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AstonMartinDBR1-S

SPECIFICATION
Engine:
Straight six 83 x 90mm 2992cc; twin ohc; max power 250 bhp at 6300 rpm

Transmission:
Five speed manual gearbox.

Suspension:
Front, independent by wishbones, torsion bars and dampers; Rear, De Dion axle torsion bars and dampers

Brakes:
Disc brakes

Dimensions:
Wheelbase: 90 in (229 cm);
Track: Front and rear 53 in (135 cm);


Max speed:
Approx 175 mph (280 kmh)
Aston Martin DBR1 and DBR2 1956/59



These were the most successful Aston Martins of the period when David Brown was driven by a ambision to see his marque achieve top racing honours. the DB3S had been a winner, but not in events like the Le Mans 24-hour race, and that is where Astons high point came with a 1-2 win in 1959, scored by DBR1s

Sound practices

The first car appeared quietly at Le Mans in 1956 with a 2.5 litre engine, which failed with an hour to go. It reappeared as DBR1/300 in 1957, with the all-alloy straight six in 3 litre form; the outwardly near-identical DBR2 had a 3.7 litre engine (it was not eligible for 1958 world championship races, so was run in lesser British events, then in the USA). There was a tubular space frame clothed in handsome bodies, with cockpits that were comfortable and spacious.

Championship winner

The car won its first championship race, the Nurburring 1000 km, in 1957 and won the same demanding event again in 1958-1959. By 1959 the design was obsolescent but the cars were reliable and the team was strong. After years of costly failure, Aston Martin at last won at Le Mans, Roy Salvadori and Caroll Shelby heading a 1-2 win with the first of the first five cars built. That year Aston Martin also became the first British team to win the world Sports Car Championship.

Traditional and timeless lines of the DBR sports-racing cars are well shown in this shot of a DBR2, the less familiar version. It had a longer wheelbase and a larger engine..

Photo Autopresse
MCMXCI, Edito-Service S.A. D1 078 02-16

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