Vehicle Description
1962 Aston Martin DB4 Mk IV
• Chassis No. DB4/XXX/X
• Engine No. 370/XXX - Matching
• Finished in the original Aegean Blue with White Gold leather
• Fitted with modern air conditioning
• Professionally converted to LHD
• Outstanding condition and well maintained
The Aston Martin DB4 was five years in development and shared
little with the Mark III that preceded it. Its profile is instantly
recognizable; to many connoisseurs, it is a perfectly proportioned
automobile, and it set the style template for the famous DB5 and
later DB6 models that followed. The Mark III's tube frame was
abandoned for a steel platform, designed by Harold Beach, while the
bodywork was styled by Touring of Milan using their vaunted
Superleggera construction process, with hand-formed aluminum alloy
panels over small-diameter steel tubing.
Tadek Marek designed a new engine, said to be inspired by Jaguar's
DOHC XK engine, though cast from aluminum and more refined with
prodigious torque. It was based on the DBR2 racing motor and was
capable of propelling the DB4 to 141 mph, with four-wheel disc
brakes to bring it down from speed. The prototype was taken to
Brown's farm for him to test in 1957, and, with typical
understatement, he pronounced it "a very promising motor car."
As the DB4 underwent numerous running changes throughout its
five-year lifespan, the AMOC Register has separated DB4s into five
series, which roughly correspond to the continuous running changes
during production. To many, the most desirable was the Series IV.
These were the last of the "original proportion" DB4s. They
featured a new grille with seven vertical bars, and the rear lights
were recessed into the bodywork, while the car's bonnet scoop was
lowered; all features which survived through the DB5.
Registered new in 1962 in Birmingham, England as 484 FOJ, this
Aston Martin was originally finished in Aegean Sea Blue with White
Gold Connolly leather interior. It was bought by the Dunnett
family, who owned a respected bakeware company. Early maintenance
records from Aston Service of Dorset extend to 1968, with a new
clutch fitted at 56,195 miles. The second owner of record was Mr.
Gee of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, after which the DB4 was
believed to have been sold to Northern Europe and subsequently
converted to left-hand drive.
In 2006, Alex von Mozer of Sassenheim, The Netherlands, shipped the
car to Autosport Designs in New York to have it serviced prior to
sale to an American customer. The odometer indicated 77,575 miles
at the time and still retained its numbers-matching drivetrain. The
DB4 was then acquired by Michael Sanford of Montauk, New York, who
acquired it in April of that year. He commissioned extensive
improvements, including body and paintwork, wiring, steering and
suspension, new brakes, and tires. A modern R134 air-conditioning
system was fitted, along with an alarm system and fire
extinguisher. Accompanying receipts for the work extend over three
years and totaled just over $64,000. The odometer indicated 78,990
miles at completion.
Mr. Sanford sold the DB4 in July 2011, a pre-purchase examination
by Aston Martin restoration specialists Steel Wings, then of
Hopewell, New Jersey. The report described the car as a good
unrestored driver with a pleasantly patinated interior. The
suspension had already been upgraded to a Steel Wings handling
package and the engine ran well, pulling strongly through the rpm
range with no hint of overheating under extreme conditions, while
the gearbox shifted smoothly.
This DB4 has recently had a cosmetic restoration including a
complete repaint in the original color Aegean Blue and a new
correct Connelly White Gold leather interior with Wilton wool
carpet. The past owner has enjoyed this DB4 over the past few years
of ownership in the Los Angeles area. After it was inquired, it was
driven from Monterey to L.A. with great satisfaction due to its
sparkling performance and superb air conditioning!
Complete with a tool roll, and recent restoration invoices. This is
an exciting, well-maintained DB4, that is a proven, reliable,
sorted driver, finished in its attractive original color
combination.
Specification
• 240 bhp, 3,670cc DOHC inline six-cylinder engine
• Dual SU carburetors
• Four-speed manual transmission
• Independent front suspension
• Upper and lower control arms
• Coil springs, and an anti-roll bar
• Live rear axle with Watt's linkage
• Trailing links, coil springs
• Four-wheel hydraulic disc brakes
• Wheelbase: 98 in.
History Series DB4s
There were five "series" of DB4. The most visible changes were the
addition of window frames in Series II and the adoption of a barred
(rather than egg-crate) grille in Series IV. The Series III cars
differed from the earlier ones in having taillights consisting of
three small lamps mounted on a chrome backing plate. Earlier cars
have single-piece units and the last Series V cars of September
1962 have similar taillights but recessed. The Series V also has a
taller and longer body to provide more interior space, though the
diameter of the wheels was reduced to keep the overall height the
same. The front of the Series V usually was of the more aerodynamic
style as already used on the Vantage and GT models, a style that
was later carried over to the DB5 cars.