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Aston shows off racecar for Sebring, Le Mans and collectors
by Alex Law / Auto123.com
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Part racecar, part
rich guy's toy, the DBR9 sportscar that will mark Aston Martin's return to
international racing was unveiled recently at the company's headquarters in Gaydon, England.
Wearing the
green and yellow livery used by Aston racecars in the 1950s, two of the DBR9s
will compete in the 12 hours of Sebring in March and then move to France for the 24 hours of Le Mans race in June, following an extensive
testing program.
Aston Martin won
the famous endurance race outright in 1959, with Roy Salvadori and Carroll
Shelby in a DBR1, and would like to see these cars do well next year so it
could use some of that luster to sell some street cars.
Aston Martin
Racing will build 12 Works cars, which will be run by three Works teams in the major
international GT series, and 20 cars prepared to the same specifications will
also be built and made available to ''selected customers to race or keep in
private collections.''
Aston Martin's
CEO, Ulrich Benz, explained at the unveiling at the factory near Coventry that the DBR9 GT
racing car is based on the latest Aston Martin production sports car -- the DB9
-- but is ''significantly modified for competition use.''
Notwithstanding
those modifications, the DB9's bonded-aluminum body architecture is shared with
the DBR9, Benz said, and provides both with a lightweight rigid chassis.
The race engine
uses the same aluminum cylinder block and head as the DB9's 6-litre, 450-hp V-12, Benz said, but with
racing modification it is expected to produce in the region of 600 hp.
The DB9's double
wishbone suspension configuration is retained on the DBR9, but features upgraded
components and a revised geometry for racing purposes. F1 style carbon brakes
are fitted front and rear, and a competition, six-speed sequential gearbox is
mounted at the rear axle.
The DBR9 was
styled by Aston Martin Racing's own design team, which Benz said ''made
extensive use of Computational Fluid Dynamics to optimize the aerodynamics
before producing the final body surface.''
The panels are
handmade from carbon-fibre composite, helping the car to meet its 1,100-kg
minimum weight and giving it a power-to-weight ratio of 550-hp per tonne, which
is more than twice that of the road car.
All of this is
of course being done to promote Aston Martin as the firm tries to broaden its
buyer base by taking on more established sportscar firms like Ferrari. Benz
said, ''We need to create heightened awareness for Aston Martin around the
world, and motor sport will allow us to do this.''
Benz said the
company took four years to ''find the ideal partner in David Richards and Prodrive,
and together we have created Aston Martin Racing. The DBR9 is the first step in
our return to motor sport, and I know that our customers and enthusiasts alike
are looking forward to seeing Aston Martin racing again at an international
level in 2005.''
Photo Credit : Aston Martin
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