Aston Martin has unveiled another speedster though the DBR22 is just a concept. Intended to demonstrate the company’s latest technology and its in-house customizing house, Q by Aston Martin, the concept car is being displayed at Monterey Car Week. The automaker says that the DBR22 Concept was inspired by its racing heritage. Specifically, the design pays tribute to the 1952 DB3S and the DBR1, which won Le Mans in 1959 with Carroll Shelby and Roy Salvadori behind the wheel.
Featuring a brand-new body, the design
team wanted to minimize the number of body panels used in order to create a
more sculpted, muscular appearance. Its grille, meanwhile, features a new carbon
fiber design whose two vertical slats bisected by a single horizontal slat
design was inspired by the race cars mentioned above. The DBR22 isn’t all about
looking backwards, though.
That cutting edge technology comes in the
form of how this speedster manages the air around it. From its thin side mirror
stalks, to the perforated panel under the headlights that allows hot air to
exit the rear of the car and works in concert with the diffuser to provide
downforce for the speedster. In addition, the company used 3D printing for the
first time on this one-off concept. The method was used to print the parts that
make up the rear subframe. Formed out of aluminum, the novel technology allowed
Aston Martin’s engineers to reduce the weight of the unit significantly without
reducing stiffness. That was important, because ensuring that this was a
driver’s car was important to the team.
Power comes from a 5.2-liter, twin-turbo
V12 that has a peak output of 705 hp and 753 Nm of
torque. The engine is paired to an eight-speed automatic transmission that uses
something called torque-shaping to improve how the car delivers its force to
the road. Capable of hitting 96 km/h from a standstill in 3.4 seconds
and run onto a top speed of 319 km/h, it’s certainly powerful. Thanks
to that new rear subframe, adaptive dampers, and a pinned steering column that
brings greater accuracy to the handling, Aston Martin promises that the DBR22
is a track weapon, just like its forebears. Unfortunately, as a concept, few
are likely to find out just what that performance feels like. Members of the
public can, however, see the car at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance from
Friday, August 19, to Sunday, August 21.
