1989 Aston Martin AMR1
Offered by RM Auctions | Monaco | May 10, 2014
Strangely, Aston Martin entered the LMP arena in 2011 with a car called the AMR-One. Not to be confused with this, the 1989 AMR1. Apparently, the folks at Aston Martin only write things down and never say them out loud.
This is a Group C prototype from Aston Martin that went up against the likes of Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz, and Porsche during the heyday of Group C racing. This is a ground effects car that generates massive amounts of downforce. The engine is a Callaway-massaged 6.0-liter Aston Martin V-8 making 723 horsepower. The racing history of this car includes:
- 1989 World Sports Prototype Championship Brands Hatch – 4th (with David Leslie and Brian Redman)
- 1989 World Sports Prototype Championship Nurburgring – 8th (with Leslie and Redman)
- 1989 World Sports Prototype Championship Donington – 6th (with Leslie and Michael Roe)
- 1989 World Sports Prototype Championship Spa – 28th, DNF (with Leslie and Roe)
And that was it for this car. Only four of these prototype racers were built and this is considered the best, most-original example around. It was sold from Aston Martin directly to the current owner in 2001. It has been regularly exercised on track at historic events, setting the fastest race lap at the 2013 Monterey Historics.
It comes with extensive spares and should sell for between $975,000-$1,400,000. Click here for more info and here for more from RM Auctions.
S/N# AMR1/04
Update: Not Sold, high bid of $825,660.
Update: Sold, RM Sotheby’s Monterey 2017: $616,000.