Aston Martin
DBR1

Why it matters

The DBR1 won Le Mans in 1959 and gave Aston Martin the World Sportscar Championship that year, the first such title for a British manufacturer. Only five were built by the factory, and the source calls it arguably the most important Aston Martin ever, a British counterpart to the Ferrari 250 GTO and Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR.

How rare is it?

Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.

Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.

Production

Every figure says what it counts.

Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.

History

Developed by racing design chief Ted Cutting, the DBR1 used a lighter, faster 3.0-litre engine than the DB3S, a semi-dry sump, a five-speed transaxle and a small-tube spaceframe chassis with Girling disc brakes. Chassis DBR1/1 debuted at the 1956 Le Mans 24 Hours. In 1959 a sister car won Le Mans, and Stirling Moss and Jack Fairman won the Nürburgring 1000 km in DBR1/1, Aston Martin's third consecutive win there, helping secure the championship.

Technical specifications

Engine

Transmission & drivetrain

Chassis, body & dimensions

Performance

“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.

Identification guide

How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.

Chassis numbers take the form DBR1/1 for the first car. The cars use a small-tube spaceframe chassis and a five-speed transaxle with semi-dry-sump engine lubrication.

Sources

Each number links to the exact facts it supports.

1. 1
   DBR1: The Most Important Aston Martin Ever Produced Comes to RM Sotheby's Monterey Sale | RM Sotheby's Level B

   • 5 examples built by the factory 1956–1958

   Accessed 2026-11-11
2. 2
   1956 Aston Martin DBR1 (Monterey 2017) Level C RM Sotheby's

   • the DBR1's RB6, 2,922-cc engine
   • the straight-six's raucous notes
   • the twin-cam urging one to let it rev
   • a lighter, faster 3.0-litre engine than its DB3S predecessor
   • camshaft drive also changed, from chain to gear-driven
   • by 1958 all RB6s had 95-degree heads
   • triple 45DCOs/50DCOs
   • realizing up to 268-bhp
   • the new semi-dry sump, five-speed transaxle
   • five-speed transaxle
   • set into a small tube spaceframe chassis
   • front transverse torsion bar suspension
   • longitudinal (against transverse) torsion bars, trailing links, and Watt linkage
   • cast-iron Girling disc brakes with groundbreaking light alloy calipers
   • perfectly geared rack and pinion
   • formed in ultra-light 20/22 gauge alloy

   Accessed 2026-11-12