Nothing Special   »   [go: up one dir, main page]

Translate

Showing posts with label XMO88. Show all posts
Showing posts with label XMO88. Show all posts

Sunday, 4 October 2020

1963 Aston Martin DP215

This car was on display in the paddock at the Christie's International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1992.

It's the Design Project Aston Martin DP215, the only one made, that was built to compete in the 1963 Le Mans 24 Hour race. The car was intended to have the Tadek Marek designed 5,064cc V8 engine but instead had the same 6-cylinder inline Aston Martin 3,996cc engine that powered the DP212 cars. It was driven at Le Mans in 1963 by Phil Hill and Lucien Bianchi but retired in the 4th hour of the race with gearbox problems, though not before registering a record speed of 198.6 mph on the Mulsanne Straight. Later that year it took part in the Reims 12 Hour race but again retired with transmission problems causing the engine to over-rev which led to the valves being bent. The Aston Martin racing department was closed at the end of that year and the DP215 was retained by Aston Martin as a development car in the hopes of a return to racing, but in 1966 the car was wrecked in an accident on the M1 motorway. The remains were sold and restored gradually over several years, at one time having the Indianapolis Cooper Aston Martin 4,164cc engine, but the car was eventually reunited with the original engine 400/215/1 which powered it at the 1963 Le Mans race.


Saturday, 26 October 2019

Aston Martin

I took this photograph of these two Aston Martins at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1995.
1995 marked the Diamond Jubilee of the Aston Martin Owners' Club and there was a display of a variety of Aston Martin cars in the AMOC's marquee, but these cars were in another part of the paddock. On the left is the Aston Martin DP215, the only one produced, which was built to compete in the 1963 Le Mans 24 Hour race. The car had a straight-6 Aston Martin 3,996cc engine (later changed to a 4,164cc unit) and was driven at Le Mans by Phil Hill and Lucien Bianchi but retired in the 4th hour of the race with gearbox problems. On the right is one of only four special lightweight versions of the Aston Martin DB4 Zagato, and one of two such cars which were produced in 1961 for John Ogier's Essex Racing team. It raced in the 1961 Le Mans 24 Hour race, driven by Jack Fairman and Bernard Consten, but retired with engine problems at an early stage. It was subsequently driven by Roy Salvadori to third place in the 1961 RAC TT Race at Goodwood.