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Aston Martin DB3 S - the green Barchetta with the yellow gills

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Created on February 2, 2017

Text:

Adriano Cimarosti / Daniel Reinhard

Photos:

Daniel Reinhard

58

Delius-Klasing Verlag / Marianne Fürstin zu Sayn-Wittgenstein

1

Roos Engineering Ltd / Classic Car Trust

1

Archiv

7

Daniel Reinhard

58

Delius-Klasing Verlag / Marianne Fürstin zu Sayn-Wittgenstein

1

Roos Engineering Ltd / Classic Car Trust

1

Archiv

7

Aston Martin DB3 S (1954) - ... and drive and drive ...

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Aston Martin DB3 S (1954) - as seen through a keyhole

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Aston Martin DB3 S (1954) - like at Le Mans

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Aston Martin DB3 S (1954) - feels particularly at home on the left-hand side of the road

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Aston Martin DB3 S (1954) - also attractive to look at from behind

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Aston Martin DB3 S (1954) - typical perspective for the competitors

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Aston Martin DB3 S (1954) - attractive driving machine

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Aston Martin DB3 S (1954) - the sound is provided by the exhaust system mounted on the right-hand side

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Aston Martin DB3 S (1954) - typical for the time - the low windshield

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Aston Martin DB3 S (1954) - at 220 km/h the cap would probably no longer hold

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Aston Martin DB3 S (1954) - was one of the fastest at Le Mans

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Aston Martin DB3 S (1954) - as it once was on the Hunaudiéres straight

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Aston Martin DB3 S (1954) - the windshield directs the wind at least partially over the driver

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Aston Martin DB3 S (1954) - a typical fifties sports car

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Aston Martin DB3 S (1954) - gentlemen driver on the road

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Aston Martin DB3 S (1954) - you could drive on forever

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Aston Martin DB3 S (1954) - on the road in the fall

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Aston Martin DB3 S (1954) - fun on straights and bends

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Aston Martin DB3 S (1954) - The joy of driving - made in Britain

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Aston Martin DB3 S (1954) - less than 1.6 meters wide

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Aston Martin DB3 S (1954) - in the 1956 configuration

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Aston Martin DB3 S (1954) - with additional headlights

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Aston Martin DB3 S (1954) - with aluminum body

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Aston Martin DB3 S (1954) - when racing cars still looked really elegant

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Aston Martin DB3 S (1954) - Grade and Pace

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Aston Martin DB3 S (1954) - built exclusively for speeding

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Aston Martin DB3 S (1954) - tempted to drive off

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Aston Martin DB3 S (1954) - Racing car with road approval

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Aston Martin DB3 S (1954) - right-hand drive, of course

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Aston Martin DB3 S (1954) - under four meters long

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Aston Martin DB3 S (1954) - dry weight 889 kg

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Aston Martin DB3 S (1954) - roll bars were not yet "en vogue" back then

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Aston Martin DB3 S (1954) - took part in the Le Mans Classic in 2002

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Aston Martin DB3 S (1954) - very flat, the tapered wheel openings at the front are striking

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Aston Martin DB3 S (1954) - destined for the racetrack

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Aston Martin DB3 S (1954) - low cross-sectional area

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Aston Martin DB3 S (1954) - about one meter high

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Aston Martin DB3 S (1954) - large rev counter in the center

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Aston Martin DB3 S (1954) - everything in its usual place in the cockpit

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Aston Martin DB3 S (1954) - interesting mix of Smiths and Jaeger instruments

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Aston Martin DB3 S (1954) - equipped with dual ignition

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Aston Martin DB3 S (1954) - Six-cylinder in-line engine with two overhead camshafts

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Aston Martin DB3 S (1954) - naturally water-cooled

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Aston Martin DB3 S (1954) - Dunlop Racing tires

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Aston Martin DB3 S (1954) - ingenious air ducting

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Aston Martin DB3 S (1954) - famous license plate "62 EMU"

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Aston Martin DB3 S (1954) - for the long night at Le Mans

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Aston Martin DB3 S (1954) - pure racing sport

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Aston Martin DB3 S (1954) - Plexiglass caps over the headlights for better aerodynamics

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Aston Martin DB3 S (1954) - large front wheel arches

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Aston Martin DB3 S (1954) - two-tone

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Aston Martin DB3 S (1954) - Spoked wheels with wing nuts

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Aston Martin DB3 S (1954) - the hood is held in place by these hooks

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Aston Martin DB3 S (1954) - Bracket for the engine cover

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Aston Martin DB3 S (1954) - small windshield wipers

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Aston Martin DB3 S (1954) - Fuel filler cap

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Aston Martin DB 3 S (1955) - in the special exhibition - three-wheeled Lagonda next to the elegant sports car - Geneva Motor Show 1955

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Aston Martin DB3 S (1955) - with enlarged air intake for the carburetors

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Stirling Moss in the Aston Martin DB3S Sports-Racing Two-Seater (1953) at Goodwood

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Aston Martin DB3S (1955) - in racing mode back then - on display at the David Brown special exhibition at the Rétromobile 2017

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Aston Martin DB 3S (1954) at the veteran race before Le Mans 1973 - this DB3S raced at Le Mans in 1954, but without success. Aston Martin's only overall victory came in 1959 with Carrol Shelby

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Aston Martin DB3S (1958) - Stirling Moss sprints his way to victory early on. Mike Hawthorn gets away with the car earlier, but Moss will make up for it on the Nürburgring circuit in 1958

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Aston Martin DB3 S Coupé from 1959

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Aston Martin DB3 S (1956) - as Fixed Head Coupé

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Aston Martin DB3 S (1954) - on the Aston/Lagonda stand at the Motor Show

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Aston Martin DB3 S (1954) - not at all uncomfortable

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Aston Martin DB3 S (1954) - which is more expensive, the house or the racing car?

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Aston Martin DB3 S (1954) - wie in Le Mans

Aston Martin DB3 S (1954) - fühlt sich auf der linken Strassenseite besonders wohl

Aston Martin DB3 S (1954) - auch von hinten attraktiv anzuschauen

Aston Martin DB3 S (1954) - typische Perspektive für die Konkurrenten

Aston Martin DB3 S (1954) - attraktive Fahrmaschine

Aston Martin DB3 S (1954) - für den Sound sorgt die rechtsseitig angebrachte Auspuffanlage

Summary

Aston Martin built just eleven works racing cars of the DB3 S type. Although it failed to win the Le Mans overall, two second places are also impressive, especially if the same chassis succeeds both times. And this chassis has survived to this day and is still regarded as an extremely attractive sports car 60 years later. This driving report tells the story of chassis DBS/6 and shows the car in many photographs.

This article contains the following chapters

When chassis numbers change
Rebuilt
Detours to Switzerland
A look back at Le Mans history
Not always at the finish
Second Le Mans success in a private race
The joy of driving
The technical data of the DB3S/6

Estimated reading time: 8min

Preview (beginning of the article)

From 1953 to 1957, Aston Martin built a series of eleven works racing cars with the model designations DB3S/1 to DB3S/11. From 1955, 21 customer cars with the model designations DB3S/101 to DB3S/120 (plus one example with a very special chassis number) were built at the Feltham plant in parallel with the works cars. From 1954, the eleven works racing cars were powered by the more powerful 2922 cc six-cylinder engine with twin ignition, light alloy cylinder head and 225 hp output at 6000 rpm. The customer version was equipped with a cast iron cylinder head and single ignition, with a more moderate output of 185 hp at 5500 rpm.

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Images of this article

Aston Martin DB3 S (1954) - wie in Le Mans

Aston Martin DB3 S (1954) - fühlt sich auf der linken Strassenseite besonders wohl

Aston Martin DB3 S (1954) - auch von hinten attraktiv anzuschauen

Aston Martin DB3 S (1954) - typische Perspektive für die Konkurrenten

Aston Martin DB3 S (1954) - attraktive Fahrmaschine

Aston Martin DB3 S (1954) - für den Sound sorgt die rechtsseitig angebrachte Auspuffanlage

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