1991 Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato Sanction II Coupe

1991 Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato Sanction II Coupe

With only four examples in existence, bidding on a 1991 Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato Sanction II Coupe that recently went to auction was always going to be furious.

However, few would have guessed that bidding on the car would reach levels approaching the $2 million mark--but it did.

At a Bonhams auction in the UK this past weekend, the fourth and final Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato Sanction II Coupe was sold for £1.2 million (approximately $1.9 million).

The opportunity to snap up this car was certainly rare, and to many this price must seem like a bargain.

Of the many models in Aston Martin's 100-year history, and of the DB series of six-cylinder cars in particular, the DB4 GT Zagato is arguably the best loved and most respected. The original collaboration between Aston Martin and Zagato resulted in a production run of only 19 constructed between 1961 and 1963, although 23 were originally planned and the chassis for each completed.

Almost 30 years later a factory-approved project was launched to revive this iconic model. The project was instigated in 1987 by the company's then joint chairmen, Victor Gauntlett and Peter Livanos, who commissioned the renowned Aston Martin specialist Richard Williams to refurbish those four chassis left untouched.

1991 Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato Sanction II Coupe

1991 Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato Sanction II Coupe

They were then shipped to Zagato’s facilities in Milan, Italy, which built the stunning bodies to the same specifications of the original 19. Said by Williams to be so authentic that very few people would be able to tell the difference, the four newer cars, dubbed “Sanction II” cars, were given chassis numbers DB4GT/0192, DB4GT/0196, DB4GT/0197 and DB4GT/0198, which had been allocated to the original project by the factory in 1960 but never used.

The car that was just sold was DB4GT/0198.

The Sanction II cars all feature an engine built to 4.2-liter specification (the originals used 3.7-liter units); four-speed ‘David Brown’ manual gearbox; limited-slip differential with 3.07:1 final drive ratio; disc brakes all ‘round; and wishbone independent suspension up front and a live axle at the rear. Peak output stands at 352 horsepower versus the 302 horsepower of the originals and the 0-60 mph takes just 5.5 seconds. Top speed is a claimed 153 mph.