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Chassis:
Known affectionately as 2 VEV, this is one of a pair of DB4 GT Zagatos sold to John Ogier for the Essex Racing Stables team ahead of the 1961 season. The two cars were prepared for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Sadly both cars overheated because the cylinder heads had not been properly torqued-down after a rebuild. Chassis 0183/R's second outing came at the support GT race of the British Grand Prix where Lex Davison scored a victory. Jim Clark then raced the car in the RAC TT Tourist Trophy at Goodwood, finishing fourth behind its sister car (1 VEV). In the spring of 1962, it was loaned to the Equipe National Belge for Lucien Bianchi to race in the Spa Grand Prix. Bianchi was blisteringly fast but then crashed heavily at Les Combes, summersaulting over the barriers and landing upside down in a roadside stone quarry.
While Bianchi was sure the car could drive under its own power after it was retrieved from the quarry, the damage proved extensive. Fortunately, it was fully insured, so Ogier commissioned Aston Martin to rebuild the car. What they did instead was to build a completely new car, wearing the same chassis number but using the latest 'super-lightweight design'. One of three examples built using the 'MP209' chassis, it was effectively a prototype for the subsequent Project 214. Thanks to the revised chassis, it was over 130 kg lighter than a 'standard' DB4 GT Zagato. The new '2 VEV' was also fitted with a larger engine, and slightly revised and more efficient bodywork. The car had undoubtedly already been under construction, which allowed the Essex Racing team to resume racing '2 VEV' in July of 1962.
The second debut of DB4GT/0183/R was somewhat inconspicuous as Tony Maggs was forced to retire from the Trophées d'Auvergne race at Clermont-Ferrand with a cracked head. It was then again entered for Jim Clark in the RAC Tourist Trophy Race at Goodwood. Clark had an eventful race and delayed by an additional tire change was forced to claw back up the field. Unfortunately, he tried too hard and spun out at Madgwick, taking leader John Surtees with him. Repaired again, it was raced once more under the Essex Racing banner with Jim Clark and John Whitmore running as high as second in the Paris 1000km at Montlhéry until a piston holed the engine. Ogier eventually sold the car to Alexander Roch. He entered the car for another Paris 1000 km in 1964 but a gearbox failure prompted a retirement.
Following its contemporary racing career, the super-lightweight DB4 GT Zagato has had a succession of enthusiastic owners. They used the car both on the road and in historic racing through to the mid 1980s. In the early 1990s, it was damaged in a road accident, which prompted a complete restoration to concours condition for the new custodians. Once restored, the car was shown at select events like the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in 1997 and at Villa d'Este in 2013. In 2018, it headlined the Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed sale where it sold for just over GBP 10 million.
Chassis details |
Manufactured in |
1962 |
First owner |
Essex Racing |
License plate |
2 VEV |
Appearances |
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Most recent auction(s) |
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