The Aston Martin DB3 and later DB3S were racing cars built in the 1950s. Although they used some DB2

Aston Martin DB2

The Aston Martin DB2 is a sports car sold by Aston Martin from May 1950 through to April 1953. It was a major advancement over the 2-Litre Sports model it replaced, with a dual overhead cam straight-6 in place of the previously-used pushrod straight-4. The car featured a 2.6 L engine, and was...

 parts, they were quite different, being designed especially for racing. The original modifications were done by ex-Auto Union

Auto Union

Auto Union was an amalgamation of four German automobile manufacturers, founded in 1932 and established in 1936 in Chemnitz, Saxony, during the Great Depression. The company has evolved into present day Audi, as a subsidiary of Volkswagen Group....

 engineer, Eberan von Eberhorst

Eberan von Eberhorst

Professor Dr Robert Eberan von Eberhorst , was a noted Austrian engineer, who designed the Auto Union Type D Grand Prix racing car.-Life:...

, though others handled the later DB3S work.

DB3

The DB3 was introduced in 1951 with a 133 hp (99 kW) 2.6 L Lagonda

Lagonda Straight-6 engine

The Lagonda Straight-6 is a famous automobile engine used by Aston Martin and Lagonda marques in the 1950s. Designed by Walter Owen Bentley of Bentley Motors Limited, it vaulted Aston Martin to fame as a maker of desirable sports and racing cars.-History:...

straight-6

Straight-6

The straight-six engine or inline-six engine is a six-cylinder internal combustion engine with all six cylinders mounted in a straight line along the crankcase...

 engine from the DB2 Vantage. The car was unsuccessful, so a larger 2.9 L engine, producing 163 hp (122 kW), was introduced in June 1952. The car was placed 2nd, 3rd, and 4th at Silverstone

Silverstone Circuit

Silverstone Circuit is an English motor racing circuit next to the Northamptonshire villages of Silverstone and Whittlebury. The circuit straddles the Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire border, with the current main circuit entry on the Buckinghamshire side...

 May 1952 (in 2.6 ltr form) that year behind a Jaguar C-Type

Jaguar C-Type

The Jaguar C-Type is a racing sports car built by Jaguar and sold from 1951 to 1953. The "C" designation stood for "competition"....

. The cars were forced out of Le Mans

24 Hours of Le Mans

The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world's oldest sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since near the town of Le Mans, France. Commonly known as the Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency, race teams have to balance speed against the cars' ability to run for 24 hours without sustaining...

, but did claim the 9-hour race at Goodwood

Goodwood Circuit

Goodwood Circuit is an historic venue for both two- and four-wheeled motorsport in the United Kingdom. The 2.4 mile circuit is situated near Chichester, West Sussex, close to the south coast of England, on the estate of Goodwood House, and completely encircles Chichester/Goodwood Airport...

.

Chassis numbers

In total 10 DB3's were made between 1951 and 1953, with chassis numbers from DB3/1 to DB3/10. Cars 1 to 5 being used as works cars and cars 6 to 10 being sold as customer cars.

Coupé's

Several Aston Martin DB3's have received coupé style bodies over the years. Pictured left is Aston Martin DB3/7 Coupé at Silverstone Classic 2008

DB3S

The DB3S was a lighter version of the car, introduced in 1953. It was somewhat more successful, and was produced until 1956.

Originally two 'works' coupe

Coupé

A coupé or coupe is a closed car body style , the precise definition of which varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, and over time...

 versions were also built.

The DB3S was replaced in 1956 by the famed DBR1

Aston Martin DBR1

The Aston Martin DBR1 was a sports racing car built by Aston Martin starting in 1956, intended for the World Sportscar Championship as well as non-championship sportscar races at the time...

, which finally claimed Le Mans in 1959.