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.
No verified public auction results are currently available for this model. We publish sale figures only from examples we have confirmed against auction house records, and will update this guide as results appear.
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.
