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Bertone’s Aston Martin

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Aston Martin by Bertone, 2013. Credit Bonhams Auction.

From the VeloceToday Archives, December, 2013

By Wallace Wyss

Sometimes it’s the odd one that appreciates the most…

At one time, race cars were fetching a lot more at the major auctions than car show one-offs. The idea was that if you buy a race car, if you’re lucky you get one with history. You buy a show car, a one-off what do you get? A momentary bauble. A flavor of the moment as it were. Designs that came and went, mostly forgotten.

Well this 1960 Aston Martin DB4 GT Bertone Jet coupe, chassis 0201L, Engine no. 370/-201/GT was sold at a May, 2013 Bonhams auction for the top dollar sum of 3,249,500 GBP ($4,928,697 USD) which is more than some Aston Martin DB4GT race cars go for even with some racing history.

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Milano Monza Auto show, Part 2

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Bandini Dora by Giugiaro, 2020

By Alessandro Gerelli
text by Staff

Last week Alessandro Gerelli sent us his report on the MILANO MONZA Auto, held on 10-13 June 2021, a unique event in which spectators walked from the Piazza San Babila to the Castello Sforzesco while viewing the latest in supercars, hypercars, and regular production cars. For this second MIMO feature, we highlight a couple of the cars that seemed interesting. The first was the Pambuffetti, which is striking even among today’s hypercars. [Read more…] about Milano Monza Auto show, Part 2

More Classics from Hampton Court 2020

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Story and photos by Jonathan Sharp

There was one bright spot in last year’s Concours season, as it was decided to hold the annual Hampton Court Show shortly before Covid restrictions became more drastic. And what a show it was. Jonathan Sharp covered the Italian entries last September, but we didn’t publish his photos of the many other great cars that made it to the event. Sharp hereby corrects that situation, with more great photos and detailed descriptions (information primarily from the event program) to explain the history behind each car. And a good thing, too, as we are not as familiar with Bentleys as Bugattis.

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An Event Not Covered

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His Royal Highness Prince Michael of Kent, Grand Cross of the Victorian Order, Patron of the Concours inspects the 1948 Delahaye 175 S Grand Luxe ‘Le Dandy.’

Photos by Jonathan Sharp
Caption information from Event Catalogue

We must explain the reason for all of the recent yet old Hampton Court coverage. Hampton Court Concours took place September 6-8, 2019 and must have been one whopper of an event. Jonathan Sharp was on hand to cover it, the weather was perfect, the cars stunning and the background at Hampton Court easily tops Pebble Beach. Yet at the time, we only ran a select few photos of the special featured Ferraris.

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Gauld at Hampton Court

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The Frazer Nash High Speed at Hampton Court that finished 3rd at Le Mans in 1949.

Story by Graham Gauld

Perhaps the title d’Elegance does not hit an exciting cord: static cars, polished, primped and lined up but there are some of them that are fascinating not only because of the quality of the cars but of the variety. Obviously classics like Pebble Beach and Villa D’Este come to mind but it is time to add a third one, the Concours of Elegance, held at London’s Hampton Court Palace a week ago. (Note the British use of the word “of” rather than the French “de”.) [Read more…] about Gauld at Hampton Court

Bertone’s Aston Martin

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Aston Martin by Bertone, 2013. Credit Bonhams Auction.

By Wallace Wyss

Sometimes it’s the odd one that appreciates the most…

At one time, race cars were fetching a lot more at the major auctions than car show one-offs. The idea was that if you buy a race car, if you’re lucky you get one with history. You buy a show car, a one-off what do you get? A momentary bauble. A flavor of the moment as it were. Designs that came and went, mostly forgotten.

Well this 1960Aston Martin DB4 GT Bertone Jet coupe, chassis 0201L, Engine no. 370/-201/GT was sold at a May, 2013 Bonhams auction for the top dollar sum of 3,249,500 GBP ($4,928,697 USD) which is more than some Aston Martin DB4GT race cars go for even with some racing history.

There is a reason for this. This particular car was the last DB4 GT chassis—and the last of any series is worth more than the ones in the middle.

First a little bit about the Aston Martin DB4 GT as a model. “DB” means “David Brown” by the way, he being the owner of Aston after WWII. The DB4GT was introduced as the competition version of the DB4 sports saloon. First launched in in 1958, the Aston Martin DB4 was a direct challenge to Ferrari. It had an all new steel platform chassis with disc brakes all round, and a race-developed twin-cam six-cylinder 3.7-litre engine, all clothed in a perfectly proportioned aluminum body designed by Touring Superleggera of Milan.

Press release photo of the Giugiaro Aston.

[Read more…] about Bertone’s Aston Martin

A Car Life, by Larry Crane

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Following Le Mans veteran Oliver Mathai, in the Aston Martin DBS, through the Ford chicanes in Aston’s 2009 V8 Vantage.

Aston Martin’s latest V8 Vantage benefits from 80 years of development for the 24 Hours of Le Man and we chase its history on the storied circuitton

Photos by Nick Dimbleby, Pete Robain and Ian Dawson

Cornering hard into the Ford Chicane–second gear–very tight. How do the LMP cars do this? We have entered from a back corner of the paddock and it is a curious place to begin a lap. Full power up the long hill past the pits, all the way to top gear; two quick clicks down to fourth at the top of the hill and into the new Dunlop curves surrounded by acres of gravel and quickly to the esses and the forest.
[Read more…] about A Car Life, by Larry Crane

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