DAVID BROWN'S DREAM of winning Le Mans finally came true in 1959, with Carroll Shelby crossing the line to achieve Aston Martin's first and only outright triumph there. The DB3S had been a worthy warm-up act, but the DBR1 finally toppled Ferrari. Work on this ultimate Aston started in 1955, to keep in line with the changing regulations following that year's Le Mans disaster. Designed and engineered almost entirely by Ted Cutting - Aston's chief racing car designer from 1955 - the DBR1 was a radical change in direction from its predecessor.
Based around a new strong and lightweight perimeter spaceframe, the DBR1 weighed in at just over 800kg. It was powered by a 3.0-litre evolution of the DB3S's straight-six, but with a new 95° twin-plug cylinder head and dry-sump lubrication to keep centre of gravity low. Cutting designed the elegant bodywork, too, with some refinement by John Wyer.
Denne historien er fra October 2023-utgaven av Octane.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra October 2023-utgaven av Octane.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
The Pro route to faster lap times
Mercedes-AMG GT 63 Pro 4Matic+
The power to corrupt
2024 Aston Martin Vanquish
Hyperactivate!
1967 Austin-Cooper MkII 998 by Crafted Classics Tuning Glen Waddington
De Tomaso Racing Blue Blood
IF THE MARQUE De Tomaso is mainly familiar to you through cars such as the Mangusta, the Pantera, maybe the Longchamps and, if you're next-level classic car geek, racers such as the P70, then the sheer variety to be found in this mammoth tome is going to come as something of a shock. There are literally dozens profiled here, and one or two will probably be news to even the most seasoned enthusiast.
The best watch in the world
We've been here, but it bears repeating these gems will soon be cheaper than a 1st class stamp
A star is reborn
This recently revived coachbuilt beauty made the final four at the Pebble Beach concours in August
REINVENTING THE WHEEL
The gyroscopically stabilised Gyro-X blurred the line between reality and science fiction. Sam Glover takes the prototype for a spin
SAYONARA GT-R
After a remarkable 17-year career, the supercar-humbling Nissan GT-R bows out on a high
Shiro Nakamura
Nissan’s long-standing Chief Creative Officer became architect of the marque’s style-led revival… and is also known as ‘Mr GT-R’
LIGHT SPARKS
How does the electric Tesla Roadster compare today?
