The Aston Martin DB1 – A Closer Look At This Sports Car Including Performance, Technical Data, Features, Rivals Comparison, History, Used Prices
from classic to modern
CAR
Aston Martin’s first sports car appeared in 1914.
In 1939, the Aston Martin Atom was introduced, a two-door, four-seater coupe, powered by a 2-liter four-cylinder SOHC engine with two Zenith carburettors.
In the early 1940s, this unit was replaced by a two-liter four-cylinder OHV engine, with two SU carburettors and a 7.25: 1 compression ratio.
Linked to a four-speed semi-automatic gearbox, it developed 90 hp at 4750 rpm.
There was independent front suspension and leaf springs at the rear with Armstrong hydraulic shock absorbers. Production of the Atom ended in 1944.
In 1947, it was decided to design a new car, but at the time, the company was in financial difficulty and needed a cash injection.
The story goes that when industrialist David Brown drove the Atom in 1947 he was so impressed that he bought the Aston Martin company, having already acquired the Lagonda company.
Using the Atom as a base, David Brown felt that a convertible or convertible coupe variant, with a long and wide body style, would be the most appropriate format for the production of the new car.
To withstand the additional stresses encountered when removing the roof section, the chassis would need additional reinforcement.
Although Lagonda had larger six-cylinder twin-cam reciprocating engines, it was decided to retain the same 2-liter unit, which was used in the Atom, and fitted with a fully synchronized four-speed David Brown manual gearbox.
It had a steel body, with a very distinctive three-part grille, on a steel chassis, with a curb weight of 1,140 kg.
It used Girling 12-inch hydraulic drum brakes on 16-inch wheels, worm and roller steer.
An intriguing design feature was the presence of a compartment in one of the front wings for storing the spare wheel.
The new sports car was dubbed the Two Liter Sports and was launched at the 1948 London Motor Show, when production would continue until the introduction of the DB2 in 1950, at which point the car would be given the alternate name Aston Martin DB1.
Unfortunately, the presence of a heavy, two-seater, convertible-style body, and an engine with modest power, made the car underpowered, which was reflected in the fact that only 13 units of the DB1 were built.
Furthermore, the chassis was only suitable for limited production, which meant that the car was expensive to produce and therefore not a profitable company.
THE ASTON MARTIN SPA CONVERTIBLE
Before the launch of the DB1 sports car, it was decided that, as a means of thoroughly testing the chassis and engine, the car would participate in the 1948 Belgian Spa 24-hour race.
The existing bodywork was replaced by a special version based on a small two-seater convertible.
As a result, the car won the race in full and was duly designated a Spa car.
After the race, this car was rebuilt and displayed alongside the DB1 at the 1948 London Motor Show.
However, this single replica of Spa, as it was known, failed to generate enough interest to justify actual production and was subsequently displayed in the Dutch Motor Museum.
COMPETENCE
The market in which the Aston Martin was launched included the following sports cars: Triumph 2000, Cisitalia 202 SMM Spider Nuvolari, Bristol 401 and Maserati A6.
This concludes my review of the Aston Martin DB1 sports car.
