Ask most car collectors to name their ultimate dream car. The one car they would give anything in the world to own. Sure they might say a Ferrari 250 SWB. Or a Ferrari 250 GTO. However many would say the Aston Martin DB4 Zagato.
For many collectors including ourselves, the DB4 Zagato is perhaps (along with the 250 SWB Ferrari) the most beautiful car the world. More rare than a Ferrari 250 GTO, the Aston Martin DB4 Zagato was Aston’s answer to the incredibly successful 250 SWB from Ferrari. Only 19 Zagato’s were ever built (not including the sanction 2 cars that came later).
Designed by Spada when he was a young man, it represented the crowning achievement for Zagato and was to be Aston Martin’s most exclusive, expensive DB4 ever made (for more info on the DB4 series click here).
As an aficionado for vintage cars, I also collect literature and thus brochures of all kinds. When a catalogue from RM Auctions in 2005 showing a DB4 Zagato was found on Ebay- I had to have it (despite the ridiculous price of the seller). We could not believe what we saw when we turned to page 130 of the catalogue. A DB4 Zagato for only $2.5-2.8 estimate? Surely that could not be. Well my dear collector friends-it was!
Only nine years ago a collector could have one of the most desirable cars in the world for a little more than $2.5m (the car ended up selling for $2.69m). Yes, a DB4 Zagato raced by none other than Roy Salvadori, to first in class for $2.69m. Today that would not even buy you a nice Aston Martin DB4 GT and barely a nice 275 GTB/4.
We have to admit that in 2005 the world was a different place. The world was just recovering from the technology bubble and asset prices globally remained very depressed. Yes hindsight is always 20/20 but we thought, given where prices are today, it would be fun to look back only nine years and see how far we have come.
What would the Salvadori raced DB4 Zagato be worth today? Its is hard to say. It is been a very long time since a Zagato come to the auction market. Our best guess would be $10-12m.
(For more information on the DB4 GT Zagato from RM please click here. The main picture is from a catalogue of RM Auctions from 2005 in Arizona. The catalogue and all the contents belongs to RM Auctions).
