It was only in 1953 that the 3,000 cm3 Aston Martin DB3S demonstrated potential. This car won several victories, including the top three places in the “Unlimited Sportscar” competition at Silverstone.
One of the biggest achievements of the DB3S was second in the overall table at Le Mans 1955, winning the 3,000 cm3 class.
At the beginning of 1956, work began on the new racing car: the DBR1. The new six-cylinder engine with double overhead camshaft would be the foundation for all Aston Martin's next success.
Another fundamental aspect of the new Aston Martin DBR was its chassis. Designed by Ted Cutting, this new structure was much stiffer while 23 kilograms lighter. The schematics and elements of the suspensions and brakes were the same as the previous DB3S.
The first car developed was named DBR1/1. This unit incorporated the new 2,500 cm3 six-cylinder engine coupled to a David Brown transmission located in a cross position for better weight distribution.
The Aston Martin DBR1 debuted at the 24 Hours of Le Mans 1956, which would be the only competition in which he would participate that year. The car piloted by Tony Brooks and Reg Parnell was at a clear disadvantage against their rivals. Near the end of the race, the DBR1 had to quit due to mechanical problems.
At the beginning of the 1957 season, the Aston Martin DBR1/1 scored two second places in a row, showing a remarkable improvement. But the definitive improvement came when the engine was replaced by a new evolution of the previous 3,000 cm3 coming from the old DB3S.
With the new engine the car was renamed DBR1/2. He made his victorious debut at Spa Francorchamps and during the course of 1957 won two more victories in the 1000 Kilometers of Nürburgring and Spa again.
But by the end of 1957 the FIA limited the engine capacity to 3,000 cm3, so Aston Martin had to return to its previous specification in the 1958 season. With Jaguar and Maserati out of competition, the main rival was Ferrari again.
In 1958 Aston Martin would participate in the FIA championship with his previous DBR1 and DB3S models, losing the title to Ferrari. Aston Martin, with the DBR1/30, achieved his long-awaited victory at Le Mans in 1959, the year in which he was crowned champion.
The two Aston Martin DBR2 with 3,700 cm3 engines were out of the championship, so they had to participate in races that did not score for the FIA competition. Driver Stirling Moss won repeated victories with this car, until both DBR2 units were finally sent to the US to participate in local competition.
The engine was adapted to the new conditions, increasing its capacity to 4,200 cm3. After two successful championships played in the USA, the cars returned to England and were sold to collectors.
© Adrián Blanco 2008 - Prohibited the total or partial reproduction of text and/or images without explicit written consent of the author. —