Ten years after David Brown bought Aston Martin, he would finally achieve his racing ambitions and win the 24-Hours of Le Mans. This high point in Aston's history came when Carol Shelby and Roy Salvadori drove DBR1/2 to overall victory.
 

 
The DBR1/2 has now become the most valuable Aston Martin and is commonly seen racing with its 'XSK 497' registration.
 

 
Exact Factory Specifications as the Original Car
Our cars will carry a hand-crafted all-alloy body and mechanicals to the exact factory specifications to match the original cars as they left the factory floor.
 

 
Clients can select from the individual unique body styles and mechanical drive trains of this series.
 

 
A Devoted Race Car
The DBR1’s benefited from ten years of development, including cars such as the DB1, DB2, DB3 and DB3S. All these helped the company achieve the necessary engineering, know-how and financial support to win Le Mans. Like the DB3S, the DBR1 was a devoted race car that shared little with production Aston Martins. Its engine, space frame chassis and rear transaxle were all specially made. Compared to the DB3S, the DBR1 was obviously a superior machine that was lighter and more powerful.
 

 
Despite an increase in both wheelbase and track, the car managed to be 300 pounds lighter. Much of the weight savings came from a 20-gauge magnesium-alloy body which was vulnerable to damage both on and off the track.
 

 
A new space frame chassis was drawn up by chief designer Ted Cutting that used the suspension and disc brakes from the DB3S.

 
With twin-spark ignition and a light-weight aluminum block, around 220 bhp was available. This power was delivered to the rear wheels through a 5-speed transaxle, putting more weight on the rear wheels.
  

 
Racing Competition History
Aston Martin aimed to race the DBR1 at the 1956 Le Mans, but this deadline proved to be too early. Tony Brooks and Reg Parnell piloted DBR1/1 but retired after 246 laps and 21 hours with gearbox failure. Ferrari and Maserati also dropped out of the race, leaving the privately entered Jaguar D-Types to take overall victory.

For the 1957 season, more talent was brought on board including John Wyer as general manager and Reg Parnell as racing manager. The year started out optimistically with a second place finish for Roy Salvadori at the British Empire Trophy and another second place at Goodwood's Sussex Trophy. At this point DBR/1 was fitted with a larger 2922cc engine that could better complete with Ferrari 250s, Jaguar D-Types and Maserati's V8-powered 450S. It was joined by DBR1/2 and both contested the SPA Grand Prix for Sports Cars. They finished 1-2, with Tony Brooks taking the overall victory. At the 1000km of Nurburgring, Tony Brooks again won and gained Aston their first points in the World Sportscar Championship. The coveted Le Mans ended in failure for both of Aston's cars.

 
Fine Sports Cars' DBR1's and DBR2's will carry a hand-crafted all-alloy body and mechanicals to the exact factory specifications as the original cars that competed at Le Mans.
 

 
Concluding a Chapter of Aston Martin Racing
The deciding race was Goodwood and Aston Martin entered three DBR1’s. During the race, DBR1/3 went up in flames forcing Whitehead, who was privately racing DBR/5, to retire and offer his pit lane spot to the works team. To secure the championship, Shelby and Fairman had to take first place which they needfully did.

Upon winning the 1959 championship, David Brown announced Aston Martin's withdrawal from the Sportscar Championship. After ten years, his ambitions were achieved and he planned to focus on new efforts like Grand Prix. In a speech he made to celebrate his championship win he stated, the sports-racing car of today has become a more complicated and expensive version of a Grand Prix car. He added, our own racing efforts in 1960 will be concentrated upon the Grand Prix field. This speech effectively ended a chapter of Aston Martin racing.
 

DBR2/1 Competed in the 1957 Le Mans
Due to a limit on engine capacity for the World Sportscar Championship, the DBR2 was mostly relegated to non-championship British, European, and American events that allowed the larger capacity car.

DBR2/1 initially began competition at the 1957 24 Hours of Le Mans, where it unfortunately retired. Its only notable success for 1957 was at the Daily Express Trophy at Silverstone Circuit in the hands of Roy Salvadori.

For 1958, the DBR2's program was expanded, including the upgrade to the newer 3.9 liter engines. DBR2/1 won both the Sussex Trophy at Goodwood and the British Empire Trophy at Oulton Park, driven by Stirling Moss in both wins.
 

After finishing 2nd and 3rd at Spa, Aston Martin decided to concentrate on the DBR1 for Europe, while both DBR2s were upgraded to the 4.2 liter engine and transferred to America where they could compete easier with larger engine capacities.

 
George Constantine drove DBR2/1 to victories at Lime Rock and Marlborough before the end of the season.

Continuing in the United States in 1959, the cars again took victory in New York and twice in the Bahamas, driven by George Constantine and Stirling Moss. Both cars were then returned to Aston Martin in 1960.
 

 
David Brown finally achieved his racing ambitions to win the 24-Hours of Le Mans. His DBR1/2 car has now become the most valuable Aston Martin and is often seen racing with its 'XSK 497' registration.
 

 
A Rare Opportunity to Own a DBR1 and DBR2
In the late 1980’s Ashton Marshall, Fine Sports Cars Chief Engineer, received a request to build an Aston Martin DBR2, as the two original DBR2 cars were owned by the Aston Chairman Peter Livanos and were not for sale. A visit to the Newport Pagnell factory was planned. The executives at Aston Martin could not have been more helpful. They put Ashton in touch with Colonel Foreshaw who operated a restoration shop for Aston at the time. He was in possession of the original diagrams, drawings, and technical specifications for the DBR1 and DBR2. He provided Ashton with copies of all of the original documents, and even the color swatches and leather samples for the cars. Within one year Ashton’s client was driving his own DBR2.
 

Aston Martin DBR2
Proudly constructed by Fine Sports Cars to the exact specifications of the original factory working drawings.
 

 
This unique car is now available, built to factory specifications, fully tuned and serviced, ready for the track. It is a rare opportunity for enthusiasts to take delivery of a car that was produced in very limited numbers and has an important British racing heritage.
 

We will begin taking orders for these DBR1 and DBR2 cars in 2010, with customer delivery dates starting from the end of 2010.
 

 
This is a rare opportunity for enthusiasts to take delivery of a unique car that was produced in very limited numbers and has an important British racing heritage.

Each car body will be hand-crafted in our Aston Martin and Jaguar workshops by local artisans to the original factory specifications ready to thrill its new owner. These automobiles are being constructed using the customer’s Aston Martin donor automobile, or an Aston Martin donor car from our inventory.

Current Value of an Original Car: DBR1 $12 million • DBR2 $13 million
Keith Martin's Sports Car Market auction price guide (2010)
 

Fine Sports Cars' documentation includes:
• An original chassis plate and door plate from the donor car
• A personalized numbered chassis plate
• A numbered door plate detailing the place of origin and the manufacturer
• A signed certificate of authenticity which documents the place of manufacture, the originality of the donor car, and the history of the car model
• A complete list of specifications and parts

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