Aston Martin DB3 and DB3S sports car
Aston Martin DB3 and DB3S – A close look at this sports car including used performance, technical data, features, rivals comparison, history and prices.
from classic to modern
The Aston Martin DB3
CAR
The final evolution of the DB2 sports car, which was introduced in 1950, took the form of the DB2 / 4 Mark 3, production of which ended in 1959.
Although based on the DB2, the two-seater Aston Martin DB3, launched in 1951, was the pure racing variant of which, by 1953, a total of ten cars had been built.
The first five riders were assigned as factory cars, while the remaining five were sold on the open market.
His racing debut was the 1951 Tourist Trophy, during which he was forced to retire.
In 1952, the factory DB3s, equipped with the 2.6-liter engine, finished second to fourth at Silverstone against stiff competition from Ferrari and Jaguar’s C-Type.
In all, the sports car DB3 was not successful on the track as, in most cases, it was forced to retire for various reasons.
The only major car victory for Aston Martin was the 1952 Goodwood 9-hour race.
THE MOTOR
The first DB3 was powered by a six-liter, inline six-cylinder DOHC engine, like that of the DB2 Vantage, developing 140 bhp at 5,200 rpm and producing a top speed of 131 mph, with 0-60 mph in 8.6 seconds.
Coming to an 8.2: 1 compression, it was equipped with a David Brown five-speed manual gearbox, had drum brakes throughout, and an aluminum body on a tubular steel chassis.
However, the 2.6-liter unit was soon found to be inadequate and, in mid-1952, it was replaced by the larger 2.9-liter engine, producing 165 hp.
A small number of DB3s were also produced as a coupe variant.
The Aston Martin DB3S
CAR
Due to its weight, the DB3 turned out to be uncompetitive.
However, introduced in 1953, the two-seater DB3S sports car was the lightweight version of the DB3, equipped with a shorter wheelbase and a lighter chassis.
By the time production ended in 1956, a total of 31 DB3S had been built, of which 11 were the factory variant (as two fixed head coupes and 9 open top), with the remaining 20 being sold to customers (as 3 fixed head coupes and 17 open tops).
The coupe variant was more aerodynamic and with less drag than the open top, thus producing a higher top speed.
Unfortunately, it tended to be less stable at high speed, as a result of additional lift.
In 1954, both factory coupes were fitted with 225 hp engines, which were later modified, by adding a supercharger, to develop an additional 15 hp.
However, the instability caused both cars to crash at Le Mans that year.
Returning to the open-top variant, the DB3S took second place at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1955 and 1956, with Stirling Moss at the wheel in the final race.
The DB3S was succeeded by the enigmatic DBR1, which won at Le Mans in 1959.
THE MOTOR
The 2.9-liter, DOHC, inline six now developed 210 bhp at 6000 rpm and produced a top speed of 145 mph.
With a compression of 8.7: 1, it was equipped with a David Brown four-speed manual close ratio gearbox, three Weber double-choke carburettors, disc brakes throughout, and its aluminum body produced a weight in 914 kg empty.
COMPETENCE
The main competitors of the Aston Martin DB3S were the following sports cars: Jaguar C-Type and Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa
SPORTS CARS FOR SALE
One of the DB3S was auctioned with a value close to 4 million dollars.
This concludes my Aston Martin DB2 sports car review