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Aston Martin DBS Superleggera Turned into DBR1 Le Mans Win Tribute

Next year, Aston Martin will be celebrating the 60th anniversary of Carroll Shelby and Roy Salvadori winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans behind the wheel of a DBR1.
1959 Aston Martin DBR1 and Aston Martin DBS 59 8 photos
Photo: Aston Martin
Aston Martin DBS 59Aston Martin DBS 59Aston Martin DBS 59Aston Martin DBS 59Aston Martin DBS 59Aston Martin DBS 59Aston Martin DBS 59
The 1959 event was spectacular, drawing a huge crowd of 150,000 people to the track (currently Le Mans is watched from the scene on average by 100,000 spectators), ending with Aston Martin taking the race in first and second positions.

It was to be the carmaker’s first win in the world’s most famous endurance race, at also their last, so it’s easy to understand why Aston would want to celebrate it.

And to do that, Aston Martin announced a 24-units limited edition of the DBS Superleggera called DBS 59, trimmed and refreshed to be a tribute to the car that landed the win more than half a century ago.

The number of units to be built, 24, is meant to represent the number of hours raced by the DBR1. Aston Martin Racing Green paintwork will be used for all of them, with carbon fiber sprinkled here and there.

At the interior, fabric inspired by the DBR1 seat material is used on the seats and door inserts, while bronze detailing is used from place to place.

In all, not that many changes, but what can the car builder actually do to a car that is already the epitome of its stables? Powered by a V12 engine good for 725 horsepower, the DBS Superleggera is the fastest Aston Martin ever built, topping at 211 mph (340 mph).

As for the car it pays tribute to, the DBR1 saw a production run of only five units from 1956 and 1959. Back in 2017, one of them became the most expensive British-built car sold at an auction, leaving the floor for £17.5 million ($22.5 million).

The 24 units of the DBS 59 special edition are already on sale, but prices have not been made public.
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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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