1959 Aston Martin DBR4

I took this photograph at the Donington Park Museum in October 1989.

It's a 1959 Aston Martin DBR4, originally called the DBR4-250, which has a 6-cylinder inline 2,493cc engine. The book ‘Great Racing Cars of the Donington Collection’ has this note about the car.

In 1958 the rear-engined, or more accurately ‘mid-engined’, Cooper-Climaxes had proved themselves capable of winning Grand Prix races. They were smaller, lighter and more nimble than the classic front-engined cars, and several designs were overtaken by this fundamental revolution in thinking. Aston Martin had built a single-seater version of their successful DB3S sports car as early as 1955, racing it New Zealand, and from this project grew Formula 1 ambitions. But development was slow with most of the racing department’s time taken up by sports car programmes. A car was designed contemporary with the later Maserati 250F’s and the Vanwalls, but when it appeared in 1959 it was too late. On its debut at Silverstone in the 1959 non-Championship meeting, Roy Salvadori put the 280bhp six-cylinder, De Dion rear axled car on pole position and finished second, and that was to prove its best performance. Failure with the Formula 1 car took some of the prestige away from Aston’s World Sports Car Championship victory that year, and although lighter cars were built for 1960 they were totally out-moded and were withdrawn before the season’s end. The Collection’s car is believed to be the first 1959 chassis, but it was acquired in disassembled and drearful condition, and has been totally restored in the Collection’s Leicester workshops.

1959 Aston Martin DBR4

This car competed in the Maserati UK Race for Pre 1961 Grand Prix Cars at the Coys International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 2000.

It's the 1959 Aston Martin DBR4 of Tony Smith, chassis DBR4/4. The DBR4 is a car that was first built and tested in 1957 although it didn't make its Grand Prix debut until 1959. By that time the new generation of rear-engined cars had made the older front-engined cars uncompetitive and the best results it managed were Roy Salvadori's sixth place finishes in the British and Portuguese Grands Prix in 1959. Originally powered by a 6-cylinder inline 2,493cc engine, Tony Smith's car had the same 6-cylinder inline 2,992cc engine as the DB3S sports car.

1959 Aston Martin DBR4

I took this photograph on the straight between Esso Bend and Knickerbrook during the Allcomers Race for Historic Racing Cars at the Vintage Sports Car Club's Richard Seaman Memorial Trophies meeting at Oulton Park in June 1971.

It's Neil Corner in his 1959 Aston Martin DBR4, chassis DBR4/4 - the last DBR4 built and which was never raced by the works team. The DBR4 is a car that was first built and tested in 1957 although it didn't make its Grand Prix debut until 1959. By that time the new generation of rear-engine cars had made the older front-engine cars uncompetitive and the best results it managed were Roy Salvadori's sixth place finishes in the British and Portuguese Grands Prix in 1959. The DBR4 was powered by a 6-cylinder inline 2,493cc engine, but Neil Corner's car has the 2,992cc DB3S engine.

1959 Aston Martin DBR4

This was one of the competitors in the Allcomers Scratch Race at the Vintage Sports Car Club's Richard Seaman Memorial Trophies meeting at Oulton Park in June 1969.

It's the 1959 Aston Martin DBR4 of Peter Brewer. The DBR4 is a car that was first built and tested in 1957 although it didn't make its Grand Prix debut until 1959. By that time the new generation of rear-engine cars had made the older front-engine cars uncompetitive and the best results it managed were Roy Salvadori's sixth place finishes in the British and Portuguese Grands Prix in 1959. The car is powered by a 6-cylinder inline 2,493cc engine.

1959 Aston Martin DBR4

This was one of the competitors in the HGPCA Pre-61 Front Engine Grand Prix Cars race at the Silverstone Classic meeting in July 2010 and is pictured in the paddock waiting to take to the track for the qualifying session.

It's the 1959 Aston Martin DBR4 of Wolfgang Friedrichs, chassis DBR4/1. The DBR4 is a car that was first built and tested in 1957 although it didn't make its Grand Prix debut until 1959. By that time the new generation of rear-engine cars had made the older front-engine cars uncompetitive and the best results it managed were Roy Salvadori's sixth place finishes in the British and Portuguese Grands Prix in 1959. The car is powered by a 6-cylinder inline 2,493cc engine.

1959 Aston Martin DBR4

This car competed in the Raymond Mays Trophy Race for Pre 1961 Grand Prix Cars at the Silverstone Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in August 2001.

It's the 1959 Aston Martin DBR4 of Wolfgang Friedrichs, chassis DBR4/1. The DBR4 is a car that was first built and tested in 1957 although it didn't make its Grand Prix debut until 1959. By that time the new generation of rear-engined cars had made the older front-engined cars uncompetitive and the best results it managed were Roy Salvadori's sixth place finishes in the British and Portuguese Grands Prix in 1959. Originally powered by a 6-cylinder inline 2,493cc engine, Wolfgang Friedrichs’ car had the same 6-cylinder inline 2,992cc engine as the DB3S sports car.

1957 Aston Martin DBR4

I took this photograph at Britten's chicane during the Hawthorn Memorial & Hawthorn Spanish Trophies Race at the Vintage Sports Car Club's meeting at Oulton Park in June 2006.

It's Hubert Fabri in his Aston Martin DBR4, a car that was first built and tested in 1957 although it didn't make its Grand Prix debut until 1959. By that time the new generation of rear-engined cars had made the older front-engined cars uncompetitive and the best results it managed were Roy Salvadori's sixth place finishes in the British and Portuguese Grands Prix in 1959. Originally powered by a 6-cylinder inline 2,493cc engine, Hubert Fabri's car had the same 6-cylinder inline 2,992cc engine as the DB3S sports car.

The Flockhart Trophy Race

I took this photograph at Redgate corner on the first lap of the Flockhart Trophy Race at Donington Park at the VSCC's SeeRed meeting in June 2008.

Leading is Philip Walker in his 1959 2½ litre Lotus 16 from the 1957 2 litre Cooper T43 of Andrew Smith. Behind them is the 1958 3.8 litre Lister Jaguar Monza of Rod Jolley, and at the rear is Hubert Fabri's 1957 3 litre Aston Martin DBR4 just behind Ian Nuthall's 1952 2 litre Alta F2.

Aston Martin DBR4

Two of these cars, originally known as the Aston Martin DBR4/250, took part in the Flockhart Trophy Race at the VSCC's SeeRed meeting at Donington Park in September 2006.

This is the 1960 Aston Martin DBR4 of David Wenman, and was driven in the race by John Clark. Originally with a 2,493cc straight-6 engine, the programme of the event gave the capacity of this car as 2,892cc.

On 2 August 2017 I showed a photograph of David Wenman's car at Donington Park in September 2004.

This is Hubert Fabri's car and the programme gives the engine capacity as 2,992cc, the car being powered by an Aston Martin DB3S sportscar engine. On 7 May 2016 I showed a photograph of this car at Donington Park in June 2008.

Aston Martin DBR4

I took these photographs at the Aston Martin Owners Club's Autumn Historic Car Races meeting at Oulton Park in September 1993 where it competed in the Historic Car Championship Race.

It's Tony Smith's 1959 Aston Martin DBR4, built originally with a 2½ litre engine, but at this time powered by a 2,992cc DB3S unit. The DBR4 competed in World Championship races in 1959 in the hands of Roy Salvadori and Carroll Shelby, but never achieved a top 3 finish. It's chassis number 4 and was later sold to Hubert Fabri.

I've shown photographs of the Aston Martin DBR4 previously - on 7 October 2015 and 8 March 2017 at the 1959 British Grand Prix, when it was known as the DBR4/250 - and on 7 May 2016 and 2 August 2017 at subsequent historic race meetings.

Aston Martin DBR4

This car was amongst the competitors in the Ron Flockhart Memorial Trophy Race at the VSCC's SeeRed meeting at Donington Park in September 2004.

It's David Wenman's 1959 Aston Martin DBR4, driven in the race by Barrie Williams. Originally built as a 2½ litre Formula 1 car, the programme of this event showed it to then have an engine capacity of 2,892cc. Four of these cars were built and this one is chassis number 2.

Aston Martin DBR4/250

This car took part in the Flockhart Trophy Race for 1950s single-seat cars at the SeeRed meeting at Donington Park in June 2008.

It's Hubert Fabri's 1957 Aston Martin DBR4/250, but subsequently known just as a DBR4, a Grand Prix car built in 1957 although it didn't make its debut in Grand Prix racing until 1959. The programme of the event shows its engine capacity to be 2992cc, which suggests that it's from an Aston Martin DB3S.