The Aston Martin DB4 – A Closer Look At This Sports Car Including Performance, Technical Data, Features, Rivals Comparison, History, Used Prices

from classic to modern

CAR

The Aston Martin DB4 sports car was unveiled at the London Motor Show in October 1958 as the Series 1 variant, priced at £ 3,967.

This 2 + 2-seater fixed head coupe was the successor to the DB2 / 4 Mark 3, and featured a redesigned body, designed by Carrozzeria Touring of Milan, and used aluminum panels on a lightweight tubular steel chassis. As a result, it produced a curb weight of 1308 kg.

His Italian flair was well received and created quite a stir at launch.

It was equipped with Dunlop servo-assisted disc brakes on each wheel, but they were later replaced by Girling equivalents.

Coil springs were used on the independent front suspension and rear live axle, and an anti-roll bar was added.

An interesting point was that customers were offered the option of a number of different rear axle ratios to suit their needs, such as 3.31: 1 for high speed driving.

Series 1

The Series 1 was produced from October 1958 to January 1960, and was identified by the fact that it had no hooks on the bumpers or window frames on the doors, which tended to produce more wind noise when the car was driven. he was driving fast.

Series 2

This variant was manufactured between January 1960 and April 1961 and featured:

  • Adding window and door frames

  • The size of the oil pan was increased to compensate for the engine overheating, in addition an optional oil cooler was offered.

  • Larger front disc brakes added

During this period, nearly 400 Series 2s were built.

Series 3

This was produced between April and September 1961 and featured the addition of three small taillights that replaced the single unit on earlier models.

Series 4

From September 1961 to the following year, the Series 4 was identified by the replacement of the egg crate-style grille with one consisting of bars, along with a redesigned air intake on the hood.

An optional variant was offered with a more powerful engine equipped with three SU carburettors and a cylinder head containing enlarged valves.

Series 5

This last series, from September 1962 to 1963, was distinguished by:

  • A single recessed taillight

  • The body was now taller and longer to provide more internal space.

  • The size of the wheels was reduced to maintain the same overall height of the car.

  • The front section was redesigned to produce smoother lines that date back to the Vantage and GT models.

When production ended in 1963, Aston Martin had produced a total of 1,110 Series 1-5 DB4 sports cars.

THE MOTOR

The DB4 was powered by a 3.7-liter DOHC inline six-cylinder engine, with an aluminum alloy head and block, developing 240 bhp at 5500 rpm and 240 ft / lbs of torque at 4250 rpm.

Paired to a four-speed manual gearbox, and with an 8.25: 1 compression, and two SU carburettors, it produced a top speed of 141 mph, with 0-60 mph in 8.5 seconds.

It delivered a total fuel consumption of 17.7 mpg.

The first models had an unfortunate tendency to overheat the engine.

COMPETENCE

Typical competitors to the Aston Martin DB4 included the following sports cars: Ferrari 250 GTO, Jaguar E-Type Series 1, and Porsche 911.

SPORTS CARS FOR SALE

A typical price for the various series of an Aston Martin DB4 sports car is: Series 1 = $ 270,000 / £ 170,000, Series 2 = $ 350,000 / £ 220,000, Series 3 = $ 220,000 / £ 140,000, Series 4 = $ 420,000 / £ 260,000 and Series 5 = $ 330,000 / £ 200,000.

This concludes my Aston Martin DB4 sports car review

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