1960 ASTON MARTIN DB4 SERIES II LIGHTWEIGHT

FOREWORD - BY ANDREW FRANKEL

Had it not been such a race-lite season I’d have probably turned down to the offer of racing Bell Sport & Classic’s lightweight Series II Aston Martin DB4, because the outcome never seemed in doubt. At the Aston Martin Owners Club’s annual St John Horsfall meeting, numerous grids that would have usually had their own races had been combined into one. Quite sensible in these Covid times, but it meant we’d be the oldest car in the race not by years, but decades. And the weather was going to be filthy. It was a 45-minute, two-driver race and I was to share the car with Bell Sport’s Peter Smith. Was I really going to drive to Silverstone to get soaked and come last, all for just 20 minutes of wheel time? Of course I was.

Besides, I was fascinated to try the car. I knew people like Gerry Marshall, Mike Salmon and David Heynes – sadly all now long gone – who used to race lightweight DB4s at the back end of last century and they all raved about them; but how good could one really be today?

Astonishing, as it turns out. I feared that to make it competitive would involve butchering it to such an extent it would feel like a silhouette racer, related to the DB4 in outline alone. But in fact, from that wondrous twin-cam straight-six motor at one end to the live rear axle at the other, the feel is entirely that of a DB4, but engineered with the benefit of hindsight. A car like this is not simply created. It is evolved over time by the best in the business in a continual series of small steps to become what it is today.

Which is to say the most capable historic racer to be derived from a road car I’ve driven. And in the wet, probably the most fun too. In terrible conditions on elderly tyres I entertained no hope for the race at all, so you can imagine my surprise when I found myself well inside the top ten, overtaking cautiously driven modern GT4 machinery – in a car that started life over 60 years ago!

But I wasn’t just going faster than many other far more modern cars out there, I was having more fun too. The sound of that motor will never leave me, nor will the balance of the chassis. It was quick, nimble and accurate into the corner, whereafter it would drift for as long as you liked. Really the only danger was that you might laugh yourself clean off the circuit. This, then, is a fabulous machine which would still prove a formidable weapon at the right kind of historic race meeting, or the most improbable of supercar slayers at a local track day. And if its new owner needs any help setting it up, I can confirm my availability…

DETAILS FROM THE VENDOR

This Aston Martin DB4 Lightweight is a wonderful track-focused classic, which has been frequently raced and significantly upgraded over the last 40 years. Under the bonnet now resides a 4.5-litre DOHC straight-six, fed by three two-barrel Weber carburettors and producing around 400hp, driving the rear wheels via a four-speed manual transmission.

The idea of a non-factory but community-led DB4 Lightweight development programme was borne from the desire to race classic 1960s Astons, but in a period when the rising values and rarity of the DB4 GT model (of which only eight were ‘Lightweight’ cars) made it impractical for wheel-to-wheel racing.

The likes of R.S. Williams, Aston Engineering, Ian Mason, and John Goldsmith, were all part of the development of the ‘DB4 Lightweight’ from the late 1970s through to the early 1980s. An evolution of the standard DB4, some 300kg was stripped from the car, and the original twin-cam engine was put through a significant upgrade programme. Initially they were taken to a 4.2-litre capacity, and later to 4.5 litres, with twin spark plug heads, steel internals, and uprated Weber carburettors. A highly tuned R.S. Williams 4.5-litre motor was said to produce north of 450hp, making the best DB4 Lightweights extremely competitive on track.

This particular DB4 was supplied by dealer Charles Sidney in Yorkshire in March 1961. Enjoyed as a road car for some 20 years, its first taste of competition was between 1980 and 1982, when it was driven in AMOC hill climbs. Between 1986 and 1990, the car was restored and rebuilt to Lightweight specification by Ian Mason, Tickford, and ADA Engineering. Initially the car was fitted with an upgraded 4.2-litre engine, and between 1990 and 2000 it was owned and raced by Kohji Nakauchi - a collector passionate about British cars, who had previously owned both the Scimitar marque and the Brabham F1 team.

When the car came back to the UK just after the millennium, it was the subject of a further upgrade programme, equipped with a 4.5-litre straight-six by Aston Engineering in 2005, and taken to full race specification in 2007. Its four-speed gearbox was rebuilt with Hewlands internals, the front suspension was modified to a coil spring setup with upper and lower control arms, the rear to a live axle with trailing arms and coil springs, and with disc brakes fitted on all four corners.

Over the last 10 years, DB4/552/R has been maintained and prepared by the late Colin Blower and Aston Engineering, and has been an extremely reliable and competitive entrant in Aston Martin Owners Club racing. Throughout its motorsport life to date, it has appeared in around 100 races and with only a few DNFs - a remarkable achievement, and testament to the quality of its build and maintenance.

More recently, the car has been looked after and raced by Bell Sport & Classic in Hertfordshire. Its last appearance was at the AMOC Racing St John Horsfall Memorial Meeting in October 2020, when it was campaigned by Andrew Frankel and Peter Smith. Since then, it received a full pre-season check-over in December 2020 to ensure it is ready for racing in 2021.

Included in the sale are three sets of wheels; the first with a set of wet tyres with only one outing, the second with a set of new and unused Yokohama A052 tyres, and the third fitted with part-worn Dunlop Direzza 03G items.

Accompanying the car is a large and detailed history file, noting every race entry and result, showing its wonderful racing history dating back to the 1980s. A raft of invoices and other paperwork is also present, making this not just a superbly built and maintained car, but also a very well-documented one.

This Aston Martin DB4 Series II Lightweight is understood to be one of just 25 examples built around the early 1980s as part of the Aston community’s efforts to create a more affordable and competitive Lightweight racer. With some of these since converted back to road car specification, and with others no longer raced, this particular DB4 is now an ever rarer breed. Boasting extensive competition provenance, continuous improvement, and fastidious maintenance over the last 40 years, this is a race-ready lightweight Aston Martin that would be a wonderful addition to any stable of competition cars.

The description of this auction lot is, to the best of the seller's knowledge, accurate and not misleading. Collecting Cars requests a range of detail about the lot from the seller, and performs a level of due diligence. However, bidders must satisfy themselves as to the accuracy of the description, and conduct any research they feel is necessary before committing to a bid. Please see our Terms and Conditions for full details.

All UK-registered cars and motorbikes on Collecting Cars are run through an online HPI check. This vehicle shows no insurance database markers for damage or theft, and has no finance owing.


Car Overview

  • manual
  • RHD
  • AMR Racing Green
  • Black
  • 4.5L


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Lot Overview

  • Lot #03076
  • trade Sale
  • Markyate, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom

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1960 ASTON MARTIN DB4 SERIES II LIGHTWEIGHT 1960 ASTON MARTIN DB4 SERIES II LIGHTWEIGHT 1960 ASTON MARTIN DB4 SERIES II LIGHTWEIGHT 1960 ASTON MARTIN DB4 SERIES II LIGHTWEIGHT 1960 ASTON MARTIN DB4 SERIES II LIGHTWEIGHT 1960 ASTON MARTIN DB4 SERIES II LIGHTWEIGHT 1960 ASTON MARTIN DB4 SERIES II LIGHTWEIGHT 1960 ASTON MARTIN DB4 SERIES II LIGHTWEIGHT
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