A GT Engine DB4 Series IV Heads to Concours of Elegance 2026

The Concours of Elegance is excited to confirm the appearance of one of the most technically distinguished Aston Martin DB4s in existence at this September’s gathering on the lawns of Hampton Court Palace.

The Aston Martin DB4 needs little introduction. Unveiled in 1958 and built in Feltham before production moved to Newport Pagnell, it was a car that announced Britain’s arrival at the very top table of grand touring. Elegant, quick and thoroughly engineered, the DB4 established the template that would define Aston Martin for generations. Yet within the DB4 family, a hierarchy of desirability exists; and the Series IV saloon confirmed for Hampton Court sits at its summit.

Of the DB4s produced with the twin-plug GT engine, a unit derived directly from Aston Martin’s racing programme and developed for the DB4 GT, only five Series IV saloons are known to have been constructed. Among those five, chassis DB4/857/R holds a singular distinction: it is the only example built in right-hand drive. That a road-going saloon should have been specified with the twin-plug GT engine and factory overdrive speaks to the ambitions of its original owner, and to the breadth of what Aston Martin was prepared to produce.

Since 1977, the car has been entrusted to RS Williams for its care and maintenance. With roots in the marque’s own competition department, RS Williams has spent nearly five decades attending to this DB4 with the highest standards of authenticity and mechanical precision. Few cars in private ownership can claim such a sustained relationship with a single specialist.

Rare, technically extraordinary and beautifully presented, DB4/857/R represents the very best of what Aston Martin was capable of. And is precisely the kind of car that belongs on the lawns of Hampton Court Palace.

Concours of Elegance 2026 takes place at Hampton Court Palace from 4-6 September. Further announcements will follow in the coming months.