Vehicle Description
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.