DP215/1
Another true GT prototype and therefore successor to DP212, it incorporated the lessons learned from the earlier car. It was also intended to carry the Tadek Marek designed V8, 5 litre V8 which later appeared in the Lola Aston T70 MkIII, and in much modified/refined form in the road cars. Never fitted with V8, it made do with a dry sump 4-litre version of the well proven 6 cylinder, with twin plug head. More contentiously, it was also fitted with weakest link from the older and lower powered DBR1/300, its CG537 5 speed transaxle; clearly a big mistake and one admitted by John Wyer! Visually, and dimensionally, the body was as for the 214s but with a flatter bonnet line enabled by the dry sump engine. Fitted with engine no. 400/215/1
1963 – Le Mans – Retired in the early part of the third hour from transaxle failure. It had briefly led and then settled into second for some time (Phil Hill/Lucien Bianchi).
Rheims Cup – retired from the lead after 4 laps – missed gear led to over revving and bent valves (Schlesser).
Then rebuilt with more conventional transmission which allowed the fitting of the S532 5-speed box from DP212.
1966 - Very severely damaged in a road accident on the M1 (when it carried the reg. no ENP246B).
19?? – Rebuilt using a spare (214?) body from the factory and a DB6 engine, as the original engine had by then been fitted to DP214 (DB4GT/0194/R – see above). The S532 box had gone missing (back to 212? – see later notes) and it is thought that at this time a ZF box, similar to those fitted to the V8 road cars was used to keep the car running.
1982 – Acquired by Nigel Dawes who fitted engine no. 1293/420/2 (4.2 litre) taken from the Indianapolis Cooper Aston.
1991 – Long restoration completed and the car appeared at a number of public events, but not raced (Dawes). Was it then that te car acquired the reg. no. XMO 88?
1995 – Goodwood Festival of Speed (Dawes)
1996 – Acquired by A. J . Smith and again appeared at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, where it is seen below. The second photo shows all three of the surviving reunited at that event with 212 nearest the camera, then 214 and 215 furthest:-
1998 – Goodwood Festival of Speed (Earl of Arundel)
Silverstone – Coys – Crashed in practice (Smith)
2000 - Goodwood TT Revival – 15th (Smith/Joachim Folch)
2002? – Acquired by Neil Corner, who then went to the great expense of having a brand new S532 gearbox built from scratch by Crosthwaite and Gardner, using the box from 212 as the basis!
2006 – Appeared at the Goodwood Revival as part of the tribute to Phil Hill (driven I believe by Nigel Corner, who was certainly there as I had the privilege of speaking briefly to him about the car). See below:-
The visual difference is shown here. The first shows 212 at last year’s Goodwood Revival in very gloomy conditions. The profile is unique.
This is 215, again at last year’s Goodwood Revival, in the Phil Hill Commemoration demonstration run. It shares profile with the surviving 214 and 214 Replicas. Just to be picky, I prefer the 212 front end and the 215 rear end!
Notes
1) John Wyer quotes 323 bhp @ 6000rpm for the 1963 Le Mans
2) All these cars were genuinely quick, and both 214 and 215, were the first cars officially recorded as exceeding 300kph (186 mph) down the Mulsanne. However, 215 was the quickest of all. Phil Hill, in practice had been timed at 319.6kph (198.6 mph) and Ted Cutting, her designer, is certain that 215 had, in fact, exceeded 200mph since the timing was recorded before the cars had reached their maximum speed or the braking area. A fairly sobering thought particularly when it is noted that Hill described the car as light and controllable at such speeds.
3) It has to be recorded that, in stark contrast to the two 214s, 215 had the correct pistons fitted for the 1963 Le Mans race, and it’s failure was due to the transaxle transmission, the known Achilles heel, and it defies any logical explanation that it should ever have been incorporated in this car in the first place. Aston did seem to have an extraordinary ability to shoot themselves in the feet.
4) On a more personal note, I have to say that these cars are probably my favourite of all competition cars, and I therefore apologise for my indulgence in the implied ‘what might have been’. It has been a true labour of love, but if anyone has any comments, challenges or additional information to provide, please do so.
Sources:- AMOC, 'Aston' - Journal of the Aston Martin Heritage Trust, 'Aston Martin - The Post-War Competition Cars' by Anthony Pritchard, 'Racing with the David Brown Aston Martin' Volume 1, by John Wyer (with Chris Nixon), Autosport and various Goodwood Revival Race programmes!