The Aston Martin DBR9 GT1 racer is a car I lusted after driving throughout my sportscar racing career, but never quite managed. Don’t feel too sorry for me though, I drove for the factory team in LMP1 (the gorgeous Gulf-liveried, Lola derived prototype) and for Jota Sport in a GTE spec V8 Vantage.
But the DBR9 always seemed that little bit more special. A little more pure in it’s lineage, and a little more breathtaking in its design. That something so beautiful could roll up at Sebring in 2005 and win one of the toughest endurance races on the calendar straight out of the box says everything about the calibre of this machine.
Based on the Aston Martin DB9 road car, the DBR9 retains the chassis, engine block, and cylinder heads of the road car’s six litre, normally aspirated, V12 engine. The rest of the car is re-engineered for high performance competition use. The DBR9’s bodywork is a blend of optimum aerodynamic performance and the styling of the DB9 road car. All the body panels are constructed from carb