Page 1 of 3 Next >> Alongside the 3-litre engined DBR1 introduced in 1956, Aston Martin also developed the slightly bigger DBR2 for the 1957 season. Although, at first glance, it looked very similar to its smaller brother, the DBR2 was a very different beast under the aluminium skin. It was created mainly to compete in sprint races on the British Isles but it was also eligible for the 24 Hours of Le Mans and thanks to its larger engine, the lucrative North American racing scene beckoned as well.
The DBR2 was built around the chassis that had originally been developed for the 1955 evolution of the Lagonda V12 sports racer. Designed to cope with the considerable power of the big V12 engine, it was better suited to the new straight-six engine earmarked for the DBR2. The sophisticated chassis itself was constructed from steel tubular sections and was of a backbone design. The design was narrow in the middle to allow the driver to sit as low as possible and forked out to cradle the engine.
The engine straight-six engine used in the DBR2 had actually been developed for the upcoming DB4 road car. It was not only considerably larger than the existing Aston Martin engines, it also featured a reversed head with the inlet ports now on the right-hand side of the engine. For competition use, the 3.7-litre engine was originally fitted with six single-choke Webers but these quickly replaced by more conventional twin-choke Webers. In its first guise, the new Aston Martin engine was rated at 287 bhp.
Among the few things carried over from the DBR1 was the front suspension, which consisted of twin trailing arms with torsion-bar springs. Like most contemporary sports racers, the DBR2 was equipped with a DeDion rear axle. Girling disc brakes were also fitted on all four corners. A David Brown gearbox was bolted directly onto the engine. Supported by a steel tubular frame, the DBR2's body was constructed from aluminium and while slightly bigger in every dimension, could only be distinguished from the DBR1 by the exhaust running down the left-hand side. Page 1 of 3 Next >>
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Alongside the 3-litre engined DBR1 introduced in 1956, Aston Martin also developed the slightly bigger DBR2 for the 1957 season. Although, at first glance, it looked very similar to its smaller brother, the DBR2 was a very different beast under the aluminium skin. It was created mainly to compete in sprint races on the British Isles but it was also eligible for the 24 Hours of Le Mans and thanks to its larger engine, the lucrative North American racing scene beckoned as well.