1955 Aston Martin DB3S

Roadster
Chassis number: DB3S/111

In 1959, Aston Martin would finally reach its objective. It had been many years but an Aston Martin had finally triumphed at Le Mans. It had been nearly a decade of effort, of toil and heartache. In 1955, David Brown's effort came close to achieving the zenith. The car that nearly hit the target but that set the foundation for the overall victory a few years later would be the DB3S.

In 1951, David Brown would set the way forward for Aston Martin. It was an ambitious task and one that needed just the right car. He would have it in the DB3S. Benefiting from a new chassis design that was lighter than its predecessor, and a body style that was just as cutting-edge, the DB3S was a clear statement as to Aston Martin's intent.

The DB3S would be the weapon of choice for the works team obviously. However, Aston Martin would build more examples of the DB3S that would be made available for customers. Out of a total 36 DB3S chassis to be built, 16 would be retained by the factory effort for its assault on Le Mans. The remaining 20 would be made available for customers. One of those, chassis DB3S/111, would serve as the poster-child of the series.

Completed around October of 1955, DB3S/111 would seem like just another of the DB3S chassis. Finished in a green livery with a silver grille, DB3S/111 would find its way onto the stand at the 1955 Earls Court show and would be greatly heralded by all those who had the opportunity to see the car.

Following its upholding of family honor at the show, the car would be sold to its very first owner in May of 1956. The proud owner would be Mr. Mackie. Mr. Mackie's ownership would be rather brief, R.s. Wilkins would soon be registered as the car's owner and would be, at that time, fitted with SU carburetors.

Between 1960 and 1964 the car would change hands three times and would be successful raced as part of the English club racing scene. In 1961 the car would earn an overall victory in the VSCC Pomeroy Trophy race and then would score another victory at Silverstone in 1962. Between 1961 and 1963 the car scored no less than two victories and six podium finishes.

The car would soon attract the attention of Ivan Carr. Carr was well known for his biscuit business but had an impressive collection of automobiles as well. Soon, DB3S/111 would join that collection and would remain until 1972 when John Crabtree became its next owner.

The DB3S/111 would be pursued heavily by some very enthusiastic Aston Martin collectors. By 1974, the car would be sold to its pursuer—Roger Forshaw. Forshaw would get the car he wanted and would campaign the car in a number of events and would be the centerpiece of a display at Aston Service Dorset, an Aston Martin Lagonda shop that had been founded back in the early 1930s.

In 1990, the car would be entirely rebuilt, including refinishing inside and out. The whole process would take the most of three years and would include such expert technicians as John Lambers. Lambers would be well known having worked for Team Lotus, All-American Racing, and even John Surtees.

Upon the unfortunate passing of Roger Foreshaw the Aston Martin would be sold to its current owner, a collector from New York known for his own impressive collection of postwar sports cars.

Appearing in period-correct livery and sporting such distinct features and touches as the Aston Martin plaid seats, DB3S/111 is certainly a sight to behold, nearly as famous as the very car that would take the overall victory at Le Mans four years later. Just one look at the 1955 DB3S and it is undeniably clear Aston Martin would prevail in its quest and that day at the Earls Court Motor Show in October of 1955 was merely the prophecy.

Offered at the 2014 Gooding & Company Pebble Beach auction the 1955 DB3S would garner a sale price of $5,500,000.

by Jeremy McMullen

Roadster
Chassis number: DB3S/118
Engine number: VB6K/118

When Aston Martin scored a one-two finish in the 1959 24 Hours of Le Mans it had been a dream more than a decade in the making. And like most champions, the road to victory would be filled with ups and downs that would all build off of each other to create the eventual champion. Therefore, though it may have been the DBR1 that would finally gain Aston Martin its prized achievement, it would be the DB3S that would really help to lay the groundwork to the eventual overall victory.

A.G. Watson would take the original DB3 design and would create a much improved, much more stylish design called the DB3S. Basically, the DB3S featured a much lighter chassis with a smaller wheelbase. The new prototype would also boast of David Brown's improved spiral-bevel final drive meant to replace the hypoid spiral drive that had let the DB3 down at Le Mans in 1952.

But while the improvement in components and technology, it would be the new body-styling that would capture the most attention, and rightly so. Featuring sweeping lines with very prominent fenders and the now famous 'humped oval' grille, the DB3S would go from chunky with the DB3 to seductive. And though the regulations would change and the prototypes built for Le Mans no longer had to be based upon production models, the eventual overall winning DBR1 could still clearly be seen with some of the design traits employed on the DB3S.

The car just looked right. The design would eventually influence other manufacturers like Ferrari to build designs with some of the same elements. And when combined with its 3.0-liter inline six cylinder engine producing 210 bhp, the car not only looked right, it performed right as well. In fact, the only race it would lose during the whole of the 1953 season would be Le Mans.

David Brown believed he had the car that was capable of winning Le Mans. And though the car would never achieve that end goal it would represent an incredible leap forward in Brown's threat.

The performance and the ability of the DB3S would be undeniable and the requests from potential customers to purchase the chassis would begin to roll in. In addition to the ten works DB3Ss that had been competed prior to 1955, a new run of 'customer' DB3Ss would begin in early 1955.

The customer cars, of which a total of just 20 would ever be made, would feature such updates as the newer VB6J engine with its high compression head, larger valves and competition camshafts. Additionally, the new engines would make use of triple, dual-throat Weber carburetors and a solid type main bearing housing.

One of those twenty customer cars to be produced would be chassis 118. And this same chassis would be offered at the RM Auctions event at Monterey in 2012.

Ordered new by Hans Davids, a Dutch racing driver, the car would roll out of the factory with the correct 'Dutch Racing Orange', the official national livery. And though the car would be delivered new to the Dutch driver Davids, the car's first race would actually take place back on home soil.

Davids would receive his new Aston Martin DB3S and would end up packing it up and hauling it across the English Channel to England where he would then head to Goodwood in order to take part in his first race on the 14th of April in 1956. In that first race, the bright orange Aston Martin would finish an impressive 3rd.

Davids would compete with the car all season long, but it would be on home soil that he would truly show what the car was truly capable of achieving. In a race at Zandvoort, Davids would end up setting the fastest lap of the race but would also take the overall victory. This would be a storybook ending as it would be the last race of the season, and, the last of Davids' professional career.

Prior to the end of the season, Davids would take the car back to the factory and would have the 'works' twin-plug head placed on his engine. This revision is still retained to this very day.

After a successful '56 campaign, Davids would sell the car to Paul Hyatt, who was a captain in the U.S. Merchant Navy. Hyatt would bring the car to the United States and would begin using it in races up and down the east coast throughout the later-part of the 1950s. Hyatt would eventually score a class victory in 1958 at Bridgehampton. The car would achieve considerable success and would eventually attract the attention of Joe Lubin. Lubin, who was a 'gentleman racer' would enter the car at Pomona in 1958. All that is known of the Aston from that race is that it suffered some front end damage during the race.

Lubin, being an Aston enthusiast, would retain the car until 1964 when he would sell it to Richard Felt. The car would remain in Felt's care for nearly 30 years. During this long period of ownership, Felt would work to have the Aston restored. Felt would pour his heart and soul into the car and would never bring himself to part with the car despite some very interested buyers.

However, in 1992, Felt would make the decision and he would sell the car to another well-known Aston enthusiast and collector Chris Salyer. Despite being in the care of Mr. Felt for nearly thirty years, the car would arrive to Mr. Salyer in an unfinished condition, just bare metal.

Initially, Salyer would leave the car in an unfinished state. However, he would later make the decision to have the car finished in a white with blue racing stripes livery. This decision would prove not to be all that unwise as the car would end up being awarded with Second in Class at Pebble Beach.

The origins of the car really could not be denied, however. It had started life as a customer car built for the Dutch driver Hans Davids. Therefore, Salyer would respect that portion of the car's history and would make the decision to have the car refinished in the proud racing orange of the Netherlands in honor of Davids and its early racing career.

Complete with a mountain of original paperwork, photos and other various documents, the history of chassis 118 is extremely verifiable and extremely thorough. Complete with its original chassis and all numbers intact and correct, 118 is certainly one of the more authentic DB3S Astons available in the world.

Its highly authentic attributes, combined with the correct 'Dutch Racing Orange', and it would be very easy to believe to be present the moment the car rolled out of the factory back in early 1955 with an overall Le Mans victory still out there to be achieved.

The highly original 1955 Aston Martin DB3S, chassis number 118, was estimated to garner between $3,500,000 and $4,000,000 at auction.

Sources:

'Lot No. 214: 1955 Aston Martin DB3S Sports Racing Car', (http://www.rmauctions.com/FeatureCars.cfm?SaleCode=MO12&CarID=r233). RM Auctions. http://www.rmauctions.com/FeatureCars.cfm?SaleCode=MO12&CarID=r233. Retrieved 2 August 2012.

'1955 Aston Martin DB3S News, Pictures and Information', (http://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z17876/Aston-Martin-DB3S.aspx). Conceptcarz.com: From Concept to Production. http://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z17876/Aston-Martin-DB3S.aspx. Retrieved 2 August 2012.

by Jeremy McMullen

Roadster
Chassis number: DB3S104

On of the more successful privateers of the DB3S was the Australian team that would become known as 'The Kangaroo Stable.' Their stable consisted of customer cars DB3S/102, 103, and 104. The cars were painted in the matching, Aston Martin racing color of Almond Green metallic with a yellow flash on the bonnet.

DBS3/102 would finish second overall at the Hyeres 12 Hours in 1955, and in 1957 it would set a new Australian Land Speed Record of 143.9 mph.

DB3S/103 was driven to a Fourth overall at Hyeres and later earned a Second in the South Pacific Sports Car Championship.

DB3S/104 was completed on May 23, 1955. It was built just a few days prior to the Hyeres 12 Hours, where it would finish Third overall with owner/driver Les Cosh and co-pilot Dick Cobden. At the close of the European season, it was the only one of the three Kangaroos Stable cars which did not go Australia. Instead, it was sold by Cosh to a California racer named Rob Carveth in October of 1955. The car was brought to San Francisco in January of 1956 and a short time later, had its body removed and re-painted. It was given a black paint scheme and the 'lucky' number 54. Its first US race was at Stockton, CA on March 18th where it finished Seventh overall. The car would race another 22 events in 1956, earning at least two podium finishes and many Firsts in Class.

In January of 1957, during a practice lap in Pomona, the crankshaft broke and damaged the block. VB6K/104 was replaced by the engine from DB3S/115 (VB6K/115).

Carveth ordered a second DB3S in 1957. The factory promised him an ex-Works DB3S (chassis number DB3S/9), which was slated to go too the Nürburgring as a spare car for its last team race. The car was driven over rough roads from Dunkirk to Nürburgring and damaged its body mountings at the front and rear of the car, making it unsuitable for competition. The Aston Martin team manager, John Wyer, who had promised Carveth a Works car, commissioned a 'new' Works car produced by the Aston Racing Department to fulfill his commitment. This 11th and final Works car was given chassis number DB3S/11 and painted black. It was shipped to San Francisco, arriving in August of 1957.

With two DB3S cars, Carveth usually brought both cars to his races, often loaning out DB3S/104 to others. Phil Hill drove the car in some practice laps and Carroll Shelby achieved a lap record at Ford Sumner, New Mexico in 1956.

Carveth's final outing with DB3S/104 was at Laguna Seca on June 13, 1958. It was sold in early 1959 to Larry Albedi who raced it only once. In June of that year, the car was sold to Bob downing, also of California, who raced it twice more at Laguna Seca.

Downing intended to create a V8 street rod project out of the car, and sold the original body to Ken Wallis who installed it on DB3S/8. By 1964, Downing changed his decision for the car, and had the body from DB3S/112 which had been damaged in the right rear end racing at Laguna Seca in 1963, installed on the car. A short time later, DB3S/104 was put in a chicken coop where it would remain until the 1970s, when it was acquired by Len Auerbach.

While in Auerbach's care, the car was given a nut-and-bolt restoration which was completed in 1976. It was then raced in historic competition until 1989, when it was sold to Peter Agg in the UK. Agg re-restored the car putting it back to its original Almond Green livery. Agg ran the DB3S in several vintage races in the mid 1990s.

In 2005, the car was purchased by its current owner, a U.S. citizen. The car returned back to the United Sates and has since kept a low profile. It was shown only once, at the Quail, A Motorsports Gathering in Carmel, CA in 2007, where it took a First in Class Award.

This car, chassis number DB3S/104, is one of 20 'customer' DB3S, and one of only 31 examples built in total, including the Works team cars.

In 2009, this Aston Martin DB3S was offered for sale at the Sports & Classics of Monterey auction in Monterey, California presented by RM Auctions. The car was estimated to sell for $1,750,000-$2,250,000. The lot was sold for the sum of $1,980,000 including buyer's premium.

by Dan Vaughan

The DB3 was not as successful as Aston Martin had intended so they tasked Watson to design and engineer a new car. The result was the DB3S, a design that was based on its predecessor but featured a smaller wheelbase and a lighter chassis. The DB3S were built in two series, the first being numbered one through ten, from 1953 through 1956, and built primarily for the works team. The second series was produced from 1954 through 1956. The coupe bodies benefited from a lower drag coefficient which resulted in greater top speeds, unfortunately, there was excessive lift causing the vehicles to become very unstable at speed. The designs and mechanics were changed throughout the years to compensate for aerodynamic and performance limitations.

During its production run, lasting from 1953 through 1957, 31 examples were produced. Eleven were used by the factory for their racing endeavors.

The DB3s were campaigned by Aston Martin at many international racing events where it was met with mixed results, some victories and some disappointments. Arguably the most prestigious and challenging race, the grueling 24 Hour of LeMans, is a true test of a vehicles capabilities. The DB3S was entered in 1953 where it failed to achieve the success it had accumulated throughout the season.

In 1954, two 225 horsepower coupe versions of the DB3S were created to compete at Silversone. More power was needed, especially to be competitive at LeMans. By applying a supercharger, the car developed 240 horsepower. It was entered in LeMans but it was a Ferrari that would capture the overall victory. Due to the high speed and instability of the design, the DB3S coupes crashed.

In 1955 the coupes were rebodied as open cars. The DB3S captured victory at Silverstone and a second place finish at LeMans. In 1956, the DB3S repeated its prior year performance at LeMans, finishing with a second place.

Through design, development, and testing, the DB3S was able to achieve higher success than the DB3. Though never capturing an overall victory at LeMans, they were able to capture many prestigious victories and successes.

by Dan Vaughan

David Brown, who later became Sir David, purchased the Aston Martin and Lagonda company's from receivership in 1948. The Lagonda Company appealed to Mr. Brown for its W.O. Bentley-designed twin-cam, 2.6-liter six-cylinder engine. The Aston martin company had a modern chassis, a solid reputation, and a sporting heritage. From the purchase, David was committed to motorsport competition. One of the earliest endeavors was at the 1948 Spa 24 Hours with a post-war Astons. DB2s were entered at LeMans in 1949. Within just two years, DB2s finished First, Second and Third in class at the 1951 LeMans 24 Hours, and Third overall against a very competitive field. David Brown would field a factory team at LeMans each year from1 1950 through 1959. His greatest success was with the iconic DBR1, which finished First and Second at LeMans and the World Sportscar Championship.

The Aston Martin DB3 was a sports racer that was introduced in 1952. It was developed by Eberan von Eberhorst, a former Auto Union racing engineer, who designed an all-new, tubular chassis with a DeDion rear setup and slab-sided body.

The DB3 suffered from reliability issues, so Brown commissioned A.G. 'William' Watons to engineer an improved version of the car. A prototype appeared at Charterhill, UK in May of 1953, called the DB3S. The prototype introduced many new improvements including a lighter chassis and a reduced wheelbase. The Salisbury hypoid-bevel final drive was replaced with a David Brown spiral-bevel version. This was an important replacement, as the hypoid spiral drive had retired two DB3s at LeMans in 1952. The rear suspension geometry was re-worked and a new aluminum body designed by Frank Feeley, was added. The body was elegant and refined, featured the classic cutaway section behind the front wheels and a 'humped oval' grille theme in the front. The new grille design became the trademark identifier of Aston Martin production cars through the present day.

The DB3S made its racing debut at Charterhill, where it was driven by Reg Parnell to an overall victory, defeating an Ecurie Escosse C-Type. A short time later, three DB3Ss raced at LeMans but with little success. This would be the only race Aston Martin would lose in 1953.

In 1954, Aston Martin introduced a new 12-cylinder sports racer, bearing the Lagonda name. The Watson developed engine displaced 4.5-liters and was basically two standard VB6J Aston engines combined and mated to a common crankshaft. Both the block and crankcase were made from aluminum, to counterbalance the weight penalty. The engine endured many teething problems, and became a distraction from the development of the parallel DB3S program. Finally, the Lagonda sports racer program was abandoned in 1955 to focus on the DB3S.

By 1955, racing regulations had changed, dictating a 3-liter limitation on the engine capacity in the sports car championship. The DB3S would continue to win races and managed a second place at LeMans, driven by Peter Collins and Paul Frere. It would repeat its accomplishment at LeMans in 1956, with a Second place overall in the hands of Stirling Moss and Peter Collins.

By this point in history, ten Works examples of the DB3S had been completed by the factory. Production of customer cars continued as demand continued to be strong. The 'customer' cars were identifiable by their three-digit chassis numbers. They were fitted with an upgraded version of the production VB6J engine with a high compression head featuring larger valves and competition camshafts, with the addition of triple, dual-throat side-draft Weber carburetors. The connection rods were competition spec and the main bearing housings were of solid type. In this guise, the engine was named the VB6K. In total, 20 customer cars were produced.

by Dan Vaughan