Le Mans-Winning Aston Martin That Inspired Bond's DBS for Sale at $1.5 Million

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed)
Jan 18th 2011 at 8:00AM

The incredible Aston Martin DBR9 race car (above) that was the 2008 Le Mans GT1 class winner and fifth vehicle overall is a pretty mean piece of machinery in its own right. But the car, which was built in 2006, has an even more impressive item on its resumé: the DBR9's styling lead to the ultra-cool Aston Martin DBS driven by Daniel Craig as James Bond in Casino Royale. Now the iconic DBR9 has been listed for sale in the UK for about $1.5 million. Based on the DB9 road car, the name DBR9 is derived from the original 24 Hours of Le Mans-winning DBR1 car which not only won the 24 Hour race in 1959 but also the World Sportscar title. The DBR9 features custom carbon fiber composite body panels for racing to help make the most of the 600 hp engine along with some other modifications built for speed. The racing history of the car with its famed blue and orange Gulf livery is varied and successful with 3 wins and 2 second places in the 2006 American Le Mans Series, and a win in the FIA GT1 Championship at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps as well.

Tags: Aston Martin, Aston Martin DBR9, Aston Martin DBS, carbon fiber, Casino Royale, Daniel Craig, James Bond, Le Mans, race car, supercar, UK

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

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Ralf Denni Jan 19th 2011 12:30PM

Yes, this is my favorite car of all time. After I saw what it could do on the British-TV show, Top Gear, where it was light years faster than anything they had ever tested, I was hooked. I would love to take it out onto a fantastic road course like Mid-Ohio, Road Atlanta, Watkins Glen, Elkhart Lake, or the Daytona road course, and let her rip. I would especially love to try out the sequential-shifter gearbox. Split-second shifts are where its at nowadays. I've driven all those tracks listed above, but not in anything like this. Could I just rent it for a day?