Taking a ride in a vintage Aston Martin which 'oozes class'
BBCA lovingly-restored 1961 Aston Martin DB4 is turning heads again at the Haynes Motor Museum. David Garmston is treated to a ride and discovers what makes the car so special.
In the honey-coloured villages of south Somerset – the throb of an English classic vibrates the lazy spring air.
An Aston Martin sports car comes into view – and it is a handsome beast that growls at you as if it is coming home from a night out at an elegant party.
The car is an Aston Martin DB4, painted in red, with a 3.8 litre engine and only 18,000 miles (28968 km) on the clock.
The low mileage is testament to a wild youth. It was built in 1961 and pranged the same year. It was repaired, badly, and crashed again the following year.
Now it is a treasured exhibit at the Haynes Motor Museum at Sparkford near Yeovil after a restoration which has taken months.
The work has been carried out at a little private garage at the back of the museum.
Technician Alex Knight and his colleagues spent hundreds of hours turning a wreck into a highly-prized treasure worth about £400,000.
"Every one of these cars was hand built. No one is the same.
"If you take a step back you will see that one side is higher than the other side. That's the way it came out of the factory," Knight said.
Understandably, he has grown attached to the Aston.
"I love it. It's elegant, it oozes class," he said.
The car has been resprayed – the shade is officially known as "dubonnet". Shaken, not stirred.
The DB4 was the inspiration for the vehicles driven by James Bond, although Sean Connery got behind the wheel of the later DB5.
Workshop manager Nick Lockey-May is the only person allowed to drive it and he took me for a spin. There are no seat belts, no power steering and only one mirror.
"It's an absolute pleasure to drive. We have put so much work into it and to finally have it out on the road it's just fantastic to get behind the wheel."
The restoration has not just been about a vintage car – it is about the future.
The museum is hoping the skills needed to restore the Aston Martin will encourage a new generation to consider a career in technology and engineering.
As I sunk into the passenger seat, I turned around, half expecting we were being chased as the acceleration pushed me back into the soft leather.
It is the kind of car where adventure is always around the corner. A trip to the Med would be fun but also a challenge. The vehicle is noisy, bumpy and smells of old leather, petrol and exhaust.
I adore it.
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