By Jonathon Klein
What would you do if you damaged an Aston Martin worth over $30 million? Not only that, but it’s only one of five ever produced and finished second at Le Mans in 1959 with Carroll Shelby behind the wheel.

Personally, we’d probably run away and hide in some far away land where no car enthusiast or the owner could ever find us. Thankfully, no one brought out any pitchforks after an Aston Martin DBR1 crashed during a vintage race in the U.K.



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While racing against other classics, an Austin Healey and a Jaguar XK smashed into the priceless Aston Martin DBR1 during the race. No one is exactly sure what happened, but from the damage, the DBR1 definitely received the brunt of it.

This DBR1 started its life as a DBR3, but after the original engine was found to be un-competitive, Aston Martin converted the car into DBR1 spec. Additionally, other outlets have stated that this was the car that Sir Stirling Moss won the 1000km of Nurburgring in 1958, but according to MotorAuthority, that car’s chassis was chassis code DBR1/3, while this car’s chassis code is DBR1/4.

Aston-Martin-Rear

According to John Moon, the media relations officer for the track, “Whilst the accident to the Aston was very unfortunate, to say the least, the fact owners like Adrian Beecroft (the man that owns the Aston Martin) are brave enough to race their famous and almost priceless cars and provide us with such entertainment, is wonderful. The Aston was built to race and it would be just as much of a tragedy if it was locked away in a museum.”
Mercifully, when you have this caliber of car, that’s worth so many millions of dollars, the exceptionally wealthy party who owns the vehicle is destined to return her to her former glory. However, we’re sure that the owner of the Aston Martin might be a bit more hesitant on the track after it’s mended.

 

Click Here to See More Pictures of the 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, one of only two wins to date for Aston Martin at the endurance classic.
[h=3]- Quick Specs -[/h]

• [h=4]Make[/h] Aston Martin
• [h=4]Model[/h] Dbr1
• [h=4]Year[/h] 1959

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.

 

Aston Martin Vulcan Supercar Meets Arvo Vulcan Bomber

By Zach Doell

They say a picture is worth 1,000 words. In this instance, perhaps you can add a few more zeros onto that figure.
Aston Martin recently brought its clandestine track-only supercar—the Vulcan—into the light of day for a special occasion, to meet its namesake. No, not a humanoid alien race from Star Trek, nor a Roman god of fire. Aston Martin’s Vulcan came face-to-face with the Avro Vulcan, a Cold War-Era long-range delta-wing bomber, which saw service with the British Royal Air Force from the mid ‘50s until its retirement in 1984.
The end result of that paternal reunion was an admittedly brief teaser trailer, seen below. The real takeaway are the breathtaking images that accompanied the trailer. Heavens above, what a car…and what a plane.


The reunion comes as a somewhat somber one unfortunately, as this Avro Vulcan—number XH558 and the last airworthy example—is set to be retired from flight indefinitely after two final outings on October 10th and 11th over the British skies. In 2007, the bomber was reconditioned for flight thanks to donations totaling over Ł6 million ($9 million at today’s rates), however the owners of the plane say no amount of money can keep it airborne forever.
After its final flights, it is scheduled to be retired to the Vulcan Aviation Academy & Heritage Center at Robin Hood Airport, in Doncaster, United Kingdom. A final resting place for that quartet of screaming Rolls-Royce Olympus turbojet engines.

 

Click to See More Photos of the 2016 Aston Martin Vulcan Supercar