2005 Aston Martin DB9 Test Drive

Aston Martin Races Again

Next year, Aston Martin will return to its roots and resume racing.

On July 14, British luxury sports car maker Aston Martin revealed a photo of the DBR9, the race car with which it will return to international motor racing in 2005.

For Aston, which is now owned by Ford Motor, this means a return to its roots: After Lionel Martin won his class in a racing version of a Singer Ten in the 1913 Aston Clinton hill climb in England, he decided to build cars of his own--hence the name. In 1922, the first Aston Martins went into production, and the company in its early years built cars that were used almost exclusively for racing.

Aston had a distinguished racing history but stopped competing in recent years. The last time the brand won the 24 Hours of Le Mans race in France was in 1959, when legendary American driver Carroll Shelbyco-piloted the Aston Martin DBR1. Aston won its class at Le Mans in 1977, but gradually faded from sight on the racing scene amid financial difficulties and the changing of owners.

Aston's new race car, however, is not only a welcome idea for fans of its racing program; it also is as beautiful as the model on which it is based, the new DB9 coupe. It is in the capable hands of Prodrive, a British company that is responsible for the design, development and management of the DBR9 racing program. They are preparing the DBR9 for the track, and their name is widely known in racing. If, as you walk past the garage for Fiat's Ferraris at 24 Hours of Le Mans, you wonder why everybody is speaking in British accents, it is because Prodrive supervises race cars for Ferrari, among other clients.

When the DBR9 is ready to race, it will compete in a selection of international sports car events in 2005, including Le Mans. In a statement, Aston Martin said that before the racing season begins, "three Aston Martin Racing Works teams will...be appointed to compete in major international sports car series. These will be independent teams each racing two DBR9s with the full factory support of Aston Martin Racing."

Perhaps the best news of all -- for a few lucky rich people -- is that Aston is planning to sell a handful of DBR9 race cars to selected customers. The cars will have the same specifications as the ones that will be racing on the tracks.