• One of the eight LHD examples built
  
• 1961 Geneva Show car
  
• Raced at May 1961 Spa Grand Prix
  
• 1962 Car & Driver cover car

Any Zagato bodied Aston Martin is special, but the 19 DB4GTs which received the Milanese firm’s bespoke bodywork are the most special of all: many enthusiasts would argue that they represent the pinnacle of Zagato design, without exception. Just eight chassis of that total left the factory in left-hand drive configuration, and for collectors outside the UK these are commonly held to be the most sought-after of all Aston Martin GT cars.

Chassis ‘0178/L’ was displayed- resplendent in its distinctive Range Rosso livery- at the 1961 Geneva Salon de l’Automobile and, following preparation by the factory which involved flaring the rear wheel arches and fitting a lightweight competition exhaust, it was raced by first owner Edy Corthesy at the 1961 Spa Grand Prix. It was his first ever competition outing and, he modestly recalls, “the outcome was unmemorable”. Second owner Fridolin Haechler took the red Zagato with him to the USA with the intention of racing, but other factors intervened and the car led a sedate life on the US West Coast for the next 47 years, 37 of which were spent in the enthusiastic ownership of a longstanding AMOC stalwart. In 1962 it was the Car & Driver cover car, and featured in many other publications over the decades, not to mention regular appearances at Pebble Beach and club events.

Kidston SA are delighted to have assisted in returning this historic Aston Martin to Europe where, almost fifty years later, it will now reside close to where it was originally delivered.