Aston Martin DB4 GT: driving the £1.5m recreation of a classic

This isn’t an attempt at a made-better restomod. The only changes that have been made are safety related, and are effectively the same as those you would find in an original DB4 GT used for historic racing.

There’s a full roll-cage, modern bucket seats with six-point harnesses and both a fire extinguisher and battery cut-off. There’s also an FIA-spec fuel bag inside the tank to reduce the risk of leakage. It’s obvious within half a lap that the combination of Silverstone’s slick surface and skinny period-spec rubber means there’s little grip, but the fundamentals are all good. The Continuation has been given a brawnier 4.2-litre straight six in place of the original 3.7-litre, with the rear axle struggling to find sufficient traction to deploy anything like its peak of 331bhp, even on the straights.

In corners the limits feel very low, the DB4 GT slithering into ungainly understeer at what feels instinctively like a very modest pace in Becketts. But it’s my technique that’s at fault, rather than the car. The DB4 GTis a sensitive beast and needs to be gently shepherded towards an apex, with power then fed in sensitively. It’s fastest at the edge of power oversteer, although the slippery conditions make judging the balance a challenge. Small wonder so many pictures of the originals racing show four-wheel drifts.

Yet the DB4 GT is friendly too, and much less intimidating than the top-flight racers that followed it. Steering is low geared but chatty, throttle response outstanding and the firm brake pedal delivers both surprisingly solid retardation and a firm platform for the heel-and-toe work made necessary by the dog ring gearbox. The four-speeder lacks synchromesh and therefore needs road and engine speed to be matched for smooth changes, although by the time my short stint ends I’m starting to get the hang of it.

The different techniques required to drive the DB4 GT have given Aston another opportunity, with owners also offered a two-year track driving programme and driver tuition, with the Continuation also eligible for several historic racing categories. Let’s hope that the buyers use the cars as Aston clearly intends them to.