While sports cars have become sleeker, faster, and more complex than ever, one thing hasn't changed since Aston left the racing
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| Motorsports experts Prodrive, which competes in the WRC with Subaru, and is headed by BAR's F1 team principal David Richards, developed the DBR9. (Photo: Aston Martin) |
To build a machine capable of staying ahead of the competition, Aston Martin's racing division called upon motorsports experts Prodrive, the same group that competes in the World Rally Championship with Subaru, headed up by none other than Formula 1 competitor BAR's team principal David Richards, to plan and develop the DBR9. To comply with the FIA and other motorsport governing bodies, Aston Martin had to obey several rules to be considered eligible for entry into the sanctioned events. One of the rules is that the cars entered must be based on a production vehicle, therefore it was required that the road-going DB9's chassis be used as a backbone for the DBR9 racer. The high-strength aluminum
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| Apart from the chassis, undercarriage and engine, the car is essentially a hand-built machine with the single goal of winning races. (Photo: Aston Martin) |
Aside from these three components, the rest of the car is essentially a hand-built machine with the single goal of winning races. Its overall body shape is very similar to the production DB9, featuring the same flowing lines and graceful haunches. What might not be as noticeable is that the body panels have been crafted from lightweight carbon fiber rather than aluminum. The DBR9 also features an aerodynamics package tuned via computational fluid dynamics, consisting of a flat undertray, a gigantic carbon fiber rear spoiler, plus front and rear diffusers to keep the car glued to the road, regardless of speed.