimated that the car will fetch in excess of 16m US dollars. Who wants a Silver Birch DB5, anyway?

Photos by Patrick Ernzen © 2015 Courtesy RM Sotheby’s