Aston Martin DB4 Zagato Continuation requires 4,500 hours of work per car
More than half of the 19 slated for production are already being built.
Aston Martin's Continuation series brings old cars back from the dead using traditional manufacturing methods. They're not street-legal, and they're wildly expensive, but it's the only way to have a brand-new vintage Aston Martin on your driveway. The company is currently in the process of building the latest addition to this lineup, and each one requires an awful lot of work.
Aston Martin announced on Monday that it has already commenced work on more than half of its upcoming DB4 GT Zagato Continuation lineup. Of the 19 slated for construction, at least 10 are already in various stages of assembly. It's all taking place at Aston Martin's Heritage Division headquarters in Newport Pagnell, England.
This isn't the sort of assembly line you'd see at, say, a Ford plant. Instead, it's more like a highly dedicated workshop, where Aston Martin employees rely on old-school manufacturing methods. There are some modern touches scattered about to help increase safety and other aspects that might not be immediately noticed, but by and large, Aston Martin is trying to stay as true to the DB4 GT Zagato as possible. Each car requires, according to the automaker, about 4,500 hours of work.
Under the hood of each DB4 GT Zagato Continuation is a 4.7-liter straight-six engine that's believed to make more than 390 horsepower. All that motive force hits the rear wheels through a four-speed manual transmission. It packs an FIA-approved roll cage, which is probably necessary, since it's only legal for track driving.
The DB4 GT Zagato Continuation is expected to start reaching 19 lucky owners in the fourth quarter of 2019. It's a pricey proposition at £6 million (about $7.2 million), but that price is for not one, but two cars -- each one is sold alongside a modern take on the car, based on the DBS Superleggera. That car is expected to reach owners about a year after the vintage model does.
This isn't Aston Martin's first foray into building old cars from scratch in the 21st century. In 2017, it produced a run of non-Zagato DB4 GT cars. The automaker is also working on the Aston Martin Goldfinger DB5 Continuation, a $3.5 million take on one of cinema's most famous cars -- and yes, functional gadgets are included.
