FEATURE 9 fuLLbore rOAd rAcEr Words by: Tom Stweart Photography: Tom Andrew & Nicholas Mee
FEATURE : ROAD RACER AS reguLAr fuLLbore reAderS ANd ViSitorS to our webSiteS wiLL kNow, we At NiChoLAS mee & Co Are keeN to Promote our SerViCiNg, rACe PrePArAtioN ANd reStorAtioN SerViCeS. Periodical servicing is usually a straightforward procedure, but although race prep and restorations differ greatly, there’s often an interesting tale to tell. So here’s the story of a car – specifically a 1960 Aston Martin DB4 Series 2, chassis no. DB4/411/R – and its road-spec to race-spec and back again restoration project. But first some background on the DB4 and this car in particular. the db4 First unveiled at the Paris Motorshow in 1958, every major component in the ground-breaking DB4 was new. Designed by Carrozeria Touring of Milan, it employed the Superleggera (super-light) system by using alloy body panels affixed to a tubular frame. <strong>The</strong> Tadek Marek-designed 3.7-litre straight-six, dohc engine produced 240bhp and the model remained in production until June ’63, by which time there had been five distinct series and a total of 1,110 had been built. <strong>The</strong> 140mph, 2+2 DB4 launched Aston Martin straight back into competition with the exotic Continental brands. 15 thiS db4 From the 1970s DB4/411/R was owned by Nicholas Harris of Fulham, London. Prior to Mr Harris moving abroad, the car was acquired in a tired state by Nicholas Mee in November 2001, who then prepared it for racing with the Aston Martin Owners Club. <strong>The</strong> AMOC’s B1 regulations allowed few modifications and this meant a 4-litre capacity limit with standard carburetion, although an upgrade to triple SU carburetion was allowed. Other permitted modifications included uprated suspension and brakes, but the interior trim and fittings had to remain in place, and there was a minimum weight limit which prohibited the removal of road car equipment. Driven by Karsten le Blanc and Christiaen van Lanschot the car was used for some track and test days, and raced in B1 spec for two seasons, but for the 2005 season it was further modified to B2 regs. <strong>The</strong>se allowed for a reduction in weight and a 4.2-litre engine with 48mm Weber DCOE carbs. Marque specialist RS Williams built the engine using Carrillo forged steel con-rods, Cosworth competition pistons, a steel crankshaft, competition camshafts, a gas-flowed cylinder head, a strengthened engine block, tuned equal-length exhaust manifolds and a Tilton multiplate competition clutch. With a ‘soft cut’ rev limiter installed, the fuLLbore ‘THE AMOc’S B1 rEGUlATIONS AllOwEd fEw MOdIfIcATIONS’
Change language