---
title: Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato · HICONIUM
description: "The original DB4 GT Zagato is a 19-car Anglo-Italian competition project. Chassis identity, period competition history and distinction from later Sanction and Continuation cars define the collector file."
canonical_url: https://hiconium.dev/vehicles/astonmartin/db4-gt-zagato
image: https://hiconium.dev/og/vehicle/astonmartin/db4-gt-zagato.png
---

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> On this page: [The price and the proof](#the-price-and-the-proof) · [Model readouts](#model-readouts) · [Documented sales](#documented-sales) · [A lighter answer to Ferrari's short-wheelbase GT](#overview-heading) · [Technical specifications](#technical-specifications) · [Powertrain](#powertrain) · [Chassis and body](#chassis-and-body) · [What moves the price](#what-moves-the-price) · [The people behind the car](#the-people-behind-the-car) · [Ercole Spada](#ercole-spada) · [Member instruments](#member-instruments)

![An Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato, front three-quarter view on a honey-green field with a warm horizon line](https://hiconium.dev/images/cars/astonmartin-db4-gt-zagato/hero-wide-2560.jpg)

# DB4 GT Zagato

Newport Pagnell, skinned in Milan

The original DB4 GT Zagato is a 19-car Anglo-Italian competition project. Chassis identity, period competition history and distinction from later Sanction and Continuation cars define the collector file.

1960 to 1963 · 19 built · Newport Pagnell and Milan

## The price and the proof

Indicative road-car band $9.5M–$15M · 1 documented road sales. Modeled values are not observed sales. Nothing here is investment advice.

Confidence: estimate. The band is anchored by the documented $14.3m RM Sotheby's sale of chassis 0186/R in 2015 and the extreme scarcity of public trades. That car had period racing history and a major concours restoration; private transactions and chassis-specific provenance leave a broad range.

USD; applies only to original 1960s cars, not Sanction or Continuation examples.

A single headline sale cannot be treated as an index for all 19 cars.

| Record | Amount | What | Venue | Date |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Road record | $14'300'000 | Published auction result for chassis DB4GT/0186/R | RM Sotheby's, New York | December 2015 |

Valuation method and source rules: [HICONIUM standards](https://hiconium.dev/standards). Observed auction results across the wider market: [Market terminal](https://hiconium.dev/market).

### Model readouts

Synthetic model · insufficient ledger. model v1 · seed astonmartin-db4-gt-zagato. Compound annual growth is modeled price CAGR; S&P 500 is a price index without dividends. Forecast quantiles are not investment advice.

| Window | This car* | S&P 500 | Gold |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1Y | -5.8% | +18.8% | +21.9% |
| 5Y | -1.9% | +11.4% | +17.6% |
| 10Y | -1.4% | +13.3% | +11.8% |

| Series | Deepest drawdown | Window |
| --- | --- | --- |
| This car* | -19.1% | May 2016 → Apr 2023 · not recovered |
| S&P 500 | -20.3% | Dec 2021 → Oct 2022 · recovered Dec 2023 |
| Gold | -18.9% | Feb 2026 → Jul 2026 · not recovered |

| Horizon | P10 | P50 | P90 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| +6M | $10'996'723 | $11'986'825 | $13'066'072 |
| +12M | $10'812'674 | $12'036'519 | $13'398'887 |
| +24M | $10'468'997 | $12'136'526 | $14'069'662 |

### Documented sales

1 recorded. Every public sale on this file, newest first. Amounts keep the recorded currency. Source links appear only when the catalog stores a public auction-lot URL.

| Date | Chassis / label | Class | House | Venue | Amount | Currency | Basis | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2015 | 1962 | Road | RM Sotheby's | New York | $14'300'000 | USD |  |  |

The public ledger is deliberately sparse because most cars have not appeared with published sale prices in recent years.

## A lighter answer to Ferrari's short-wheelbase GT

Aston Martin showed the DB4 GT Zagato at the October 1960 London Motor Show. Ercole Spada, then 23 and newly arrived at Zagato, drew the compact aluminium two-seater body around the short-wheelbase DB4 GT chassis.

The twin-plug 3.7-litre six used higher compression and a claimed 314 bhp. Competition cars raced in period, including entries for the Essex Racing Stable, but demand stopped the original run at 19 rather than the planned 25.

Aston Martin and Zagato later approved four Sanction II cars completed in 1991 and two Sanction III cars approved in 1992. A separate 19-car Continuation run arrived in 2019. None should be merged with the 1960s originals in a valuation ledger.

| Highlight | Detail |
| --- | --- |
| Nineteen, then sanctioned additions | Aston Martin planned 25 originals and completed 19. Four Sanction II cars followed under a 1987 agreement, then two Sanction III cars were approved in 1992; they are distinct collector categories. |
| A round trip to build | Aston Martin made the chassis at Newport Pagnell, sent them to Milan for Zagato bodies, then brought most back to Britain for trim and finishing. The cars carry both houses in their construction record. |
| Four competition lightweights | Two Essex Racing Stable cars and two others were built lighter again, about 150 lb below the standard Zagato figure. Period racing identity therefore has mechanical as well as historical weight. |

| Label | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Built | 19 originals |
| Designer | Ercole Spada |
| Body | Zagato aluminium |
| Gearbox | 4-speed manual |
| Launch | 1960 London Motor Show |

## Technical specifications

### Powertrain

| Label | Value | Note |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Engine | 3'670 cc DOHC inline-six | alloy, twin-plug, naturally aspirated |
| Induction | Three Weber 45 DCOE carburettors |  |
| Power | 314 bhp at 6'600 rpm | factory figure; period auction catalogues sometimes quote 6'000 rpm |
| Torque | 240 lb-ft at 5'000 rpm | factory figure |
| Transmission | 4-speed manual |  |

### Chassis and body

| Label | Value | Note |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Body | Hand-formed aluminium | built by Zagato in Milan |
| Weight | 1'225 kg | factory figure; four competition lightweights were about 150 lb lighter |
| Front suspension | Independent with coil springs | telescopic dampers and anti-roll bar |
| Rear suspension | Live axle with Watts linkage | coil springs |
| Brakes | Four-wheel Girling discs |  |

## What moves the price

Spans are indicative, drawn from documented public sales. Calibrated multipliers for a specific chassis remain member instruments.

| Value driver | Indicative range | Meaning | Documentary evidence |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Original 19-car series | +25% to +60% | Documented 1960s chassis identity, clearly separated from Sanction and Continuation production. | Factory archive distinguishes 19 originals, six later sanctioned cars and 19 Continuations. |
| Period competition history | +10% to +35% | Documented starts, drivers and results from the car's original racing career. |  |
| Extensive replacement bodywork | −10% to −30% | Loss of original Zagato aluminium or undocumented changes during restoration. |  |

## The people behind the car

### [Ercole Spada](https://hiconium.dev/people/ercole-spada)

Body designer · Zagato

![Portrait of Ercole Spada](https://hiconium.dev/images/cars/astonmartin-db4-gt-zagato/people/ercole-spada.jpg)

Designed the DB4 GT Zagato body at age 23, shortly after joining Zagato in 1960.

## Member instruments

A HICON Bid is a confidential expression of buying interest on this file. It is not a binding purchase, and HICONIUM holds no funds. [Sign in](https://hiconium.dev/sign-in) to place one. Garage files for an owned chassis are member records and are not listed here. [How membership works](https://hiconium.dev/membership).