1961 Aston Martin DB4 Series IV in Amelia Island, Florida

Chassis No. DB4/845/R
Engine No. 370/911

The DB4 represented a turning point for Aston Martin when it burst onto the scene in 1958, as the first car of the David Brown era to wear Carrozzeria Touring's 'Superleggera' aluminum bodywork over a small-diameter steel tube framework. It was also the first to employ an engine not designed by Lagonda, but a radical, alloy twin-cam 3.7-liter straight-six engineered by Tadek Marek, matching the car's stunning looks with 140 mph performance.
This DB4, chassis no. DB4/845/R, was completed in late November 1961 as a right-hand-drive example and dispatched via Brooklands of Bond Street Ltd. to its first owner, Terence Sansom of Brighton, England. Equipped with the same engine as today, 845/R was finished in the custom-ordered hue of Delphinium Blue, with a black leather interior and optional features including: overdrive, Power Lok differential, Borrani wire wheels with knock-off hubcaps, oil cooler, Marchal headlights, heated rear window, oil temperature gauge, and 'Special interior leather trimming and carpeting.'

Copies of the Aston Martin Dorset build and service records note that Mr. Sansom was a fastidious caretaker, in addition to documenting an accident and subsequent repairs in February 1962 at an indicated 3,879 miles. That April, the original engine was converted to Special Series specification - the precursor to the future Vantage option - with three SU carburetors instead of the standard two, as well as larger valves and 9:1 compression.

A copy of the original British registration book on file notes that 845/R changed hands a further five times among UK-based caretakers through 1969, by which time the car had been repainted in yellow. Following an engine rebuild in 1970, the DB4 was imported to the United States by a new owner, Mark E. Leistickow of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Mr. Leistickow subsequently relocated with 845/R to Miami in 1977, where it remained for several years.

In 2013, the car was acquired by James D. Zahringer of West Palm Beach, Florida, and shortly thereafter joined the esteemed Jim Taylor collection in Gloversville, New York. Today, it wears an older, heavily patinated repaint in pale blue, but retains its original leather hides, including the seats, door panels, and headliner. It is still equipped with the factory-specified Marchal headlights and Borrani wire wheels, as well as a Radiomobile radio, Smiths clock and oil temperature gauge, and tinted Plexiglass sun visors. Charming touches include a period-correct Sebring mirror and accessory teardrop racing mirrors, and original chrome 'GB' lettering on the rear deck. At the time of cataloging, the odometer displays 83,232 miles, which is believed to be the original mileage.

Purchased by the consignor in 2022 in running and driving order, the car's engine and brakes have reportedly been rebuilt in recent years, but the remainder of the mechanical components left original. Should its new owner choose to maintain 845/R in its current uniquely patinated style, or conduct a sympathetic restoration, it is sure to turn heads at any show it attends.