1954 Aston Martin DB3S

I took this photograph in the paddock at the Vintage Sports Car Club's Richard Seaman Memorial Trophies meeting at Oulton Park in June 1970.

It's a 1954 Aston Martin DB3S, registration number 63 EMU which is chassis DB3S/7, one of the Aston Martin Works Cars. In 1970 this car was owned by Patrick Lindsay who drove his ERA R5B 'Remus' at this meeting.

1954 Aston Martin DB3S

This car took part in the HGPCA Sports Car Race at the Christie's International Historic Festival meeting at Silverstone in July 1992.

It's Simon Draper's 1954 Aston Martin DB3S, chassis DB3S/7. This car has the straight-6 Lagonda 2,992cc engine and was originally built with a coupe body as part of the works Aston Martin sports car team. Peter Collins and Prince Bira shared the driving in this car in the 1954 Le Mans 24 hour race, but it was severely damaged in an accident after 13 hours when being driven by Prince Bira, who escaped with cuts and bruises. The car was rebuilt for the start of the 1955 season with an open body and for 1956 received the new nose, as seen above, then was sold off by the works at the end of that season. A note in the programme of the event says:

'There are two DB3S Aston Martins in the field. Simon Draper's is one of the very successful works cars, winner of the 1955 Goodwood Nine Hours race and a string of lesser events, and has been raced more or less regularly ever since.'

Aston Martin DB3S

This car took part in the 'Pre-War Sports Cars with Feltham Aston Martins' race at the Aston Martin Owners Club's meeting at Oulton Park in September 1992.

It's Simon Draper at Lodge Corner in his 1954 Aston Martin DB3S, chassis DB3S/7. This car has the straight-6 Lagonda 2,992cc engine and was originally built with a coupe body as part of the works Aston Martin sports car team. Peter Collins and Prince Bira shared the driving in this car in the 1954 Le Mans 24 hour race, but it was severely damaged in an accident after 13 hours when being driven by Prince Bira, who escaped with cuts and bruises. The car was rebuilt for the start of the 1955 season with an open body and for 1956 received the new nose, as seen above, then was sold off by the works at the end of that season.

Aston Martin DB3S

This car took part in two races at the Aston Martin Owners Club's Autumn Historic Car Races meeting at Oulton Park in September 1993.

It's a 2,992cc straight-6 1954 Aston Martin DB3S, chassis DB3S/7, which originally had a coupe body. After an accident in the 1954 Le Mans 24 Hour race it was rebuilt with an open body and remained part of the Aston Martin works team for the 1955 and 1956 seasons, the nose being rebuilt as seen here before the start of the 1956 season. It was driven at this meeting by Simon Draper.

Here's Simon Draper at Foulstons chicane during the first of his races.

On 9 February 2015 I showed a photograph showing the four cars of the Aston Martin team, including DB3S/7, at the Daily Herald International Trophy meeting at Oulton Park in 1956.

Rainy Day at Oulton Park

I took this photograph of two Aston Martins in the paddock at Oulton Park on a very wet day at the Aston Martin Owners Club's Autumn Historic Car Races meeting in September 1992.

On the right is Simon Draper's straight six 2,992cc 1954 Aston Martin DB3S, chassis #DB3S/7. Originally built with a coupe body but was rebuilt with an open body after an accident in the 1954 Le Mans 24 Hour race. The car on the left is a straight six 3,670cc 1960 Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato, the first one built, and it's chassis #200R. On 23 January 2016 I showed a photograph of this car that I'd taken at Silverstone in 2010.

Aston Martin DB3S

This is another of those old 1950s photographs, this time from the Daily Herald International Trophy meeting at Oulton Park on 18 August 1956.

Aston Martin entered a team of four of the DB3S models and No. 8 is the car with which Stirling Moss won the race, here being topped-up with fuel prior to the race. Immediately behind it (No. 10) is Reg Parnell's car which finished third, and beyond that No. 12 is the car with which Roy Salvadori finished fourth. To the right, seen through the bars of the gate is the No. 14 car of Tony Brooks which finished in second place. The car driven by Stirling Moss was chassis number DB3S/9, Parnell's was DB3S/7, Salvadori's DB3S/6, and that of Tony Brooks DB3S/8.