The new car brings the visceral feel of an open cockpit, inspired by Aston’s heritage DBR1 speedster, to the modern era. Truly a homage to the original 1959 Le Mans winner.
The new car brings the visceral feel of an open cockpit, inspired by Aston’s heritage DBR1 speedster, to the modern era. Truly a homage to the original 1959 Le Mans winner.
With it’s open cockpit design and classic speedster bumps behind the occupants, the Aston Martin V12 Speedster is a striking revival of the DBR1 and, in keeping with the brand’s recent focus on high-end, collectables like the Vulcan and Valkyrie only a handful of buyers worldwide will be able to get their hands on one.
The new car aligns gracefully with their racing heritage but also reminds us of the 100th anniversary celebration concept, the CC100 which was unveiled in 2013– reflecting the sporting heritage and exceptional design capability woven throughout well over 100 years of Aston Martin history.
The DBR1 race car that inspires the new V12 Speedster is, to date, the most successful racing machine constructed by Aston Martin, having triumphed in the 1959 staging of both the 24 hours of Le Mans and the 1,000 km of Nürburgring, also winning the latter in 1957 and 1958.
After its debut in 1956 the DBR1 recorded a string of famous victories, including at the Spa Sportscar Race (1957, Tony Brooks); the Goodwood Tourist Trophy (1958, Sir Stirling Moss, Tony Brookes; 1959, Sir Stirling Moss, Carrol Shelby, Jack Fairman); and the 1000 Km at the Nurburgring (1959, Sir Stirling Moss and Jack Fairman) in the same year as that famous Le Mans triumph which culminated in Aston Martin taking the World Sportscar Championship.
Although a car made for competitive racing, the DBR1 was also a precursor for some of the marque’s most well-known heritage ‘DB’ road cars.
With such a rich and important history it’s no surprise, then, that the brand should choose to create a dedicated optional DBR1 specification for it’s new V12 Speedster.
Featuring cleverly integrated custom elements reminiscent of the Le Mans winning race car, the Aston Martin V12 Speedster DBR1 specification offers highlights such as the iconic Aston
Martin Racing Green paint finish, Clubsport White pinstripe and roundels, a Satin Silver anodised grille with Clubsport lipstick graphic, Conker saddle leather and Viridian Green technical textile/Caithness leather. All these features hint at the period attributes that made DBR1 the undisputed icon it remains today.
It is a showpiece also for Aston Martin’s expert craftsmen and women. Each Aston Martin V12 Speedster spending more than 50 hours in the painting process alone at the brand’s advanced paint facility.
Unique Aston Martin Racing Green driver and passenger helmets sit under transparent ‘windows’, while solid silver ‘wings’ badges glint beneath transparent enamel. An expertly crafted swathe of gloss carbon fibre, Caithness Green leather and satin silver brushed aluminium switchgear in the V12 Speedster’s open cabin underline a tasteful homage to a true motoring great.
“Emotion and exclusivity are at the heart of this car. A rare and exceptional Aston Martin, It has been engineered to offer a visceral driving experience that belies its elegant, artistic shape. Says Aston Martin Chief Creative Officer, Marek Reichman.
At the new car’s heart lies a high-performance variant of Aston Martin’s now iconic, 5.2-litre V12 Twin-Turbo engine, capable of generating an output of around 700 PS and 753 Nm. Offering a compelling breadth of performance, superb response and thrilling V12 soundtrack, the engine is mated to a ZF 8-speed automatic transmission mounted towards the rear of the car.
This translates into a 0-62 mph time in the order of 3.4 seconds and a top speed of 198 mph – no mean feat in a car devoid of roof or windscreen.
Orders are now being taken for the DBR1 custom V12 Speedsters, each being hand built at the company’s Gaydon headquarters, with deliveries expected to begin in mid 2021
