‘The DP215 was the first car to break 300 km/h at Le Mans. Not bad for a British-built prototype held together by optimism and rivets.’
The Aston Martin DP215 should have been a Le Mans legend. A one-off racer hit 198.6 mph on the Mulsanne Straight—faster than any Ferrari.
But two hours into the race, a £5 gearbox part failed, ending Aston’s last factory, Le Mans bid.
Then, it vanished for 40 years. What happened next? Read on for the whole story.
The Legend of the Aston Martin DP215
The Final Factory Le Mans Aston (1963)
Commissioned for Le Mans 1963, DP215 was the last Aston Martin factory-built race car under David Brown’s ownership.
Designed by Ted Cutting, it was based on the DB4 GT chassis but lighter, faster, and more aerodynamic.
The Speed Demon
Powered by a 4.0-litre straight-six producing 326 bhp, the DP215 was built to beat Ferrari’s 250 GTO and 330 LMB.
At Le Mans, it became the first car to break 300 km/h (198.6 mph) on the Mulsanne Straight.
A £5 Part That Ruined History
Phil Hill and Lucien Bianchi started strong, but just two hours in, the gearbox failed, a £5 bearing at fault.
The car retired, and Aston Martin soon withdrew from top-level racing.
Lost, Then Found
DP215 vanished for 40 years before being painstakingly restored.
In 2018, it sold for £16 million ($21.5 million)—the most expensive Aston Martin ever.
Legacy: It could have been Aston’s greatest racer, but instead, it became the ultimate “what if” story.
‘A £5 bearing failure. That’s like losing the World Cup final because the kit man forgot the laces.’
