Aston Martin tribute to be auctioned in Melbourne

The Aston DBR2 'tribute' was manufactured by Queensland enthusiasts in the likeness of the factory team cars that contested the 1957 Le Mans 24-Hour race - two years before Aston Martin won both the French classic and the World Sportscar Championship with the sister DBR1/300 in 1959.

The 'tribute' DBR2 was built using mainly Jaguar components of the period and features a largely-fibreglass body, with aluminium used for some interior bodywork to ensure it both looks and goes like the original.

Painted in the traditional Aston Martin racing colour of Sage Green, it was completed in 2007 before being purchased by the vendor, who has since made various improvements and refinements.

Shannons expect this striking and visually-faithful DBR2 Tribute to sell in the $100,000-$125,000 range - well below its build cost and a fraction of the estimated _10 million that one of the original cars would likely bring if brought to auction today.

Inspiration
The original DBR2 was developed by Aston Martin in the mid-1950s from a short-lived Lagonda project known as 'DP166' and was built using a wider multi-tube backbone space frame chassis than that subsequently used in the DBR1.

Originally fitted with a Lagonda 4.5L V12 engine, the DBR2's true relevance in Aston Martin history came when it was reworked to accommodate the prototype 3.7 litre DOHC engine designed by Tadek Marek that made its first production appearance in the DB4 sports saloon.

Due to a 3.0 litre engine capacity limit introduced for the World Sportscar Championship in 1958, the DBR2 was relegated to non-championship British, European, and American events that permitted the larger capacity cars. Its only notable success in 1957 was at the Daily Express Trophy race at Silverstone driven by Roy Salvadori.

In 1959, the pair of works DBR2s took victory in New York and the Bahamas, driven by George Constantine and Stirling Moss. Both cars were returned to Aston Martin the following year.

For more auction information, visit www.shannons.com.au