Featured: 1952 Aston Martin DB3 works team car

The Aston Martin brand has a storied history in racing. This was shaped in part by many successful appearances in endurance races during the 1950s.

The highlight was the victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1959. The first pure racing car built after the Second World War was the DB3 model, which can be seen in the Louwman Museum.

Automobiles of the Aston Martin brand were produced in small numbers from 1923 by Lionel Martin and Richard Bamford in a workshop in London. A few years later they moved to Feltham, and thirty years after that to Newport Pagnell. The two gentlemen had already built a car in 1914, which had taken part in a hill climb at Aston Clinton. Partly as a result of this, the brand name Aston Martin came into being.

The production of exclusive fast sports cars progressed with difficulty, and before long the still young company had to close its doors. A restart in 1926 was quickly made, however, from a factory located in Feltham. The cars were still sporty, but of a somewhat simpler construction than the earlier models. Central to them was an engine designed by A.C. Bertelli, a 1.5 liter four cylinder that produced about 50 hp and, thanks to its low weight, delivered good performance. In sporting terms, Aston Martin was doing well, sales of cars were reasonable, but the financial situation remained precarious. An attempt to merge with Frazer Nash in the late 1930s fell through, and the outbreak of the Second World War ultimately proved disastrous.

When peace returned in 1945, Aston Martin was a company on its last legs. Demand for the type of cars they built had largely disappeared. It was decided to place an advertisement in the prestigious newspaper "The Times" in order to find a buyer. One was found, but to explain that we first have to go back to the period before the war.

The Industrial Revolution originally began in the north of England. The no-nonsense mentality there was very different from that in the southern part of the country. People rolled up their sleeves and got to work. This was also the case in the town of Huddersfield in Yorkshire, where David Brown went to work in the family business that made gears. However, he wanted more and started building tractors. He did this together with a certain Harry Ferguson. After a while they fell out, after which David Brown continued to make tractors for the English market. Ferguson left for America, where he did the same for the market there under the later name Massey-Ferguson.

The machines made by David Brown sold well and he became a wealthy man. When he read the advertisement about Aston Martin, the decision was quickly made. For an amount of around 20,000 pounds he bought the company, which in fact was little more than a number of factory halls with machines and a few chassis of pre war models. David Brown was a true entrepreneur and also saw fairly quickly what needed to be done next. To that end he also bought the Lagonda brand. This factory was in the same moribund state as Aston Martin, but it had one thing that Aston did not have: a good engine to power a modern post war sports car. This was a straight six cylinder engine, designed by the legendary W.O. Bentley during the time he worked at Lagonda as an engineer. The engine was fitted with twin overhead camshafts, very modern for that time.

David Browns ambition was great. He wanted to build on Aston Martins successes in racing. He got a helping hand from his compatriot St. John Horsefall. This driver had already won races before the war at the wheel of an Aston Martin. With an experimental 2 liter car he took part in races at Spa Francorchamps in the period just after the Second World War. For example, in 1946 he had already won a race on this circuit with a pre war model. In 1948 he crowned his participation in the prestigious 24 Hours of Spa Francorchamps, a race for production cars, with a victory at the wheel of the old fashioned looking Aston Martin, the DB1. His co driver was Leslie Johnson. The small team was led by John Wyer, who would later grow into one of the most famous team managers in endurance racing.

The design of a modern racing car was carried out under the direction of a German engineer, Prof. Dr. Eberan von Eberhorst. In the prewar period he had been responsible for Auto Union’s Grand Prix cars (type D). After the war he escaped from the Russian zone and worked for Ferdinand Porsche, among other things on the Cisitalia Grand Prix project. He had obtained a work permit in England and was hired by David Brown. Von Eberhorst was a very capable but above all conservative designer. Moreover, Aston Martin did not have an almost unlimited budget, as Auto Union had. This periodically led to friction between Wyer and ‘The Professor’.

The car that finally, later than planned, saw the light of day was christened DB3. It was a sleekly styled open two seater. The car was powered by the six cylinder ex Lagonda engine mentioned earlier.

When taking part in the 1952 races, Aston Martin could choose from the fine fleur of English drivers. In addition to established names such as Reg Parnell, Lance Macklin and George Abecassis were also available. Young talents like Peter Collins and Geoff Duke were likewise given a chance to prove themselves.

The most notable success achieved in 1952 was a seventh place in the Monaco Grand Prix. This race was not for Formula 1 cars but for sports cars. All the major factory teams took part, and many Formula 1 drivers had also climbed into the cockpit to compete in this prestigious race. A seventh place therefore seems like a good result for a new car. Unfortunately, the story of the race is different. During practice, the Italian veteran Luigi Fagloli lost his life, which was of course a blow. After 18 qualified cars had started, the race developed well for archrival Jaguar, with Stirling Moss at the wheel. After roughly a third of the race had been completed, Parnell's Aston Martin blew its engine at Ste. Devote. The ensuing chain collision eliminated a large number of cars.

In the end, the Aston Martin of Peter Collins (the car that can be admired in the Louwman Museum) was the one that remained and finished in seventh place, 8 laps behind the winner.

The results achieved in other races by the various DB3s in England were less successful. The cars were not very reliable and, when they did last the distance, the competition turned out to be faster.

In 1953 everything seemed to be going better. One of the first major races of the season, the 12 Hours of Sebring in America, appeared to be going very well. Collins and Duke (the motorcycle racer who aspired to a career in cars) were leading the field until the latter went off the track and retired.

A race in which English teams were eager to shine was the Mille Miglia. Although the English manufacturers were never really successful in this race, this did not stop David Brown from taking part. In 1953 he entered no fewer than four cars, a DB2 and three of the DB3 type. Two of the latter finished the race, the first in a fine fifth place with Parnell at the wheel. The other, driven by the young talent Peter Collins, crossed the line almost an hour later in 17th place. This car, on display in the Louwman Museum, still takes part every year in the historic edition of the infamous Mille Miglia.

In the meantime, Aston Martin had come to the conclusion that the DB3 model needed major improvements; the DB3S was the result. This model was lighter than its predecessor and equipped with a more powerful engine, which, in addition to greater reliability, would deliver impressive results in later years.

Thus, in 1952 a project was launched that would ultimately lead in 1959 to the victory at Le Mans so fiercely coveted by David Brown.

Peter Helbach