H.R. Owen's Aston Martin dealership in Cheltenham has welcomed two of the first '59 Edition' models to its showroom. The ultra rare cars were commissioned by the Gloucestershire dealership to celebrate Aston Martin’s historic 1-2 finish at the 1959 24 Hours of Le Mans with the historic DBR1 racer.
Just 24 DBS Superleggera 59 Editions have been made, while the last 59 Vantage AMRs have got the 59 Edition treatment too. The example of each at Aston Martin Cheltenham are both owned by the same customer, who wanted to give staff and visitors a rare chance to see both models side-by-side.
What are these like on the road?
The DBS 59 finished in Aston Martin Racing Green, a hue created to look just like that of the DBR1. On the DBS there are bronze details inspired by the bronze switches and dials in the '50s racer, like the ‘Superleggera’ bonnet badging and gear shift paddles. There's also a bespoke front grille and 21- inch forged Y spoke satin duotone wheels.
The DBS also benefits from the same weave in its seats as the DBR1, with a '59 Edition' logo embroidered onto the seatback, and a specially designed headlining now includes a period image from the 1959 24 Hours of Le Mans race of Roy Salvadori and Carroll Shelby driving the DBR1 to victory.
The Vantage 59 is a more driver-focussed machine and is fitted with an advanced seven-speed manual gearbox and carbon ceramic brakes. the paintwork is a similar Stirling Green with lime accents, while inside there's a Dark Knight leather and alcantara interior.
"Aston Martin’s rich history gives us the material to create exciting projects like DBS 59 and Vantage 59 – both created to commemorate our historic 1-2 win in 1959 at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the historic DBR1," said Simon Lane, director special projects at Aston Martin's Q personalisation division and VIP sales. "We have a wonderful team at Q by Aston Martin who have the creativity and the engineering prowess to create outstanding limited edition design projects that are imbued with significance and meaning."
"It is always a delight when customers and dealerships support these initiatives – they take many hours of hard work, on top of the hours of handcraftsmanship that go into our core sportscar range."
Gallery: Aston Martin 59 Editions at Aston Martin Cheltenham