Race Car Of The Day: July 8, 2012

Today's car of the day comes from Firehawk73's collection and is Shelby Collectibles' 1959 Aston Martin DBR1.

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.

Following changes to the rules for sportscar racing, entrants no longer had to use cars which were road legal, or based on road legal cars, such as the Aston Martin DB3S. Therefore, with the ability to create a sportscar from a clean slate for 1956, Aston Martin created the DBR1, with Ted Cutting as chief designer. The body evolved from the DB3S's shape, featuring a much lower profile. Most notable was that the back of the front wheel well was no longer left open. Instead, the DBR1 featured full bodywork with a large triangular vent on the side, a design trait which would become standard on all future Aston Martins.

The DBR1 was initially fitted with a smaller 2.5L (2493 cc) new all alloy racing engine (RB6.250) very loosely derived from the racing version of the Lagonda Straight-6 engine, even though the DBR1's predecessor, the DB3S, was at the time racing with a larger 2.9L (2922 cc) engine. Later DBR1s would feature the RB6.300 Straight-6 (2992 cc), rated at 250 hp (186 kW).

For more information and pictures of the real car please visit: Aston Martin DBR1

Returning again for 1959, Aston Martin had completed two more chassis, DBR1/4 and DBR1/5. The first car was actually a conversion from a DBR3, while DBR1/5 was a spare chassis sold to privateer Graham Whitehead, the only car to do so. With four chassis, Aston Martin would again concentrate on the World Sportscar Championship. The season started slowly, with a sole DBR1 failing to finish at the 12 Hours of Sebring, then followed by the team not appearing at the Targa Florio. Luck returned again for Aston Martin, as the sole factory entry again won the 1000km Nürburgring, with Stirling Moss and Jack Fairman driving. However, Aston Martin's success would continue with what is considered their finest motorsports triumph. DBR1/2, driven by Carroll Shelby and Roy Salvadori, took victory at the 1959 24 Hours of Le Mans. DBR1/4, driven by Maurice Trintignant and Paul Frére, managed second. The next closest competitor was a distant 25 laps behind the duo.

With the constructors championship now closely contested by Ferrari and Aston Martin, the team appeared at the final round at Goodwood. Aston Martin entered three DBR1s, as well as privateer Graham Whitehead's DBR1/5. During the race, DBR1/3 caught fire in the pits, destroying the car and leaving Aston Martin without room to refuel their other cars. To salvage Aston Martin's hopes of a championship, Graham Whitehead withdrew his entry from the race in order to allow Aston Martin to use his pits stall and finish the race. Able to continue, Stirling Moss, Carroll Shelby and Jack Fairman in DBR1/2 were able to secure victory and the championship over Ferrari, the only World Championship won by Aston Martin.

Car Of The Day: May 7, 2012

Today's car of the day is Hot Wheels' 2011 Aston Martin One-77.

The Aston Martin One-77 is a two-door coupé built by Aston Martin.
It first appeared at the 2008 Paris Motor Show, although the car remained mostly covered by a "Savile Row tailored skirt" throughout the show, before being fully revealed at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show.
There was a limited run of 77 units as delivery started in October 2010.

For more information and pictures of the real car please visit: Aston Martin One-77

A recent addition from Hot Wheels, I really love how these photos turned out.  Especially the first and third images.

Prior to the One-77's Paris Motor Show debut, various details about the car had been leaked, but official specifications were not fully revealed until the 2009 Geneva Motor Show.

The One-77 will feature a full carbon fibre monocoque chassis, a handcrafted aluminium body, and a naturally aspirated 7.3 litre V12 engine with 750 hp (560 kW). Aston Martin claims that this will be the most powerful naturally aspirated production engine in the world when the car is delivered.

The car will also use a strengthened version of the DB9's 6-speed automated manual transmission and height-adjustable pushrod suspension coupled with dynamic stability control. It will feature Pirelli P Zero Corsa tyres (255/35 ZR20 front, 335/30 ZR20 rear) and Carbon Ceramic Matrix brakes.

The top speed was estimated to be 200 mph (320 km/h) but actual tests in December 2009 showed a figure of 222 mph (357 km/h), with a 0–60 mph time of approximately 3.5 seconds.

The engineering and build source of the carbon chassis and suspension system is contracted to Multimatic of Canada.

The projected weight is 1,500 kg (3,307 lb).

Car Of The Day: February 25, 2012

Today's car of the day is Matchbox Premiere's 1995 Aston Martin DB7.

The Aston Martin DB7 is a grand tourer which was produced by Aston Martin from September 1994 to December 2004. The grand tourer was available either as a coupé or a convertible. The prototype was complete by November 1992, and debuted at the Geneva Motor Show in March, 1993, the car was styled by Ian Callum and Keith Helfet. The six-cylinder DB7 was positioned as an "entry-level" model below the hand-built V8 Virage introduced a few years earlier. This model was the highest production Aston Martin vehicle ever, with more than 7,000 built before it was replaced by the DB9.

For more information and pictures of the real car please visit: Aston Martin DB7

This is a recent addition from rlyoung (thanks Rick!).

The DB7, known internally as the NPX project, was made mostly with resources from Jaguar and had the financial backing of the Ford Motor Company, owner of Aston Martin since 1988. The DB7's platform is an evolution of the Jaguar XJS's, though with many changes. The styling started life as the still-born Jaguar F type (XJ41 – coupe / XJ42 – convertible) designed by Keith Helfet. Ford cancelled this car and the general design was grafted onto an XJS platform. The styling received modest changes by Ian Callum so that it looked like an Aston Martin. The first generation Jaguar XK-8 also uses an evolution of the XJ-S/DB7 platform and the cars share a family resemblance, though the Aston Martin was significantly more expensive and exclusive.

The DB7 was engineered in Kidlington, Oxfordshire, by Tom Walkinshaw Racing on behalf of Aston Martin. The engines continued to be built in Kidlington during the production run of the vehicle.
With production of the Virage (soon rechristened "V8" following Vantage styling revisions) continuing at Newport Pagnell, a new factory was acquired at Bloxham, Oxfordshire that had previously been used to produce the Jaguar XJ220, where every DB7 would be built throughout its production run. The DB7 and its relatives were the only Aston Martins produced in Bloxham and the only ones with a steel unit construction inherited from Jaguar (Aston Martin had traditionally used aluminium for the bodies of their cars, and models introduced after the DB7 use aluminium for the chassis as well as for many major body parts).

The convertible Volante version was unveiled at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in 1996. Both versions have a supercharged straight-6 engine that produced 335 bhp (250 kW; 340 PS) and 361 lb·ft (489 N·m) of torque. In the United States, the Coupé sold for $140,000, and the Volante for $150,000. Works Service provided a special Driving Dynamics package, which greatly enhanced performance and handling for drivers who wanted more than the standard configuration.