The company had been inspired by touring cars for years and in 1923 the company introduced two modified versions of its cars in the French Grand Prix. Over the years the quality of the cars grew, but it wasn’t until David Brown took over the company in 1947 when the company seriously got into the field of auto racing.

Over the years there were many Aston Martin cars used in auto racing events. The biggest success for the company in its early years of racing was in 1959 when a DBR1 won the Le Mans 24 Hours endurance race and the World Sports Car Championship title.

Although a number of cars were used in racing during the twentieth century it wasn’t until 2004 that Aston Martin truly got back into the field of racing when it partnered with Prodrive to create the DBR9. This is a racing version of the company’s DB9 that featured a 6.0L V12 engine and a flat bottom for aerodynamic purposes. Carbon fibre materials are also used to help with reduce the car’s weight.

In recent years Aston Martin has also returned to endurance racing. This is where cars typically compete with teams of drivers in races that last about twelve to twenty-four hours. In 2007 Aston Martin brought a DBR9 to the Le Mans 24 Hours race and won in the GT1 class. The 009 DBR9, which is a variant of the vehicle with fuel economy in mind, won in the GT1 class in the 2008 Le Mans race.

Aston Martin is the only company in auto racing that has a car in all GT levels. The DBR9 is used in the GT1 class. The GT2 class features the Vantage GT2, the GT3 level has the DBRS9 and the GT4 class has the Vantage GT4. These are all variants of common Aston Martin cars.

The GT is a common term that is mentioned in the realms of racing. GT stands for Gran Turismo or Grand Touring. GT sports car racing has a long history, and its popularity has grown in recent years. Racing car designs are based on standard two-seater and coupe road models and sometimes these models drive on the public roads to get to different race venues.. But, after some significant re-working and the introduction of high performance modifications, the cars are capable of racing over long distances; anywhere between 200 and 3000 miles.

Alex West is a luxury car enthusiast. To find out more about Aston Martin cars and their legacy at http://www.experienceastonmartin.co.uk/aston-martin-racing.php

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