This is the 1952 Aston Martin DB3/5 - Villa d'Este 2025

During the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este I filmed this 1952 Aston Martin DB3/5. In 1947, Aston Martin was put up for sale in ‘The Times’ newspaper. British industrialist David Brown acquired the company and his initials continue to adorn the model names of today. The first all-new racing sports car of the ‘DB’ era was the Aston Martin DB3. It was developed in 1952 under the aegis of Dr Robert Eberan von Eberhorst, a former Auto Union Grand Prix team engineer. The only unit already in existence was the 2.6 litre Lagonda six-cylinder engine with two overhead camshafts. The power unit was developed by W.O. Bentley and initially produced around 140 hp. The lightweight alloy body was designed by Frank Feeley in a svelte, almost sober style and it proved to have extremely efficient aerodynamic properties in wind-tunnel tests. The new car debuted in the International Daily Express Trophy held at Silverstone in May 1952. Aston Martin entered four works cars and had a podium sweep with a 1-2-3 finish in the 3 litre class with drivers Reg Parnell, George Abecassis and Lance Macklin, who drove the Chassis 5 shown here. Macklin piloted the Aston Martin DB3/5 again at the Monaco Grand Prix on 2nd June 1952. In that particular year, the race was held for sports cars and not for the Formula 2 monopostos. At Le Mans, Chassis 5 was on its way to third place with Lance Macklin and a young Peter Collins at the wheel but after 230 laps they abandoned the race with brake failure. Arguably, the DB3/5’s finest hour came when the car won the Goodwood 9 Hours in August 1952, battling against challenging competition in the form of the Jaguar C-Types and the new Ferrari 225s. Peter Collins and Pat Griffith kept out of trouble and secured a magnificent victory for Aston Martin. Chassis 5 campaigned as a works car at two more races in the first World Sports Car Championship in 1953. Reg Parnell and George Abecassis piloted the car to second place overall and achieved a class victory in the 12 Hours of Sebring in another outstanding success. The Mille Miglia was to be the swan-song race for Chassis 5. The race came to an end for Abecassis and Griffith after the checkpoint in Rome when the steering broke and they crashed. This was the last works outing for this highly successful Aston Martin racing car. Only ten Aston Martin DB3s were ever built and in the contemporary world the contribution of these cars to the glory days of the brand is wildly underestimated. James Bond might never have driven an Aston Martin without them and their illustrious successes. Join my Notification Squad: click the Bell 🔔 Make sure you like and comment the video, but also subscribe to the channel! *Michael - Automotive Mike* Socials: ➡️ https://www.facebook.com/AutomotiveMike ➡️ https://www.instagram.com/automotive_mike