Saturday, June 6, 2015

The Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato Sports Car


The Zagato was both smaller, lighter, and more aerodynamic than the DB4 GT.

By removing non-essential components, such as bumpers, substituting aluminium for as many steel components as possible, and using Perspex instead of glass, a further 45 kg was removed from the overall weight.

It used an aluminium alloy body on a chassis composed of steel and aluminium, to produce a curb weight of 1225 kg.

It was fitted with Girling hydraulic disc brakes, independent front suspension with a live axle at the rear, and 16 inch wheels.

A feature of the body styling was the addition of two bulges in the bonnet to allow for the protruding rocker covers.

However, once again, Aston Martin could not overcome the supremacy of Ferrari, with the DB4 Zagato no match for the Ferrari GTO.

Of the 19 Zagatos built when production ended in 1963, most were sold to privately entered race teams, although four were produced as road legal sports cars.

THE ENGINE

The Aston Martin DB4 GT

It was powered by a 3.7 litre, straight six, 12 valve, DOHC engine, with a 9.0:1 compression, three twin choke Weber carburettors, and two spark plugs per cylinder, that developed 302 bhp, and 270 ft/lbs of torque.

Linked to a four speed manual close ratio gearbox, this enabled it to reach a top speed of 152 mph, with a 0-60 mph time of 6.1 secs.

The Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato

The Zagato was to be powered by a modified version of the engine used in the DB4 GT, that included raising the compression from 9.0 to 9.7:1, which duly developed 314 bhp at 6000 rpm, and 279 ft/lbs of torque at 5400 rpm.

This produced a top speed of 154 mph, with 0-60 mph in 6.1 secs.

COMPETITION

Comparable competitors to the Zagato included the following spots cars: Maserati Ghibli, Series 2 Jaguar E-Type, and Ferrari 250 GTO

SPORTS CARS FOR SALE

An original Zagato in showroom condition would be valued at anything between $2m and $2.5m.

This concludes my Aston Martin DB2 Sports Car Review.

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