2005 Aston Martin DBR9 Pilots: C. Fittipaldi, A. Garcia, J. Menten Team: Team Modena Race: 17th overall (10th in GT1) at Le Mans in 2007 Ixo - LMM 120 (diecast)
Published 12/22/18
Built by Prodrive under Aston Martin supervision, the DBR9 is based on Aston’s DB9 road model. It shared the chassis, engine block and cylinder heads with the DB9, but everything else was unique. The engine was a massive 5993 cm³ V12 with DOHC and 48 valves, with 625 hp of output. The body was also “race-specific”, consisting of carbon fiber composite panels. The car also received a lot of aerodynamic features, like a flat bottom from front to rear. To generate downforce, a carbon fiber wing was added to the rear. Combining the powerful V12 with aerodynamic aids allowed the DBR9 to go from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.4 seconds. And to get to 160 km/h it just needed three more seconds. Throughout its racing career the car didn’t evolve much. Except in 2007 when air-conditioning became mandatory, so the cooling ducts on the roof were deleted.
Chassis #101 rolled out of Prodrive in 2005. Team Modena bought the car in 2007, and raced it all over Europe until 2008. In the 24 Heures du Mans of 2007 it started 30th in the grid and finished in 17th. In its class (GT1), #59 managed a 10th place.
Maybe not THE best 2007 DBR9 to have (that would be the GT1 winner #009), but a looker nonetheless. Being honest I got it because the price was good, but the real car isn’t anything special. In scale it’s a pretty good model, what I would call a “great Ixo”. Not Spark-good but good enough.