Miguel Sánchez
Although today it is a fully established brand both in series and in competition, the truth is that Aston Martin had some frankly complex beginnings. What's more, in 1947 he was approaching his third rescue. That time at the hands of David Brown. A famous English industrialist who, thanks to his business management and sports vision, interpreted the classic times of the brand. In fact, even today it is precisely in those fifties and sixties where the most canonical manifestations in the history of Aston Martin continue to be found. What's more, those two decades are the perfect period to find both his best GTs and his most iconic feats in competition.
Having said that, it is best to focus on 1959. A year marked by the greatest paradox in the entire sports history of the British brand. And it is that, even having won at Le Mans, his will took a radical turn towards F1. A really incomprehensible decision from the point of view of logic although, at the same time, longed for in the mind of David Brown. Not surprisingly, it had been impossible for him to participate in the premier class of motorsport since he began to entertain the idea in the mid-fifties. Something understandable because, after all, this competition was dominated by the most solid sports manufacturers of the moment.
In other words, brands with all their potential turned towards victory in F1. In this way, for small teams it was really impossible to reach the level set by Ferrari or Maserati. Lonely at the top after the withdrawal of Mercedes in 1955 – shocked by the terrible accident that occurred at Le Mans – and the dismantling of the competition program at Lancia when it was acquired by the Passenti family. Thus, despite the dreams of its owner, Aston Martin focused on creating models suitable for endurance racing. All of this, of course, while cleaning up their accounts thanks to a growing saga at dealerships.
In this way, in 1956 he presented his DBR1. A model with six cylinders in line that, thanks to successive evolutions, came to exceed 250 CV to win comfortably in Le Mans 1959. From here, anyone could think that the most logical thing would have been to continue investing in the World Cup. brands. However, David Brown withdrew from that championship as soon as he won the French race. Thanks to that, he focused all the energies of his racing department on the DBR4. A single-seater version with the wheels in sight of the BR3S. Adapted and approved for current regulations in the premier category.
However, the debut of the British house in F1 was a real disaster. What's more, although in 1960 they improved thanks to incorporating independent suspensions, the bad ones turned out to be repeated. And well, that's where the great paradox arose. And it is that, not in vain, the brand that had just swept Le Mans the previous year no longer had official representation in the World Cup for Makes while, in F1, he only reaped defeats and setbacks. Of course, despite everything, Aston Martin had kept its back with the launch in 1959 of the DB4 GT.
ASTON MARTIN DB4 GT, THE RACING VARIANT
Introduced in 1958, the DB4 was undoubtedly one of the biggest steps forward in Aston Martin's history. In fact, together with the Jaguar E-Type it may well be the ultimate sublimation of the GT in the English way. In addition, under its stylish lines was a 3670 cc in-line six-cylinder engine capable of delivering 240 hp at 5.000 revolutions per minute. Undoubtedly, one of the best creations in Tadek Marek's entire career. The Pole who, having been a rally driver, put in some of the best engineering races ever seen in Aston Martin.
In addition, the DB4 brought obvious improvements in handling thanks to innovations such as power-assisted four-wheel disc brakes. In short, it is one of the GTs on which more rivers of ink have been poured in motor journalism. However, after the summer of 1959 the British house was in a position to launch a racing variant. What's more, the distributors and customers themselves were asking for it since, not in vain, the DB4 was a perfect base for the development of even more performance units with which to satisfy the anxieties of the so-called "peopleman racer".
Very common in the Silverstone or Goodwood races, these demanded a lighter and more powerful DB4 without having to lose the necessary road approvals to reach the circuit. With all that, the DB4 GT came to be one of the most recurring models on British tracks at the moment. As long as we were talking about high-end of course. Shortened in its wheelbase, in not a few units this caused the disappearance of the bare rear seats.
In addition, in order to lighten its weight, Touring further slimmed down its construction under the Superleggera technique. Continuing with the abundant use of aluminum, they thinned the thickness of the plates in order to slim down the DB4 GT as much as possible. However, beyond these improvements the main novelties came in the alteration of the original engine. Available in versions up to 3750 cc, this version was powered by three twin-barrel Weber carburettors. Likewise, two spark plugs per cylinder were incorporated while the cylinder head was profusely reformed.
With all this, the DB4 GT was capable of delivering up to 302 CV with a top speed of 243 kilometers per hour. In fact, for a time it was the fastest production car in the world. Of course, of a short production because, after all, Touring only made 75 bodies for the DB4 GT. Unfortunately, greatly overshadowed by the enormous appeal of the version made by Zagato. Of course, between this and the massive version of 1958, this GT version stands as a perfect example of how Aston Martin left endurance racing in the hands of private teams while focusing all his energies on F1 for nothing. .
Photographs: RM Sotheby's
