Description
This lot will be auctioned via Silverstone Auctions, Race Retro Classic and Competition Car Sale 2023 on Friday the 24th of February - Saturday the 25th of February, Stoneleigh Park, Stoneleigh Rd, Coventry, CV8 2LG. This lovely Aston Martin DB4 was repatriated to the UK in 1965 having belonged to an eminent doctor who had led a pilot Malaria eradication project in Kuala Lumpur and subsequently allocated the registration it wears today. It was completely restored in the seventies and remained in road trim before being converted into a 'Lightweight' DB4 and embarking on a illustrious racing campaign. Famous in AMOC racing circles, it has been raced by Andy Jenkinson and the late Peter Wheeler of TVR fame who spent much of his considerable resources constantly improving the race car. It was purchased by renowned racer Sean Brown in 2008 and raced with great success by him until around 2013.
With such a continuous proven race winning history it is officially recognised as a Aston Martin DB4 'Lightweight' and is included in the Lightweight register.
In 2018, our vendor decided to return the Aston to a usable, legal fast road specification so that it could be enjoyed for road trips and touring. Renowned historic race car preparers, John Danby Racing, were entrusted to complete the works and the history file contains invoices totalling over seventy thousand pounds. Every aspect of returning an 'out and out' racer to a civilised David Brown Grand Tourer was considered including a complete rebuild of the 4. 5-litre engine, the fitment of a new five-speed gearbox, a full retrim, and all the knobs, switches and handles etc. that come out in minutes when you are stripping a car during race prep but take an age to reinstate when returning it to a usable 'fast-road' spec. Every step of the process was recorded including, rebuilds, road tests, rolling road set-ups and all the components used to a level you only get with a professional race car establishment. More recently, in December 2021 power-assisted steering was fitted, a welcome addition.
The result is a stunning road going, flexible and refined DB4 that can used as a classic tourer with a compliant exhaust system, fully adjustable suspension, uprated brakes and a comfortably trimmed interior. It's accompanied by a copy of the original factory build sheet and lots of history and photographs from its racing career and is now ideal for regularity runs, European Tours and any number of AMOC events including sprints, hill climbs or circuit days.
