A limited run of just 24 special edition DBS Superleggeras, named the ‘DBS 59’ have been commissioned by Aston Martin Cambridge to commemorate Aston Martin’s iconic 1959 win at Le Mans when the DBR1 finished in first and second place with Roy Salvadori and Caroll Shelby taking the chequered flag ahead of their sister car driven by Maurice Trintignant and Paul Frére.
The ‘DBS 59’ is a special commission through ‘Q by Aston Martin’, the brand’s unique personalisation service that works in close collaboration with the Aston Martin design team with the first car having just been completed at the Gaydon, Aston Martin’s global manufacturing headquarters.
You can see some specially engineered styling cues taken from the original DBR1 in the ‘DBS 59’, such as the choice of British Racing Green for the car’s exterior and gloss finish carbon fibre on the roof panel and strakes. There are bronze details on the Superleggera bonnet badge, bespoke front grille, brake callipers and 21” forged Y spoke satin duotone wheels, which is a nod to the bronze switches and dials found on the original Le Mans winning car. Other subtle details include the individually numbered roundel painted on the fender as well as the bespoke tyre wall arrow decal, hinting at the racing pedigree of this rather special car.
Another nice little touch is a bronze foil inlay that outlines the original shape, chassis number and engine number of the DBR1 that won Le Mans in 1959 on the Aeroblade of ‘DBS 59’.
The interior of the ‘DBS 59’ has also been influenced by the DBR1 with same weave used on the seat and each seat back and door insert trimmed in heritage style material. Bronze details can also be found in the hand-crafted interior space with unique bronze shift paddles and a bespoke ‘59 Edition’ logo embroidered on the seatback.
The combination of Obsidian Black and Chestnut Tan leather helps to create a calm sophisticated space that includes embroidery of the 1959 Le Mans circuit on the rear speaker cover, whilst an embroidery on the sun visor gives the exact date the race took place and celebrates the 323 laps completed within the 24 hours.
The original DBS Superleggera was launched last year and comes equipped with powerful a 5.2-litre V12 engine, giving the car a top-speed of 211mph and in so doing, makes it the fastest Aston Martin series production car the company has built to date.
Aston Martin Director – Q and VIP Sales, Simon Lane says that: “The ‘DBS 59’ strikes a careful balance between a timeless design that respects our history and a modern take that celebrates our future. The DBS Superleggera is the most powerful production car ever produced by Aston Martin and so it is fitting that the ‘DBS 59’ special editions have been commissioned to mark sixty years since our iconic 1-2 win at Le Mans.”
Other ‘Q by Aston Martin’ commissions include the Red Arrows Edition Vanquish S, the Cygnet V8 and the North Coast 500 series of six DB11 GTs.
Author Bio:
Simon Burrell is Editor of Our Man Behind The Wheel, a professional photographer and former saloon car racing driver.
Photographs courtesy of Aston Martin
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