Le Mans Yesterday and Today: Aston Martin

Aston Martin, despite having only achieved one overall victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, holds an important place in the event's chronicles for its fierce battles with rivals like Ferrari, Jaguar, and Mercedes. Its debut at the Circuit de la Sarthe dates back to 1928, when the withdrawal of its two cars proved to be a valuable lesson. By 1931, Aston Martin claimed its first class win in the under-1500cc category. In 1935, the British manufacturer secured its first podium with the Ulster driven by Charles EC Martin and Charles Brackenbury.

The Aston Martin LM1 and LM2 made their debut at the 1928 24 Hours of Le Mans. Despite both cars retiring, the lessons learned led to the brand's first class win in 1931.

The interruption of World War II brought Aston Martin back to racing only in 1948, following its acquisition by David Brown. Le Mans became a primary objective, as victory was essential to establish the brand. The DB2, personally named by the new owner, performed well in the GT category, winning its class in 1950 and securing third place overall in 1951. However, for Brown, only an outright victory would suffice.

The Aston Martin DB2 achieved strong GT category results at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, including a class win in 1950 and a podium finish in 1951.

John Wyer, an English engineer with a bright future, was appointed as Team Manager. Wyer addressed issues with the DB3, transforming it into the DB3S with a six-cylinder inline engine boosted to over 200 hp. In 1955, the car nearly triumphed, finishing second overall with Paul Frère and Peter Collins, just behind Jaguar. This close finish became a recurring theme, with Stirling Moss finishing second behind Jaguar in 1956 and the Whitehead brothers behind Ferrari in 1958.

After John Wyer's arrival as Team Manager, Aston Martin secured three second-place overall finishes at Le Mans in 1955, 1956 (pictured with Stirling Moss), and 1958.

These years saw not just fast but also stunningly beautiful cars competing at Le Mans: the Jaguar D-Type with its fin and Ferrari Testa Rossa became icons of style. Determined to match their level, David Brown introduced the entirely new DBR1 in 1956, adhering to the 1958 regulations limiting engine displacement to 3000cc. Aston Martin's dream of an outright victory materialized in 1959, with DBR1 cars taking first and second places. Roy Salvadori and Carroll Shelby led the charge, beating Ferrari in a historic win—the only time Ferrari was defeated at Le Mans from 1958 to 1964.

Aston Martin achieved its dream of outright victory at Le Mans in 1959 with Roy Salvadori and Carroll Shelby in the DBR1, defeating Ferrari after an intense battle.

Subsequent attempts to reclaim overall victory were scarce and less successful. In 1982, Aston Martin supplied V8 engines derived from the Vantage to the Nimrod Group C cars, and in 1989, the AMR1 prototype marked a return as a constructor, but neither left a lasting impact.

Aston Martin returned to the fight for overall victory at Le Mans in 1989 with the AMR1 prototype, which was ultimately unsuccessful.

In 2000, Aston Martin's CEO Ulrich Bez partnered with David Richards' Prodrive team, which had proven successful with Subaru in the WRC. The collaboration produced the DBR9, which debuted at Le Mans in 2005. By 2007, it had claimed the GT1 class victory, finishing fifth overall.

The partnership with Prodrive yielded success in 2007, with the DBR9 securing the GT1 class victory, driven by Turner, Brabham, and Rydell.

Prodrive's success spurred a return to the premier LMP1 category. Collaborating with Lola for chassis development, the Lola Aston Martin DBR1-2 inherited the DBR9 GT1’s V12 engine and debuted in 2009, finishing fourth overall behind the diesel-powered Peugeot and Audi prototypes.

The Lola Aston Martin DBR1-2 showed promise, achieving a fourth-place overall finish in 2009, trailing only diesel prototypes from Audi and Peugeot.

Aston Martin remained competitive in the GT category, securing class wins in 2014 (GTE Am), 2017 (GTE Pro after a dramatic battle with Chevrolet Corvette), and 2020 (GTE Pro), all with versions of the V8 Vantage.

Aston Martin’s recent history includes multiple GT class wins, such as the 2017 GTE Pro victory after a nail-biting fight with Chevrolet Corvette.

Today, Aston Martin joins the new Hypercar category with the Valkyrie, designed by Adrian Newey during his collaboration with Red Bull Racing. Featuring innovative aerodynamics and a naturally aspirated V12 engine, the Valkyrie is set to debut at the 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Aston Martin enters the new Hypercar category, debuting the Valkyrie at the 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans.