Classic: Aston Martin DB4 GT Loh Collection - The green danger
The classically soft shapes make it easy to recognize an Aston Martin from the late 1950s / early 1960s, even for those unfamiliar with cars. Classic car fans will quickly spot the DB4 and the red-white-red color band, which divides the green sports coupé into two halves in the middle without any Austrian influence, shows at least experts that this is one of the extremely rare Aston Martin DB4 GTs. The charismatic Briton is one of the most spectacular models in Friedhelm Loh's sensational car collection. Over the past decades, 76-year-old Friedhelm Loh has become one of the richest Germans with his switch cabinets and software solutions - and has remained largely unknown. Not only incidentally, Friedhelm Loh has been a passionate car fan since his childhood and has been a big name on the international collectors' scene for decades.
This summer, Friedhelm Loh made his passion for collecting cars known to the whole world with the opening of the National Car Museum at the company headquarters in Dietzhölztal-Ewersbach. The Loh Collection can be visited from Wednesday to Sunday between 10.30 / 11 am and 6 pm. The current 150 or so exhibits are largely unique, not least because it is a multi-brand museum and Friedhelm Loh has been bringing numerous motorsport models in particular into his 7,500 square meter collection for more than 35 years.
One of the most unusual models is the Aston Martin DB4 GT, which you can take for an extremely entertaining drive in the central Hessian region. The GT was the particularly lightweight sports version of the Aston Martin DB4; first presented at the London Motor Show in 1959, the sports car had already made its debut a few months earlier when the prototype of the DB4 GT - as team car DP 199/1 - won the GT race at the Daily Express Silverstone May Meeting. At the wheel: none other than motorsport legend Sir Stirling Moss. The Aston Martin DB4 GT was based on a DB4 platform that had been shortened by 5 inches - and was therefore almost 85 kilograms lighter. In line with the Superleggera principle of the time, the body was made of lightweight magnesium components. To achieve a top speed of 260 km/h, the touring car was fitted with disc brakes all round. According to the factory specifications, the revised 3.7-liter in-line six-cylinder engine was to produce 222 kW / 302 hp.
However, the British company stated the engine output very confidently, as the Italian manufacturers often did at the time. Aston Martin experts tend to assume 270 to 280 hp, but this does not detract from the driving pleasure at the spindly wheel of Stirling Moss ' car - on the contrary. The green racer with the unusual Austriastripe from the Loh collection has a magnificent throttle response thanks to its twin ignition, is nimble and enchants its driver with a unique six-cylinder concert from the anything but impressive exhaust system. No wonder this beauty was feared on all race tracks at the time. Friedhelm Loh probably owns the most coveted of the 75 Aston Martin DB4 GT models produced worldwide, eight of which are lightweight versions. The 25 new models that the British sports car manufacturer has reissued since 2017 in an exclusive small series based on the original plans do nothing to change this. For Loh, only the originals count - as here, long since worth millions.
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The Aston Martin DB4 GT is one of the unique exhibits in Friedhelm Loh's car museum located in Dietzhölztal-Ewersbach, Germany. This 1950s/1960s Aston Martin is a part of Loh's extensive collection of vehicles, which includes models from various brands. The Aston Martin DB4 GT has a significant history, as it was the lightweight sports version of the DB4 and debuted in 1959. Stirling Moss, a motorsport legend, drove the prototype of this car to victory in several races during the 1950s. Despite the British company's claims of 222 kW / 302 hp, Aston Martin experts estimate the actual power output to be between 270 to 280 hp. The Loh collection's DB4 GT, with its Austrian stripe, is considered one of the most coveted Aston Martin DB4 GT models in existence.
Friedhelm Loh's passion for cars dates back to his childhood, and he has become a big name on the international collectors' scene over the years. The founding of the National Car Museum at his company headquarters in Dietzhölztal-Ewersbach allowed him to share his collection with the world during the summer months. Among the numerous motorsport models in Loh's collection, the Aston Martin DB4 GT stands out as an especially unique and entertaining vehicle to drive in the central Hessian region.
The Aston Martin DB4 GT, produced between 1959 and 1963, is not only a rare find but also a representative of the 1950s/1960s era, when the Aston Martin brand was renowned for its sleek sports cars and racing victories. The DB4 GT's state-of-the-art features for the time, such as disc brakes and a lightweight magnesium body, were integral to its impressive performance and popularity on the race tracks. As a nod to its Austrian connections, the car in Friedhelm Loh's collection boasts an eye-catching red-white-red color band.
Visitors to Loh's National Car Museum in Dietzhölztal-Ewersbach can witness the Aston Martin DB4 GT and other exquisite vehicles from bygone eras, including sports cars from other manufacturers. For Friedhelm Loh, the original vehicles hold the highest value, as he maintains a meticulous collection of classic and historical automobiles.
The Aston Martin DB4 GT Loh Collection and the National Car Museum are just a few examples of the esteemed vehicle exhibitions that take place in Europe, showcasing the beauty and history of automotive masterpieces from the 1950s and beyond.
Source: www.stern.de
