Aston Martin debuts LMP1 cars: 50 years of aesthetic decline

Oh, this is going to be big. To commemorate the Aston Martin company’s only overall win at Le Mans in 1959 –- and to help sell a bunch of dirty-hot sports cars in the process -– the automaker will go for the overall win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June. Though this was an open secret in racing circles, this week the company released images of the Lola-chassis’ed LMP1 cars with traditional orange-and-blue Gulf Oil livery. Very shagadelic. The LMP1 cars –- P1 cars, for short -– will be powered by the same V12 engine that was under the hood of Aston’s GT1-winning cars for the last two years. To focus maximum “energy” (read: money) on the P1 effort, Aston will not field a works team to defend the GT1 title.

The P1 works program sets up a high-stakes showdown between the gasoline-powered Aston Martins and diesel-powered entries from Peugeot and Audi. For those just getting, shall we say, up to speed: The Audi R10 TDI diesels are undefeated in three years at Le Mans. In 2007 and 2008, Peugeot fielded smoking-hot diesel-powered P1 cars of its own, which were quicker per lap than the Audis, but ultimately met with bad luck. The success of diesel racing cars has been held up as an example of the performance possibilities of more environmentally friendly technology. However, the race organizers have been under pressure to minimize, by rule, the inherent mileage advantage of diesel engines. The new rules come into force this year.

And so the shootout with the gas-powered Aston Martins takes on symbolic, even political overtones, as the classic high-revving performance of gasoline competes against the long-legged endurance of diesel.

"Racing has been, and still is, at the heart of Aston Martin," said Ulrich Bez, Aston Martin's chief executive. "Our cars today are subtle, elegant and handcrafted, but they still have the genes for competition.... We will put all our heart and skill behind this project to demonstrate the essence of Aston Martin: power, beauty and soul."

Speaking of Bez, a few years ago I had the pleasure of being taken around a racetrack in the right seat of Aston Martin’s Le Mans-winning DBR1 (pictured) with Bez at the controls. Bez is a skilled driver and the DBR1 -– a race car of half-century vintage -– scared the hell out of me. It is also one of the most beautiful competition cars ever made, in the same class as the Ferrari 250 Testarossa, Jaguar D Type and first-generation Bentley Speed 8.

So, compare and discuss? If pretty were speed, the old car would leave the new car for dead.

-- Dan Neil

Photos: Aston Martin, astonmartins.com

Comments

[matt]

all this makes the aston seem a sort of splendid anachronism right dwn to the gulf, "livery" colours. dan neil is cool.

[Dan Fredman PR]

I prefer the design of the DBR-1 to any of its peers that you mentioned (but you left out the Maserati Tipo 61 Birdcage?) but can also appreciate the relative beauty in Aston's current P1 entry. I don't see it so much as "50 years of aesthetic decline" as much as I see it as "50 years of aesthetic evolution". Over and above their use as PR/marketing tools, these cars were both built to win Le Mans, and as the race has changed so too have the design requirements of the cars.

[David]

I would love to see the Aston and the Peugeot at the ALMS race at Long Beach. Alas...

And Dan Neil IS cool. Tho I've never met him in person, haha.

[Jerry]

Diesels are more "environmentally friendly," huh? I guess they are if you consider spewing formaldehyde into the air environmentally friendly. Just because the EPA doesn't measure any other emissions than CO, CO2, HC and NOX doesn't mean diesels don't pollute as much or more.

[Sean]

All p1 cars arent exactly beautiful

[John]

It just does not seem right to see a racing car other than a Porsche in the Gulf Oil livery.

[pitbullstew]

Tally-HO!

[Shawn Casey]

Cool Car

[paolo]

Diesel and gasoline engines produce very fine particulate pollution (smaller than 2 microns) that cause cancer.

[Bryan]

The DBR1 is awesome. I also like the "D" type, "C" type, and the XJS. Jaguar graced the mid century with some beautiful cars. Gulf colors definitely belong on a Porsche. Ruby Rod say, "It must be green!"

[mr. rollers]

"It just does not seem right to see a racing car other than a Porsche in the Gulf Oil livery."

John, perhaps you are unaware that the first cars to use the Gulf livery were Ford GT-40s in 1967?

http://www.gt40gulfliverycars.com/thecars.html

[LPB]

mr. rollers, I think John was referring moreso to iconography rather than pure facts or chronology.

Dan, I would be interested in hearing more about what was so terrifying about the trip in the DBR1.

Weaving around on the straight, braking (or lack thereof), no roll bar, steering wheel came off? What?
Or all of those?

C'mon, spill!

[AmbroseKalifornia]

Dan Neil is the man. I want to buy him a beer.

[matt]

you forgot the birdcage Maserati

[matt]

you forgot the Gulf Ford GT's....

[John Arnold]

Here's a YouTube link to the DBR1 driven by Stirling Moss...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NG37o0jRncw

[mr. rollers]

I'm certainly not trying to dispute the iconographic nature of the awesome Porsche 917s or John's feelings about them, just trying to provide a little historical perspective.

[Randy]

Do I care about the pollution from race cars? So what!

[Buckley]

I thought the DBR1 was right hand drive - wouldn't that put you in the left seat?