The Old Diocesan Issue 12 - Magazine - Page 91
BOOKS
L
ondon-based Palawan Press,
headed by Simon Draper
(1967F), has produced some
of the most beautiful automotive
books of the past decade – and its
latest, The Aston Martin Project GT
Racing Cars, teams Aston Martin
historian Stephen Archer with
motorsport writer David Tremayne
to explore a seminal period in
motorsport history. For those who
know a little about Simon (see our
profile of him in Issue 1), it is, of
course, fitting that he’s involved;
he has been described, by Motor
Sport, as having “the world’s best
collection of Aston Martins”.
In 1959, Aston Martin reached
the height of its motorsport
achievements with triumphs
for DBR1 cars in the Le Mans 24
Hours, along with overall victory at
the World Sportscar Championship
ahead of Porsche and Ferrari. With
these successes, owner David
Brown had achieved his two great
ambitions, and his racing team’s
reputation was fully established.
Brown returned to sports car
racing three years later with a
series of much faster GT racing
coupes. These four pure, and now
famous, “Project” cars – a DP212,
two DP214s and a DP215 – were
derived from the humble DB4.
Although they raced with mixed
success, competing in only eight
major events, they gained a
notable victory at Monza in 1963,
beating Ferrari’s iconic GTO on
its home ground to win the Coppa
Inter-Europa. They played a crucial
role in spurring the progress of GT
cars globally – not least at Ferrari,
which was quick to recognise them
as a threat and respond accordingly.
Despite these achievements,
and despite their impact on the
development of motorsport, the
Project cars have been significantly
under-represented in motor-racing
literature. Until now, that is.
Archer and Tremayne take
the most meticulously researched
look yet at the very special Project
cars of 1962 and 1963, and the vital
Project cars that preceded them
– the lightweight DB4 GTs and
Zagatos. They reveal the dramatic
track stories, and explore how the
cars were created and raced – and
what became of them afterwards.
While Archer focuses on the genesis
of the Project cars, as well as their
design, build, development and
technical specifications, Tremayne
considers their racing history and
track stories, including Brown’s
final throw of the racing dice, the
AM prototype V8 engine (installed
in the rear of the Lola T70 MkIII GT).
The authors’ knowledge of the
subject and love for the marque
are evident on every page, setting
this up to be the definitive work
on the final appearance of Aston
Martin on the world motor-racing
stage. Simon Draper approves.
The Aston Martin Project GT Racing Cars is available in a standard limited
edition of 250 copies, starting from £1,000; a leather-bound edition of 50
numbered copies, each including a signed print (“214” by Stuart Brill), starting
from £1,750; and the very exclusive “Chassis” edition. The latter is limited to 15
copies; each represents a different Project car, and has been styled, foiled and
numbered according to each car’s unique chassis number. See palawan.co.uk.
This Aston Martin DP214, one
of only two, belongs to Simon
Draper (above). Here it races at
Goodwood Revival, West Sussex
in 2011, driven by his son Julien.
