It’s the fanciest time of the automotive calendar as it is currently Monterey Car Week. Aston Martin is kicking off its campaign with a bespoke design concept that pays tribute to its rich racing heritage from the 1950s. Feast your eyes upon the gorgeous creation called the DBR22.
It is an open-top, no-windshield, two-seater V12 supercar. No, it’s not a special colour for the V12 Speedster. The DBR22 is a lot more and a lot prettier. Its coach-built body is heavily inspired by the DBR1 and DB3S racecars. There are a minimal number of carbon fibre body panels resulting in long sculpted shapes. The shape of the front grille is classic Aston, but the grille design is nothing like any of the brand’s modern offerings. The bonnet sports many curves, creases and a horseshoe-shaped vent stretching to the wind-deflector in front of the passengers.
This gorgeous design concept also features retro-inspired 14-spoke 21-inch lightweight wheels with a centre-lock hub. It’s still not as cool as the spindly wheels on the racecars from decades gone by.
Around the back, you can fall in love with the uninterrupted surfaces of the DBR22. The nacelles from behind the headrests to smooth the airflow over the sloping rear end. While the single strip of light running across the entire width of the rear fascia is commonplace, the design on the DBR22 is quite special. The rear fascia still has notable hints of the Aston design language as seen on the Vantage V12. Here, the large centrally-position twin exhausts are housed below a rather discrete rear diffuser. The rear panel below the taillights is perforated to let out hot air from the tail end.
Below the surface, the DBR22 debuts a new structural technology from Aston Martin. It has a 3D-printed rear subframe with multiple parts printed from aluminium and then bonded together. This manufacturing process allows for parts to be lighter without any loss of stiffness, and in low volumes. The DBR22 has plenty of unique panels and components for increased torsional rigidity with bespoke calibration for the adaptive dampers.
The long bonnet of the DBR22 houses a 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12 and churns out 715PS and 753Nm. It is mated to an 8-speed automatic and has a claimed 0-69kph time of 3.4 seconds.
Even though the DBR22 design pays tribute to Aston Martin’s racecar heritage, it’s not a true track toy. Its cockpit is a place of luxury with plenty of leather and carbon fibre. The DBR22 has an all-new dashboard but details like the air vents, displays and the central console seem to be the same as we saw in the V12 Speedster.
This design concept was made to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the British marque’s specialist division, Q by Aston Martin. The DBR22 will make its public debut at Pebble Beach Concours D’Elegance this weekend. We expect this open-top gentleman’s racecar will end up being a bespoke model for one of Aston’s elite clientele. Just like the Victor.
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