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.
This story is from the October 2023 edition of Octane.
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This story is from the October 2023 edition of Octane.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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Will China Change Everything? - China is tearing up modern motor manufacture but is yet to make more than a ripple in the classic car world. That could be about to change dramatically
China now dominates the automotive world in a way even Detroit in its heyday would have struggled to comprehend.Helped by Government incentives, the new car world is dominated by China's industries: whether full cars that undercut Western models by huge amounts, ownership of storied European brands such as Lotus and Volvo, or ownership and access to the vast majority of raw materials that go into EV cars, its influence is far-reaching and deep. However, this automotive enlightenment hasn't manifested itself in the classic world in any meaningful way - until now.
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