Design Aston Martin DBR4

the cockpit of aston martin dbr4, showing generous proportions of chassis , details of spaceframe construction.

building on aston martin s established road car , sports racer template, chassis of dbr4 conventional spaceframe structure, skinned aluminium bodywork. beneath skin dbr4 s basic design closely related db3s sports car of 1956, ancillary components more tightly packaged enclose them in smaller, single-seater body. although manufacturers had started use wind-tunnel testing racing cars, such bristol 450, aerodynamics science still in infancy road vehicles concerned. result of this, although dbr4 s bodywork appeared svelte , streamlined, effect ruined decision mount large air intake on side of bonnet, , install relatively tall, near-vertical windscreen.

suspension handled double wishbones coil springs , telescopic dampers @ front, , de dion tube system torsion bar springs @ rear. while arrangement had been state-of-the-art in years of 1950s, time dbr4 made first public appearance racing car manufacturers moving all-round independent suspension, offering better handling, traction , road-holding older system employed @ rear of aston. dbr4 last new grand prix car use de dion system. same suspension system adapted dbr3 sports car being developed @ same time dbr4, abandoned less year later when dbr3 considered failure. bring car halt, girling disc brakes fitted round.

the dbr4 shared basic double overhead camshaft straight-6 aston martin engine design brethren, sleeved reduce capacity 2.5-litres. although tadek marek s design reliable , powerful unit in 3.7-litre road car form, reduced capacity racing motor hard-pressed cope heavy chassis , poor aerodynamics, , frequent engine failures blighted dbr4 s brief racing career. aston martin claimed 280 bhp (210 kw) output dbr4 s engine. however, common practice @ time overquote engine power, , more realistic value closer 250 bhp (190 kw). value still higher provided coventry climax fpf straight-4, used contemporary manufacturers such lotus , cooper, aston martin engine weighed appreciably more. engine drove rear wheels through proprietary david brown gearbox, provided aston martin s owners.

a total of 4 aston martin dbr4/250s built between 1957 , 1959, 3 surviving date. recognising failings, aston martin race team reworked dbr4 dbr5 1960 season. dbr5 smaller , lighter, , engine modifications meant power output close figure claimed aston martin workshop. dbr5 boasted all-independent suspension, results did not improve of dbr4 , both dbr5s broken up.