Aston Martin

At the 1958 London Motor Show, the Aston Martin DB4 caused a sensation on its unveiling. The lightweight body was designed by Carrozzeria Touring in Milano. Technically, the DB4 was not a development of the DB Mark III it replaced, nor did it evolve into the DB5. It had a platform rather than a tubular chassis with a new, six-cylinder 3,670 cc engine, designed by Tadek Marek, a Polish born racing driver. There were five "series" of DB4. The most visible changes were the addition of window frames in Series II and the adoption of a barred (rather than eggcrate) grille in Series IV. The Series V has a taller and longer body to provide more interior space. The DB4 GT was a special lightweight, high-performance version of the DB4. Introduced in September 1959, it featured enclosed headlights and a thinner aluminium skin for lighter weight. The wheelbase was also reduced, which resulted in many cars not being fitted with rear seats. The engine was what made the GT special. Available in 3,670 cc and 3,750 cc versions, the engine had two sparkplugs per cylinder with two distributors and three twin-choke Weber carburettors. With a top speed of 243 km/h, it was the fastest road legal production car at the time. A convertible was introduced in October 1961, available with an extremely rare optional factory hardtop. With the introduction of the Series IV in 1961, a high-performance DB4 Vantage was offered, featuring special cylinder heads. In total 1,204 DB4's have been built, of which 75 were GT's and 70 were convertibles.

Launched in September 1963, the DB5 was a direct evolution of the final series of the DB4. Today it is most famous for its starring role alongside James Bond, making its first on-screen appearance in Goldfinger (1964). Compared with the DB4 Series V, the DB5 introduced several key upgrades: most notably an all-aluminium engine enlarged to 3,995 cc, paired with three SU carburettors. This power unit produced 282 hp and gave the car a top speed of 233 km/h. The engine had already been offered in the high-performance DB4 Vantage from March 1962, but with the launch of the DB5, it became Aston Martin’s standard powertrain. The DB5 also raised the bar for luxury. Standard equipment included reclining seats, wool-pile carpets, electric windows, chrome wire wheels, a magnesium-alloy body, and a fully leather-trimmed cabin. All versions featured two doors with a 2+2 seating layout. In total, just over 1,000 examples were built, cementing the DB5 as one of Aston Martin’s most iconic models.

Unveiled at the 1965 London Motor Show, the DB6 was already considered a somewhat dated design. Closely resembling its predecessor, the DB5, it stood apart with a longer wheelbase, a revised side profile, split front and rear bumpers, and new rear panels featuring the distinctive Kammback tail. The extended wheelbase, together with the repositioned rear axle and reshaped tail, improved stability at high speed. Wind tunnel testing, begun in February 1965, confirmed these changes were crucial, as the fastback styling tended to generate aerodynamic lift that reduced rear-wheel traction.