Aston Martin DBR3
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The Aston Martin DBR3 was a sports racing car built in 1958 as an alternative to the DBR1, using a different engine and front end setup. The car was very short lived and eventually converted into a DBR1.
Design
The DBR3 was built from a DBR1 chassis and body but featured two major changes. First, the Lagonda based 2.9L Straight-6 was replaced by an engine based on that used in the newly released Aston Martin DB4 road car. While the DBR2 used this engine in its original 3.7L form, the DBR3 had the engine destroked to 3.0L (2990cc) in order to compete in the 3-Liter Sportscar category, just like DBR1.
The second difference between the two was that instead of the standard front suspension from DBR1, DBR3 used a new wishbone suspension that was being developed for the DBR4 Formula One car at the same time. It was believed this setup would be superior to the one used on DBR1 and DBR2.
Only one DBR3 chassis was built, known as DBR3/1.
Racing history
The DBR3's racing history was very short; it appeared at only two races, competing in only one at Silverstone, and failing to finish. The new engine was proven to be unreliable and prone to overheating in comparison to the older familiar engine in the DBR1. Thus the decision was made to cancel the DBR3 and instead concentrate on the DBR1. DBR3/1 had its engine removed and the suspension was returned to a normal configuration, with the car being redesignated as DBR1/4 and racing on in this form in 1959.
The engine from DBR3 would later be placed in a DB4GT and raced in the 1959 24 Hours of Le Mans, although again with little success.
External links
- Aston Martin Picture Gallery - DBR3
- WSRP Racing - Aston Martin Chassis Numbers
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- Founder
- David Brown
- Noted personnel
- Robert Eberan von Eberhorst
- Willie Watson
- Frank Feely
- Ted Cutting
- Noted drivers
Roy Salvadori
Carroll Shelby
Maurice Trintignant
Jack Brabham
George Abecassis
Lance Macklin
Reg Parnell
Charles Brackenbury
Eric Thompson
John Gordon
Leslie Johnson
Brian Shawe-Taylor
Reg Parnell
David Hampshire
Dennis Poore
Pat Griffith
Peter Collins
Prince Birabongse Bhanubandh
Paul Frére
Ian Stewart
Graham Whitehead
Peter Walker
Tony Brooks
John Riseley-Pritchard
Stirling Moss
Jean-Paul Colas
Jean Kerguen
Noël Cunningham-Reid
Les Leston
Peter Whitehead
Stuart Lewis-Evans
Jack Fairman
Graham Hill
Richie Ginther
William Kimberley
Jo Schlesser
Innes Ireland
Bruce McLaren
Phil Hill
Lucien Bianchi
- Related
- Aston Martin