Lot 268

Arizona 2012

1962 Aston Martin DB4

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$357,500 USD | Sold

United States | Phoenix, Arizona

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Chassis No.
DB4/754/R
Engine No.
370/763

Four-liter Aston Martin block bored out to 4.5 liters, producing circa 400 bhp, aluminum block and head, triple 50DCO sidedraft Weber carburetors, five-speed Tremec T5 manual gearbox, Borg and Beck clutch, four-wheel disc brakes, independent front suspension with solid axle rear located by Watts linkage, and up-rated with Koni shock absorbers all around. Wheelbase: 98"

• Well-known AMOC and VSCCA participant, award winner

• Impressive specification and race preparation

• Professional conversion to LHD by R.S. Williams Ltd.

• Comprehensively documented including original UK logbook

• The ultimate, dual-purpose track and road rally Aston

Completed on September 6, 1961, DB4/754/R was delivered to its first owner, Mr. Malcolm Fraser of Pall Mall, London, via main agents Brooklands of Bond Street on May 26, 1962.

Factory service history is documented on the build sheet through its first 20,000 miles or so, indicating an engine replacement within its first month of ownership.

The supplied original green logbook documents a succession of UK owners in the Southeast, mainly in Kent, and into the 1970s until it was recovered and comprehensively restored in the late ’70s by the well-known and highly regarded marque specialists R.S. Williams Ltd. This refurbishment included another new engine, this time upgraded to 4.0-liter, triple carburetor, DB5 specification. An RS Williams ‘signature’ contoured air extraction lip, mimicking that found on some DB4GT Zagatos, is evident at the rear of the bonnet.

The documented history picks up again with Stephen Jenks, an expat American banker who purchased the car directly from Williams on May 24, 1979 for £6,000. Mr. Jenks was an AMOC member who achieved an award showing the DB4 in the Newcomers Class at the Newport Pagnell Concours in 1980.

Mr. Jenks appeared to use 754/R from his London residence on a regular basis during the ’80s as the service invoices from R.S. Williams attest. Prior to returning to America with the car, it was converted to LHD by Williams at a cost of nearly £4,000.

In 1993 the car was acquired from Mr. Jenks via Robert Burt at Sports and Specialist Cars by Don Rose, an enthusiast who cherished the car for over 10 years, during which time he participated regularly at AMOC events, going on to become a Club Director. During this ownership it was a two-time recipient of the Club's Robert Harrison Jr. Memorial Trophy, the award for best performance in the concours and on the track. In 2003 the car was sold to Jeremy Cooke and returned to the UK where it was modified for AMOC Championship use there, prepared by marque specialist John Goldsmith. Prior to its most recent return to the U.S., it changed hands once more to well-known Aston enthusiast and racer Tarek Mahmoud, still under the care of John Goldsmith, from whom there are receipts approaching £50,000.

The current owner, another US-based AMOC member and avid vintage racer, ran the DB4 enthusiastically and successfully in VSCCA, SVRA and other appropriate club events, with the car’s development further supervised and prepared by KTR Engineering of Massachusetts. From the mid- to late-2000s, over $180,000 was additionally expended with KTR to modify and sort it to its current state of ultra-high performance with surprising docility in the paddock or on the road. This work included the commissioning of a Jon Clerk-built Steel Wings race engine bored to 4.5 liters and equipped with triple twin-throat Weber 50DCO sidedraft carburetors, billet crankshaft, Carillo rods, JE pistons, Mallory/MSD ignition system and 11:1 compression ratio (estimated to produce circa 400 bhp). KTR continued development with the installation of a Tremec T5 five-speed gearbox, custom stainless steel header/exhaust system, up-rated Borg & Beck clutch, suspension upgrades, special brake pads and an ATL fuel cell. A repaint in its attractive shade of Goodwood Green, matching its 1977 R.S. Williams restoration livery, speaks to the owner's pride of visual presentation, along with a new, competition oriented interior, fully trimmed in glorious red for touring with leather covered racing seats, Wilton carpets and a bolt-in roll bar. The original gearbox (requiring a rebuild), seats and 16-inch wheels come with the car (FOB Massachusetts), as does an impressive document book with receipts for hundreds of thousands spent, its original UK logbook and tax discs, its more recent UK V5 certificate (as well as a US title), BMIHT certificate, service and development history since the 1970s, a selection of old photographs and numerous event dash plaques.

Make no mistake, this is a breathtaking, ground-pounder of a DB4 but with a sweet side for street usability, rendering it an outstanding example of that difficult-to-find track and road rally car, both purposefully and tastefully presented.