1963 Aston Martin DB4 Series V. The Classic touch

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It’s a brave man who pilots an old race car amongst the modern stuff on a Dubai Autodrome track evening, but that’s just what the owner of this delightful ’63 Aston loves to do. And on the track is just where this DB4 Series V belongs, since it has been a race car most of its life, chalking up championship upon championship for most of its 45 years…

Thanks to CAR Middle East for this wonderful opportunity…

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Bought two years ago through Mike Abbas in the UK, who shipped the car to Dubai as part of his classic-finder service, the previous owner had simply become a too elderly to continue racing the car. Despite tours in Europe as well as on the Classic Racing circuits in UK, which included seven wins and four second places to take the Chapman Warren Championship outright in 1992, the pairing had to be split. Step forward then, Garry McColl, to keep the old warhorse in fine fettle for a few years yet.

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The Aston Martin DB4 was, to all intents and purposes, Britain’s first attempt at a real Grand Tourer, and was introduced at the Earl’s Court London Motor Show in 1958. With Tadek Marek’s new, twin overhead camshaft, all aluminium engine and bodywork by Touring of Milan, the DB4 quickly established a reputation for reliability and competitiveness despite its relative bulk compared to the contemporary Ferraris. Building on a strong racing heritage, the lightweight ‘Superleggera’ cars were good for 225kph and would accelerate from rest to 100kph in a shade under 8.5 seconds. This car, one of the last in the five year series, pushes out 266bhp and has the Series V body, including the faired-in headlamps, which gives an extra 90mm of legroom and additional height at the roofline, making it one of the most desirable of the DB4s.

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Featuring a four-speed gearbox and coil spring suspension all round, the Aston handles tidily even on the 6J rims and Dunlop R Sport tyres – narrow by modern standards but correct for the period. The sound from the straight six is deep-throated and has wonderful resonance on the over-run – a real engine in my view, not like the screamers of today at all!

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Notwithstanding the rarity – it’s the same model James Bond drove in Goldfinger, though the actual film car was badged as a DB5 – McColl’s example is virtually original with correct matching numbers and only the additions that would be required for race regulations. McColl has since removed the roll cage but retained the bucket seats fitted to the car in 1987 when it started its illustrious career as an Historic racer.

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The original factory interior, finished in black, is comprehensively equipped with the instrument binnacle echoing the shape of the grille opening at the nose of the car. It has a delightful patina, and more importantly, the right smell.

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Equally original is the paintwork which, on close inspection, reveals the stresses and cracks of its age. McColl does not plan to repaint the car, preferring to retain its visual originality, though he has spent on getting the mechanicals – suspension, steering, brakes and so on – just right. The Kenlowe electric fan, a factory option at the time, gets plenty of work to do in Dubai without the additional overtime of pounding round the Autodrome. 15-inch wire wheels (fitted with knock-off hubcaps) remain intact and in period.

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‘It took me two years to find this old girl, so I’d never part with her’, said McColl. ‘As one of only about 60 built to this specification – judging by the chassis number – she’s probably one of just 15 or so still left. Many of the initial cars, after being crashed, were used as a basis for Zagato recreations because they shared the same mechanical specifications, though a different body. That’s a good enough reason in my book to keep her as original as possible.’

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This Aston Martin is one of a very few proper gentleman’s racers: a car that started life as a performance tourer and grew up. The DB4 Series V is not as rare as the earlier DB4GTs, which are now valued at up to $2million, but the red Aston Martin is a sight for sore eyes nevertheless.

Fraser Martin