The first Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato Continuation, the next piece of the British automaker’s DBZ Centenary Collection, will debut this week during the 24 Hours of Le Mans at the iconic French circuit.
One of just 19 cars planned for production, the first example of the DB4 GT Zagato Continuations will be shown at the company’s VIP facility during the endurance race.
The production model of the track-only sports car represents around 4,500 hours “of painstaking and meticulous artisan craftsmanship,” Aston Martin says in a news release.
“As with all the Continuation cars, the Zagato has been created at Aston Martin’s globally renowned Heritage Division headquarters in Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire,” the news release says.
“The car on show in France this weekend represents the pinnacle of Aston Martin’s Continuation projects to date, and proudly continues the brand’s 50-plus year association with world-renowned Italian coachbuilder and design house, Zagato.”
First customer deliveries of the DB4 Zagato Continuations are slated for the third quarter of this year. Each continuation car will be sold in a package deal with a new DBS GT Zagato, a modern supercar that will be delivered about a year later.
The price tag: £6 million, or around $7.6 million. Plus tax.
The Aston Martin DB4 Zagato was originally built to race against Ferrari in the 1960s, and beautifully styled by Zagato. The 19 original cars are reflected in the planned production number of the new continuation series.
“Each car is being constructed to the highest possible quality using a blend of Sir David Brown-era old-world craftsmanship and the sympathetic application of modern engineering advancements and performance enhancements,” the release says.
Aston’s continuation program launched in 2017 with 25 DB4 GT Continuation cars, which the company considers to have been a tremendous success in both sales and prestige.
The Zagato sports racer is powered by a 4.7-liter straight-6 engine, which has been tuned to produce “in excess of 390 bhp,” Aston Martin says. Power is transmitted to the rear wheels through a 4-speed manual transmission and limited-slip differential.
Standard equipment includes “Continuation specification instrumentation and interior equipment,” along with a full FIA-approved roll cage and Borrani silver-painted wheels.
The DB4 Zagato Continuation follows the same construction techniques as the original, with thin-gauge aluminum body panels over a lightweight tubular frame mounted on a track-ready chassis.
“The development and successful creation of this latest Continuation car is an achievement that should not be underestimated,” Andy Palmer, Aston Martin Lagonda president and chief executive, said in the release. “Indeed, it could well be argued that we are making history with these new cars.”
Carrozzeria Zagato of Milan, Italy, marks the 100th anniversary of its founding during 2019.
“Celebrating our brand’s deep and enduring partnership with Zagato in this, their landmark year, by launching the DBZ Centenary Collection has been a mammoth undertaking and I’m personally extremely proud of the results in the shape of this new DB4 GT Zagato,” Palmer added.
Next up for the Continuation series is another landmark model, the Aston Martin Goldfinger DB5 Continuation, made famous by fictional 007 secret agent James Bond and complete with spy gear.
