The rarest Aston Martin is the Aston Martin DBR1/1, which is so exclusive that a buyer was willing to pay a record-breaking price to get their hands on it.
The high-end carmaker likes to keep its cars as exclusive as they are beautiful.
This means that there are several rare models out there, but the rarest of them all is the Aston Martin DBR1 chassis number one.
In 2017, the car set a new record for the most expensive British-made car ever.
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The Aston Martin DBR1/1
Aston Martin has more than its fair share of rare and valuable vehicles, including the 2020 Aston Martin Victor and the Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato Shooting Brake, of which only 11 were made.
But, the rarest Aston Martin has to be the Aston Martin DBR1/1.
Designed by Ted Cutting and built in the 1950s, the DBR1 was created to compete in the World Sportscar Championships.
The DBR1/1 was fitted with a 2.5-liter engine and took part in the non-championship 1956 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Sadly, it had a gearbox failure after 246 laps.
Undeterred, the DBR1/1 was back the following year, this time with a more powerful 3.0-liter engine – but it wasn’t a winner that year, either.
In fact, it was actually the DBR1/2 – completed in 1957 – that would go on to win the 1959 24 Hours of Le Mans, marking the marque’s only outright win in the endurance race.
The DBR1/1, on the other hand, did claim one of the three consecutive 100km Nürburgring wins the marque amassed between 1957 to 1959.
The rarest Aston Martin in the world
Only five DBR1s were ever built, making them incredibly rare and desirable.
During its racing career, the DBR1/1 was driven by racing legends including Roy Salvadori, Stirling Moss, Jack Brabham, Carroll Shelby, Jim Clark, and Bruce McLaren.
The DBR1 was a groundbreaking racing car, incorporating advancements in aerodynamics and engine technology.
The DBR1/1 was made in 1956, followed by four more: the DBR1/2, the DBR1/3, the DBR1/4, and the DBR1/5.
After the 1962 season, all of the DBR1s were retired from racing and eventually found their way into the hands of private collectors or museums.
DBR1/3 is on proud display at the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, while chassis number four ended up making an appearance in the 1959 film adaptation of The Sound and the Fury.
But the original – DBR1/1 – went on to set a world record, decades after it was launched.
The classic car went up for sale at Monterey Car Week in California in 2017 and was sold by RM Sotheby’s for $22.5 million, making it the most expensive British-made car ever sold at auction.
Prior to its 2017 sale, the previous owner had an exact replica of the DRB1/1’s engine made – both the original engine and the newer one were sold when the car was bought for $22.5 million.
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