An Aston Martin DB3S, at Goodwood Festival of Speed 2008 | |
Category | Le Mans Racer Sports car racing |
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Constructor | Aston Martin Lagonda LTD |
Designer(s) | Willie Watson, Frank Feeley (Body) |
Technical specifications | |
Chassis | Twin-tubular design, aluminium body, open two seater |
Suspension (front) | Torsion bar and trailing arms |
Suspension (rear) | Torsion bars, trailing arms, De Dion tube and central slide |
Length | 12 ft 10 in (3,910 mm) |
Width | 4 ft 11 in (1,500 mm) |
Height | 3 ft 5 in (1,040 mm) |
Axle track | 4 ft 1 in |
Wheelbase | 7 ft 3 in (2,210 mm) |
Engine | Lagonda 2,992 cc Straight six, Twin OHC, (later a twin-plug head), FR Layout, 3 twin-choke Weber 35 DCO carburettors |
Transmission | David Brown S430, 4-speed Manual, 9" single clutch |
Weight | 1,850 lb (840 kg) dry 1,940 lb (880 kg) |
Tyres | 16 x 6 |
Competition history | |
Notable entrants | David Brown |
Notable drivers | Tony Brooks, Reg Parnell, Peter Collins, Peter Walker, Roy Salvadori, Noël Cunningham-Reid, Carroll Shelby, Stirling Moss |
Debut | 1953 24 Hours of Le Mans |
The Aston Martin DB3S is a sports racing car that was built by Aston Martin. Following the failure of the heavy and uncompetitive Aston Martin DB3 designed by Eberan Eberhorst; William Watson, employed as Eberhorst's assistant, presented an alternative design to John Wyer, Aston Martin's competitions manager, whose assistance was needed as Eberhorst could well oppose being up-staged. In total 31 cars were made, with 11 works cars and 20 cars being sold for customer use.
The DB3S was introduced in 1953 and it proved significantly more successful than the Aston Martin DB3. Although the DB3S failed at Le Mans they went on to score a 1–2 at the Tourist Trophy at Dundrod in the 6th round of the inaugural World Sports Car Championship to help Astons to 3rd in the championship. As well there was a win in the non championship Goodwood 9 Hours.
1954 was a less successful season with a third place in the Buenos Aires 1000 km being the high point. However the cars failed at the Sebring 12 hours, the Mille Miglia, Le Mans and the Tourist Trophy. 1955 saw a return to form. Astons missed the opening two rounds at Buenos Aires and Sebring and the sole DB3S failed to finish at the Mille Miglia but Collins/Frere finished 2nd at Le Mans and Walker/Poore scored a 4th at the Tourist Trophy behind the dominant 1, 2, 3 of the Mercedes 300SLR to finish 5th in the championship. There was also time for another win in the non championship Goodwood 9 Hours.
By 1956 the design was starting to show its age and Astons were putting their resources into the development of the new DBR1 but the DB3S still finished 4th at Sebring and 5th at the Nurburging 1000 km to finish 4th in the championship together with another second at Le Mans in the hands of Moss/Collins although due to the change of regulations following the 1955 disaster this latter event was a non championship race. The DBR1 now took over as Astons main sports racer, but there was one last swan song for the DB3S in the hands of the Whitehead brothers at Le Mans in 1958 with a second place after all the works DBR1s failed to finish. The car won the 2013 Gran Turismo Trophy at Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. [1]
The 11 works cars had chassis numbers from DB3S/1 to DB3S/11, with the 11th works car never being raced by Aston Martin. The 20 customer cars had three digit chassis numbers, from DB3S/101 to DB3S/120. In 1994 a recreation car was assembled from original spare parts at Aston Service Dorset. This car carries the continuation chassis number DB3S/121.
Originally two works Aston Martin DB3S fixed head coupés were made. The change was to make them more aerodynamic than the open top bodied cars. However, they were unstable at high speeds and both crashed at the 1954 24 Hours of Le Mans. Both coupés were then rebuilt as open bodied cars. Three of the customer cars were also fitted with similar coupé bodies.
Included are a list of victories by each chassis under Aston Martin.
Sir Stirling Craufurd Moss was a British Formula One driver. An inductee into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame, he won 212 of the 529 races he entered across several different motorsports competitions and has been described as "the greatest driver never to win the Formula One World Championship". In a seven-year span between 1955 and 1961 Moss finished in second place four times and in third place three times.
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Roy Francesco Salvadori was a British racing driver and team manager. He was born in Dovercourt, Essex, to parents of Italian descent. He graduated to Formula One by 1952 and competed regularly until 1962 for a succession of teams including Cooper, Vanwall, BRM, Aston Martin and Connaught. Also a competitor in other formulae, he won the 1959 24 Hours of Le Mans in an Aston Martin with co-driver Carroll Shelby.
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The Aston Martin DBR1 was a sports racing car built by Aston Martin starting in 1956, intended for the World Sportscar Championship as well as non-championship sportscar races at the time. It is most famous as the victor of the 1959 24 Hours of Le Mans, Aston Martin's only outright victory at the endurance classic. It is one of only three cars in the 1950s to win both the World Sports Car Championship and Le Mans 24 Hours in the same year. In addition the six World Sports Car Championship victories was a record for any car in the 1950s and remained a record in the championship until surpassed by the Ferrari 250TR. The three consecutive triumphs in 1959 at the Nürburgring, Le Mans and the Tourist Trophy equalled the record set by the Ferrari 250TR with its three consecutive victories at the start of the 1958 season.
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