Aston Martin DBR9 Chassis 102 (2005)

A very interesting story surrounds the second customer DBR9. It was purchased new by the wealthy Brazilian, Alcides Diniz, with the intention of being raced in South America under the Capuava Racing banner. Co-drivers were destined to be Paul Boesel, Pedro Lamy and Tony Kanaan. Sadly, due to the ill health and subsequent death of the owner, 102 was put on the market back in the UK during 2007 with only minimal test running and having never raced at all. The specification for the car was unique and featured an apparently more powerful 'D spec' race engine (+75bhp over the 2005 spec engine) with generous 34mm air restrictors. The standard DBR9 gearbox is combined with a pneumatically-operated semi-automatic paddle-shift gearchange system with a ‘throttle blipper’ to assist speedy down-changes. As delivered, 102 has a particularly high downforce aerodynamic package with an extended high-downforce front splitter balanced by a full-width high-downforce rear wing. Problem is, that with all these unique features, 102 was in need of some work before if could be eligible to race in either FIA or ACO sanctioned events.

102 plus a generous spares package has, for most of 2007, been offered for sale by Oakfields in Hampshire for a half a million pounds (plus VAT) and was also entered into the 2007 AM/Bonhams auction in Works Service where it failed to reach it's reserve.