The Excellent History of the 1956 Aston Martin DB3S

When David Brown acquired Aston Martin, one of his dreams for the marque was to win the Le Mans 24 Hours. The resultant DB3 wasn’t quite up to the job, with engineer AG Watson clear where the car’s problems lay. He turned to Aston Martin’s competition director in a bid to avoid internal politics and get the car up the grid, and fast.

The result was the DB3S, a car that though similar, was notably more compact, while the engine was bored out to a shade under 3.0 litres. Initially, this was sufficient for around 180bhp, rising to a more competitive 225bhp with the later introduction of dual spark plugs.

The DB3S would never win at Le Mans, but this car, DBS3/9, pictured at Concours of Elegance 2023, came the closest. Alongside DBS3/10, it was among the last cars built and raced by the factory, and reflected regulation changes brought in by the horrific events at Le Mans in 1955. These amounted to two seats, a full-width windscreen and a passenger door.

The DB3S/9 was completed for the Rouen Grand Prix, but would end in ruin for driver Peter Collins, when the engine blew. Collins then teamed up with Stirling Moss for the 1956 Le Mans 24 Hours. The duo battled for the lead with the Works Jaguar D-type of Ninian Sanderson and Ron Flockhart through the wet conditions, but the unfortunate loss of second gear in the morning meant they’d still win their class, but had to settle for second overall.

It would continue to race through the season, with Moss bagging victory at Oulton Park and Roy Salvadori netting second at Goodwood. In 1957, Tony Brooks took it to third in the Sussex Trophy at Goodwood’s Easter Monday meeting.

The car was completely overhauled and fitted with a DBRI-type radiator and oil cooler, and shipped to Australian Land Speed Record holder David McKay. He took the car to victory on its debut at Bathurst, the start of a dominating season that saw eight victories. It would then pass through a couple of owners, before being parked up on Ray Barfield’s farm in Perth. It would stay there for 25 years, being used by hens to roost in. Barfield finally sold the car to historic car dealer Kerry Manolas in 1988, who dispatched it to Auto Restorations of Christchurch, New Zealand, to have it rebuilt and switched from McKay’s red finish to Aston’s original British Racing Green.

The car returned to the UK in 1990 for a Robert Brooks auction, but failed to sell, spending a year in a bonded warehouse at Heathrow before finding its current custodian.