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1989 Aston Martin Group C racecar to headline sale at Race Retro 2017.

A historically significant 1989 Aston Martin AMR1 Group C racecar and important piece of British Motorsport history will be offered for sale by Silverstone Auctions at Race Retro on 24th February 2017.

Headlining the auction house’s dedicated competition car sale at Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire, racecar collectors have an outstanding opportunity to acquire a genuine ex-Works AMR1, from one of the great and golden eras of motorsport, with a pre-sale estimate of £500,000 to £550,000.

The last, lightest and most powerful of just four Works built cars, chassis AMR1/05 competed and finished in three world championship events in period at the hands of Works drivers including Grand Prix driver, IMSA championship winner and Le Mans racer Brian Redman, the Le Mans class winning, great, late David Leslie, David Sears (son of Jack Sears) and Le Mans winner Stanley Dickens.

Making its debut at Donington Park in 1989, the newly build chassis AMR1/05 achieved an impressive result finishing in 7th position. Later that season, at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, AMR1/05 finished 7th, driven by Redman and Dickens. At the final round in 1989 in Mexico City, also the final race for the Aston Martin, AMR1/05, now upgraded from a 6.0 litre to a 6.3 litre ‘Version Two’ engine producing 740bhp, finished 8th, driven by Leslie and Roe, securing 6th place overall for the team in the championship.

Sold in 1990 after the factory team was disbanded, AMR1/05 has been professionally maintained and regularly campaigned at an international level in historic Group C and IMSA racing in the UK, Europe and USA.

At its historic race debut at Silverstone, the car finished in 9th position and went on to achieve its first-ever international victory at Monza in 2003, most aptly with David Leslie at the wheel, also setting the fastest lap.

After years of sterling service in Group C racing, the current owner gave the controls to GT3 winner Andy Meyrick, who put AMR1/05 on the front row of the grid at Donington in May 2013, taking the flag for the car’s first ever win on UK soil.

At the car’s next outing in 2014, Le Mans LMP2 winner Tom Kimber-Smith took the wheel at the Le Mans 24hr support race, in front of a crowd of more than 100,000 people, placing the car 5th in qualifying and finishing in 2nd place.

“This car represents a major piece of motor racing heritage with unquestionable provenance, superb build quality, and with a proven ability to win,” comments Nick Whale, managing director at Silverstone Auctions.

“Group C racing stands out to this day as one of the most sensational and spectacular eras in the history of motorsport, and this car would be an ideal entrant to the Classic Le Mans race in 2017 and historic Group C racing championship.”

The car presents in excellent condition and is offered in its original ‘Mobil 1’ livery, as well as with a running spares package including wheels, jacking tools, data loaded laptop, fuel churns, wheel braces and spare brakes.

To find out more about the car and Silverstone Auctions’ Race Retro sales, please visit http://www.silverstoneauctions.com/1989-aston-martin-amr1-group-c.

 

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