The Aston Martin, pre-James Bond

Most Americans first became aware of England's Aston Martin sports car when James Bond drove a 1964-65 DB5 model in early Bond movies. But the very classic 1958-63 Aston DB4, which the DB5 strongly resembled, was the first all-new Aston since David Brown bought -- and saved -- the automaker in 1947, reports SunTimes.

Most Astons long have had a "DB" prefix because -- you guessed it -- those were Brown's initials, although he sold the automaker in 1972 just before the big fuel crunch and new government regulations caused the U.S. exotic sports car market to nearly crash.

Aston Martin had a history dating to 1917, and auto racing enthusiast and England's Brown bought the financially troubled company to have, as he lightheartedly put it, "a bit o' fun." The first prototype Aston Martin was partly developed by Lionel Martin and the Aston part of the company's name was derived from the rugged Aston Clinton auto competition event in England.

Brown, who made his fortune in farm tractors and transmissions, proceeded to build a long, famous sports car line, starting with the 1948-50 Aston DB1 -- the designation standing for "David Brown, first model." But the DB1 was just a low-volume interim car and Brown began producing really serious Aston sports cars with the much faster, sleeker 1950-53 DB2, which was a race winner trimmed like a Rolls-Royce (as were subsequent Astons). The DB2 and its descendants led Aston to much success -- the deceased Brown would have marveled at how far the automaker has come.

The fast, pretty 1953-57 Aston DB2/4 preceded the DB4, although things can get confusing here because there also was a 1957-59 Aston DB Mark III. It couldn't be called the DB3 because that designation had been used on an Aston sports/racing model in the early 1950s.

Anyway, the 140 mph DB4 was the first truly modern Aston Martin. It arrived in late 1958 and was built in Aston's modernized Newport Pagnell factory in England. It came as a coupe with two small rear seats or, shortly afterward, as a convertible. Both had Superleggera (super-light) construction by the prestigious Touring coachbuilder firm of Milan, Italy. Italian auto coachbuilders were masters at such construction, which used aluminum panels over a lattice of small tubes laid out to define the body shape. That was a perfect process for a small exotic automaker such as Aston.

Every major part of the DB4 was new -- Brown allowed no carryover parts. The DB4 had a new frame that was designed in six weeks flat in 1957 and would be used at Aston through the 1960s and 1970s. The car also had a rugged new 3.7-liter six-cylinder engine from brilliant designer Tadek Marek. The visually beautiful dual-overhead-camshaft engine generated 240-266 horsepower, which was a lot for a car weighing only 2,885 pounds.

The DB4 could do 0-100 mph and stop in 27 seconds, which was sensational for the late 1950s and early 1960s. It showed that the Aston had both fast acceleration and exceptional four-wheel disc brakes. No American car, whatever its power rating, could match that feat, which Aston frequently advertised.

Although small, Aston had outstanding personnel. For instance, a key person behind the DB4 was John Wyer, who also was behind the birth of the legendary Ford GT40 race car, which beat everything in sight in the mid-1960s.

A new David Brown four-speed manual transmission was used to handle the DB4's power, which grew in future models. In fact, an Aston Martin sports/racing car with the six-cylinder engine won the famous 24-hour race at Le Mans, France, in 1959 and also the World Manufacturer's Championship that year.

The initial DB4 had clean, elegant styling fronted by a Mark III-style grille that was flanked by headlights on the corners of the front fenders. However, there were no less than five distinct versions, or "series," of the DB4, each with minor variations.

For instance, rear-hinged hoods of Series 1 models changed to front-hinged hoods on Series 2 models, made from January 1960. The Series 3 (built from April 1961) had small cosmetic changes, and the Series 4, built from September of that year, had a newly styled grille -- with higher-powered (266-horsepower) "Vantage" models having recessed headlights behind sloping covers. Finally, the Series 5, built from September 1962, got more leg and trunk room, besides a higher roofline. The DB4 fastback coupe was joined by a four-seat convertible in 1961.

Running mechanical changes included an overdrive option, beginning with the Series 2, for smoother, quieter high-speed cruising.

The most desirable DB4s now are the lightweight 1959-63 race-style 302-horsepower DB4GT and 314-horsepower DB4GT Zagato. Only 75 DB4GTs and 19 DB4GT Zagatos were built.

Including those rare models, a total of 1,204 DB4s were built -- not bad for a small producer of virtually hand-built cars such as Aston Martin. The Old Cars Price Guide says regular DB4 coupes in good -- but far from show car -- condition are valued at $53,200, with convertibles at $98,000.

Some "real world" prices for regular DB4s are much higher, and you don't even want to know what a DB4GT Zagato is worth unless you're a multimillionaire. Avoid "bargain-priced" DB4s that need work because they're complicated cars that can financially bury you.

Find a good DB4, though, and you have a real thoroughbred. One owner says in the May issue of Sports Car Market magazine that his car is "fast, beautiful and comfortable. What more could anyone want?"

David Brown would have fully agreed.

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