All eyes in the racing world were on the 1959 24 Hours of Le Mans as sports car leaders Ferrari, Porsche, and Aston Martin went head to head to head in an epic battle for outright supremacy. When the tire smoke cleared a day later, the Essex Racing Stable’s two Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagatos emerged victorious, taking first and second place in advance of the finest high-performance racecars in history.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Aston Martin continued to create both “1 VEV” and “2 VEV” models of the DB4 GT Zagato, supplying them to racing teams around the world. Now, the Essex Racing Stable’s 1961 Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato “2 VEV” is hitting the auction block as the most valuable British car ever offered at auction in Europe.
Austin Martin made only 19 of these “DP209” lightweight versions of the already extremely rare Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato. The car currently up for sale was driven by legendary Formula 1 World Champion Driver Jim Clark throughout the early 1960s, when he continued to challenge Ferrari and Porsche at every turn.
This exceptional vehicle comes to auction in exceptional shape. After nearly a half-century under private single-family ownership, it will find a new owner at Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale on July 13th.