Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato: �Machismo� defined

After they introduced their stunning new Touring-bodied DB4 GT in 1959, Aston Martin decided to take on Ferraris SWB 250GTs with their own weapon.



Pen & ink and Prismacolor pencils on Canson green archival stock
� Paul Chenard 2009

They commissioned the Milanese firm of Zagato to make their new car competitive. Young designer Ercole Spada penned a fabulous lightweight �Superleggera� body, �super-light� in Italian, which refers to a Touring-developed construction method of a frame of small-diameter metal tubes built on the main chassis, and covered with aluminum body panels.

The car is a stunning purposeful-looking racer; Doug Nye described it as "a man's car" in his 1982 Salon feature review in Road & Track magazine. It is beautiful from every angle ... rolling sculpture.

Though the Zagato was slightly lighter the original DB4 GT, they were not competitive enough to beat the all-conquering Scuderia Ferrari, which introduced the GTO. They were raced by such famous drivers as Roy Salvadori and Jim Clark.

19 of the Zagatos were built originally, and in 1991, Aston Martin authorized the building of 4 more DB4 GT Zagatos, utilizing unutilized chassis numbers; these were labeled as Sanction II cars. The original cars rarely come up for sale, but if they did, the expected sale price would be at least $3 million USD.

The Office Series � 1957 Ferrari 250 TR Scaglietti Testa Rosa

Pencil and markers on white archival Canson stock
� Paul Chenard 2009

The Ferrari 250 Testa Rosa is a famous racer that helped propagate the Ferrari legend. The name comes from the Italian words for �red head�, reflecting its 12-cylinder engine�s red-painted cam covers.

The Testa Rosa were produced from 1956 to 1961. They were bodied by various carrozzerias, including Pininfarina and Touring.

Scaglietti created the famous �pontoon� fendered 250TR (Testa Rosas). 22 of these beautiful cars were built in the years 1957�58.

A few years ago, I wanted to create a unique clock, based on the 1957 Testa Rosa dash instruments. I bought a new retro-looking clock, took it apart and repainted the case and hands. I recreated the clock-face using the TR tachometer aesthetics, printed it out and covered the old face. Here is the result, which hangs on the wall of our computer room.








Sports Car Market reports that RM Auctions, in association with Sotheby�s, announced that it will be auctioning off one of these stunning Testa Rosa�s, chassis no. 0714TR, during their May 17, 2009 auction. You can read more about it here.