Makes › Aston Martin › DB3S · Factory competition · 1953–1956 Ultra Rare
Aston Martin
DB3S
Works and customer sports racers; works cars two-digit, customer cars three-digit chassis
Photo: MrWalkr · CC BY-SA 4.0
Contents
01Overview
At a glance
- Built
- 20 Built
- Years
- 1953–1956
- Engine
- Straight-six · 3,000 cc / 3 LFactory: 3 L
- Power
- 157 kW / 213 PSFactory: 210 hp · converted
- Top speed
- Not yet verified
- Body
- Not yet verified
- Designer
- Willie Watson (development), Frank Feeley (body styling)
- In this archive
- Not yet verified
- Surviving
- Not yet verified
Sources and any conflicting figures are in the sections below.
Why it matters
The DB3S was Aston Martin's works sports racer of the mid-1950s and a shorter, lighter redevelopment of the heavy DB3. Ten works cars, one team-specification car and about 20 customer cars were built, making it the basis of both the factory effort and privateer racing.
How rare is it?
Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.
Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.
Photos
Exterior, interior and detail photos with their licences.
Aston Martin DB3S (Wikimedia Commons: 1954 Aston Martin DB3S/9)
Photo: MrWalkr · CC BY-SA 4.0
Aston Martin DB3S (Wikimedia Commons: 1954 Aston Martin DB3S/9)
Photo: ERIC SALARD from Le Chateau d'Oleron, FRANCE · CC BY-SA 2.0
Aston Martin DB3S (Wikimedia Commons: 1954 Aston Martin DB3S/9)
Photo: Calreyn88 · CC0 1.0
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02Production & history
Production
Every figure says what it counts.
| What is counted | Figure | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total model productioncustomer cars (plus 10 works cars and 1 team-spec 1957 car) | 201 | Factory production | Independently researched |
Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.
History
Developed under Willie Watson from Professor Robert Eberan von Eberhorst's DB3 blueprint, with bodywork styled by Frank Feeley, the DB3S began racing in May 1953 with a 3.0-litre straight-six. Works drivers included Peter Collins, Reg Parnell and Roy Salvadori, and the team scored 1-2 finishes in the Goodwood 9 Hours, while its first Le Mans entries suffered from a lack of testing time. Customer cars followed for private entrants.
Variants
How each version differs from the standard DB3S.
No variants documented yet. Have a source? Contribute it.
03Specifications
Technical specifications
Engine
| Engine family | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Engine code | VB6K (customer cars)2 Independently researchedWorks cars used a twin-plug head; customer cars used this upgraded VB6J-based engine. |
| Layout | Straight-six2 Independently researched |
| Cylinders | 62 Independently researched |
| Displacement | 3,000 cc / 3 LFactory: 3 L2 Independently researched |
| Bore | Not yet verified |
| Stroke | Not yet verified |
| Compression ratio | Not yet verified |
| Valvetrain | Twin overhead camshafts2 Independently researched |
| Fuel system | Triple dual-throat sidedraught Weber carburettors2 Independently researchedCustomer-car specification. |
| Power | 157 kW / 213 PSFactory: 210 hp · converted2 Independently researchedFigure for customer chassis 118, whose catalogue note says it was later fitted with a works twin-plug head. |
| Power at | 5,500 rpm2 Independently researched |
| Torque | Not yet verified |
Transmission & drivetrain
| Gearbox | Four-speed David Brown close-ratio gearbox2 Independently researched |
|---|---|
| Gears | 42 Independently researched |
| Driven wheels | Not yet verified |
Chassis, body & dimensions
| Chassis | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Front suspension | Independent, trailing links, torsion bars, lever shock absorbers2 Independently researched |
| Rear suspension | De Dion axle on parallel trailing links with Panhard rod, torsion bars, telescopic shock absorbers2 Independently researched |
| Brakes | Four-wheel Alfin drum brakes2 Independently researched |
| Steering | Not yet verified |
| Body construction | Aluminium body styled by Frank Feeley2 Independently researched |
| Wheelbase | 2,210 mmFactory: 2,210 mm2 Independently researched |
| Length | Not yet verified |
| Width | Not yet verified |
| Height | Not yet verified |
| Front track | Not yet verified |
| Rear track | Not yet verified |
| Kerb weight | Not yet verified |
| Dry weight | Not yet verified |
Performance
| Maximum speed | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| 0–100 km/h | Not yet verified |
| Fuel tank | Not yet verified |
“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.
04Colours & options
Factory colours & interiors
Original paint and trim, with the number of cars in each where a source gives it.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Factory options & codes
Codes are shown exactly as written by the manufacturer.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
05Individual cars
Chassis register
Every documented car, with its colours, history and where it is now. Open a row for the full record. Known chassis are not automatically authenticated originals.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Competition history
Every race result of the individual cars, in date order. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Auction & sale history
Documented public sales of the individual cars. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
See one in person
Museums where an example of this car can be seen.
No example is documented on public display yet. Have a source? Contribute it.
06Reference
Identification guide
How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.
Works cars carry two-digit chassis numbers, while customer cars have three-digit chassis numbers.
Sources
Each number links to the exact facts it supports.
-
1
RM Sotheby's lot catalogue: 1955 Aston Martin DB3S/111 (Monaco 2026) Level B
- 20 customer cars (plus 10 works cars and 1 team-spec 1957 car)
-
2
1955 Aston Martin DB3S Sports Racing Car (chassis 118), Monterey 2012, lot 233 Level C RM Sotheby's · 2012
- This engine version was designated the VB6K
- 3.0-litre straight-six engine
- 2992 cc inline six-cylinder engine
- twin overhead camshafts
- triple, dual-throat, sidedraft Weber carburetors
- 210 bhp at 5,500 rpm, 2992 cc inline six-cylinder engine
- 210 bhp at 5,500 rpm
- four-speed David Brown close-ratio gearbox
- independent front suspension with trailing links, torsion bar springing
- De Dion rear suspension located by parallel trailing links and Panhard rod
- four-wheel Alfin drum brakes
- svelte, almost feline new body figure rendered characteristically in aluminum by Frank Feeley
- Wheelbase: 2210 mm
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