This rare barn find Aston Martin DB4 was once ‘owned by a spy’

This rare 1959 Aston Martin DB4 stashed away for 40 years must be one of the best barn finds of all time.

The stunning motor was found gathering dust in a shed where it had been parked up since 1982.

The find is all the more impressive when you clock the 124 chassis number – meaning it was the 24th DB4 to be made and is a very early production model.

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The Aston Martin DB4 had been off the road for decades

We’ve seen some absolute classics uncovered in unassuming barns, garages and lockups, including this 1980s Rolls-Royce Wraith II, a Lamborghini Countach that was in dire need of a clean-up, and a one-of-one Ferrari complete with its original documentation.

So it seems there are plenty of hidden gems out there, just waiting to be found.

And one such gem was documented by Jonny Smith, from The Late Brake Show YouTube channel, who showed off the rare car belonging to a guy named Paddy Hook.

A quick once-over showed that the DB4 wasn’t in the best condition.

The car was quite badly weathered, and a previous owner had decided to paint over its classic red color with gold.

The back bumper was rusted, due to the previous owner using it to haul a boat trailer and dipping the car’s rear end into water on numerous occasions.

Can you imagine using an Aston Martin to lug around a boat?

Inside is a different story – and the interiors are in surprisingly decent shape, albeit a bit worn out. But what do you expect for a car that’s more than 60 years old?

Under the hood, the DB4 has its original engine, but – as you’d expect – it was no longer working.

However, after a bit of TLC and some new ignition parts it roared back to life again.

The car once belonged to a ‘real-life James Bond’

As well as being a stunning piece of automotive history, the car has an equally exciting past.

Movie-fans may be aware that Aston Martins are the vehicle of choice for fictional spy James Bond, and it turns out that this DB4 managed to catch the eye of a real life spy.

In the clip, Hook explains that the car’s original owner had been part of the Greek Resistance and had worked with CIA precursor the Office of Strategic Services.

“So hang on a minute, the person who first owned this car was a bit of a spy?” Smith asked. 

To which Hook replied that he was ‘absolutely’ a ‘real-life James Bond’.