The car that won Aston Martin the 1959 World Sportscar Championship and its only outright Le Mans.
The DBR1 was a purpose-built sports-racing prototype designed by Ted Cutting for the World Sportscar Championship, built to the new 1956 rules that no longer required road-based cars. Multi-tubular spaceframe; front torsion-bar and trailing-arm suspension; De Dion rear with longitudinal torsion bars and Watt linkage; all-aluminium twin-cam straight-six, originally 2,493 cc (to early rules) and from 1958 enlarged to 2,992 cc producing around 268 bhp; David Brown CG537 five-speed transaxle; approximately 801 kg. Five examples built between 1956 and 1959.
After a retirement on its single-car 1956 Le Mans debut, the DBR1 won the Nürburgring 1000 km in 1957, 1958 and 1959 (a hat-trick, mostly Stirling Moss), and delivered Aston Martin's only outright 24 Hours of Le Mans victory in 1959 (DBR1/2, Carroll Shelby and Roy Salvadori), with DBR1/4 second. That year Aston Martin won the World Sportscar Championship — one of only three cars in the 1950s to take both Le Mans and the championship in one season. Its six WSC victories were a 1950s record.
The most important competition Aston Martin and one of the most valuable British cars in existence.
| Variant | Years | Production | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| DBR1 | 1956–1959 | 5 | 2.5-litre (1956–57) then 3.0-litre (1958–59) all-alloy twin-cam straight-six; ~268 bhp; David Brown five-speed transaxle; ~801 kg. |
Authenticate stamped chassis and engine numbers against factory or club records. For the DBR1 specifically, authenticate one of the five chassis (DBR1/1 through DBR1/5) against period records, confirm engine specification (2.5-litre versus 3.0-litre) and record documented competition history — the market is chassis-by-chassis.
Confirm body originality, panel identity and restoration standard against a marque specialist.
Confirm continuous service history and any rebuild history for the engine, transmission and driveline against a marque specialist.
Restoration standard, originality of body and driveline, and any documented ownership record are the main value drivers.
Regional ranges authored independently — each reflects its local market, not an FX conversion
Reference: $22,550,000 (DBR1/1, RM Sotheby's Monterey, August 2017) — at the time the most expensive British car ever sold at auction.
Each region quoted in its local currency — independent market readings, not FX conversions
Five cars, almost all in long-term collections; any sale is individually negotiated and provenance-driven. The 2017 print remains the benchmark.
Priced individually on chassis history; the DBR1 is a five-car market where each sale is a singular event. Reference points from verified auction results only.
| Date | Auction | Car | Mileage | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-08-18 | RM Sotheby's Monterey 2017 | 1956 Aston Martin DBR1/1 — the first of five built, developed by Ted Cutting, 1959 Nürburgring 1000 km winner; the only DBR1 ever offered publicly. Verified via RM Sotheby's and contemporary reports (July 2026). | — | $22,550,000 Sold |
The most important competition Aston Martin and one of the most valuable British cars in existence.
Our view, not advice. This section is Car Collector International's editorial judgement on where this model sits in the collector market, based on the production, specification and market data set out in this guide. It is not a recommendation to buy or sell and it is not investment advice. Values can fall as well as rise.
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The valuation figures in this guide are for research purposes only and do not constitute financial or investment advice. See our full disclaimer.
