Grandest tourers: Aston Martin vs Maserati

Two Touring-bodied beauties, only one winner

Those two big, noisy old cars in the picture? They represent the ultimate in true mid-century gran turismo motoring. 

Built to take you across a country – or a continent – at sustained three-figure speeds, the Aston Martin DB4 and Maserati 3500GT were designed to deliver a form of travel beyond most people’s imagination.

Created for wealthy buyers, they were also less fragile than their forerunners and today represent an era when exotica, though expensive, was designed to be used every day.

But which of these two Touring-bodied machines has the upper hand? We drove both to find out.

Game-changers

Looking back, both the 3500GT and the DB4 were seminal machines: the former was Maserati’s first proper production car – and there has never been a single more important design in the firm’s history – while the latter was the first Aston Martin developed entirely by the David Brown organisation, and the first to be shaped by a foreign stylist.

Trend-setting tourer

In fact, no Aston before or since has had the initial impact of the DB4.

Launched in 1958, it set the tone for every subsequent Aston – and became the fastest four-seater that Autocar had ever tested, famously capable of doing 0-100mph and back again in less than 30 seconds.

Competitors at every level

In their quest to create mid-'50s GT machines, Aston Martin and Maserati came to remarkably similar conclusions – which is perhaps less surprising when you consider that both companies were competing at the highest levels of motorsport at the time.

Aluminium all-rounders

Take the blocks: both the DB4 and the 3500GT had all-aluminium straight-six engines good for more than 200bhp, tuned for both reliable flexibility and speeds in excess of 140mph. 

Race-bred blocks

These were engines that could trace their history directly into recent racing machinery.

Aston Martin made no secret of the fact that the DB4’s 3.7-litre was originally developed for the DBR sports cars, while the 3.5-litre Maserati motor was a product of the 350S and 250F racers.

Touring-bodied tourers

What’s more, both cars featured high-fashion styling by Touring of Milan, with bodywork beautifully crafted in aluminium – though Aston built its bodies in-house, while the 3500GT wore shells produced in Touring’s own factory.

Straightforward and effective

Under the skin, both cars had ruggedly conventional but well-groomed chassis – both prime examples of what could be done with careful weight distribution and good suspension.

Well-tailored versus tailor-made

A master in the art of aluminium casting, Maserati engineered the 3500 around an international mix of bought-in components, while Aston took a more bespoke approach, crafting most of its own parts – alongside a four-speed gearbox from its patron David Brown.

Effort, rewarded

Out on the road, these are cars that make you feel special. They are imbued with a power and poise that lifts you above humdrum concerns, although their heavy controls and lusty feel won’t be to all tastes. Both require the sort of physical effort that places their origins firmly in the ’50s.

Everything in its right place

Inside, each provides a noble view down a long shapely bonnet but, of the two, the Aston has the better-planned, better-ventilated interior. 

It benefits especially from slim roof pillars and a good driving position; your hand falls naturally from the big steering wheel to the gearlever, while your feet work easily on the nicely spaced pedals. 

Bolder but not as big

As for the Maserati, its interior is smaller, less sober and altogether flashier, with electric windows and fat leather seats – needlessly large, by all accounts.

You sit commandingly in the 3500, with your arms stretched out on the big black wheel. Your knees feel quite high but your right foot moves effortlessly from brake to accelerator.

Consummate cruiser

Even today, either car will shoot you up to 100mph before you have grabbed fourth gear. Admittedly, it’s not quite a fair fight: our DB4 packs a 4.7-litre engine fitted during a restoration, which gives it something like 100 extra horses

Upgrade or otherwise, though, the DB4 is a car that feels as if it could sit happily at 130mph, reaching the speed with a potent but not brutal flow of power.

Evenly matched machines

Like the Aston, the Maserati has a magnificently flexible motor, pulling in one long lunge from tickover to a throaty 5500rpm, where it makes the most of its 235bhp. 

Allowing for the British car’s sneaky extra litre, it’s easy to see how the two would have been closely matched in straight-line urge – although, according to period road tests, the Aston probably enjoyed a slight edge.

Noise when you want it

With the revs rising, both sound similarly expensive, their well-bred sophistication combined with throaty, booming exhaust notes. 

That said, if you want to cruise under the radar either car will pull away with the decorum of a mayoral limousine at low speeds, with clutches that just about match each other for substantial heft and easy-to-use smoothness.

Breezing past

In the DB4, most overtaking manoeuvres can be dispatched without changing out of top gear – just as well, because the gearbox has a pretty gritty feel.

In the Maserati, you need to use the mid-range revs or accept that you can’t whip past traffic with the same aggression. The 3500’s five-speed ZF gearbox is more versatile and lighter to handle, but with a rather narrow gate – it’s easy to slot it into fifth when you’re looking for third.

All under control

As for the ride, both are flat, firm but comfortable, with potent disc brakes and vice-free handling. 

The restored Aston is probably sharper than it would have been in 1961, but the essential characteristics remain the same: its direct steering loads up on tight bends, the idea being that you unload it by booting the tail round with the throttle. You can control a slide with surprising delicacy and it's hard to resist the urge to fling it at roundabouts.

Poised but ponderous

In contrast, the 3500 feels a little ponderous and less direct. It still corners flat and true, delivering no surprises for either novice or hooligan – but it feels more of a period piece.

It's almost as if the designers realised the typical Maserati owner would be more interested in cruising than slinging it at bends with alacrity.

Decision time

So, which one should you take home? That decision – then and now – comes down to the two basic things that make the world go round: looks and money.

If you feel jaded by the endless hype that surrounds the Aston marque – and the ’60s models in particular – you will feel naturally disposed to finding the Maserati prettier, or a least less familiar. 

Money talks

Today, thanks to the mystical ‘Aston tax’ (and the exploits of a certain fictional secret agent), the DB4 could command well over £400,000 in its impeccable condition – while the Maserati could be yours for half the price.

Such a price differential is obviously nonsense, but it must make the 3500GT some sort of bargain.