Aston Martin unveils open-cockpit DBR22

It’s officially Monterey Car Week and Aston Martin has taken this year’s event seriously by unveiling the DBR22, a V12-engined coach-built design concept.

The creation of the DBR22 has been taken care of by Q, Aston Martin’s in-house bespoke division, which this year celebrates ten years of building the brand’s most exclusive cars.

For the new open-top supercar, the British carmaker has employed inspiration from its DBR1 and DB3S Le Mans racers of old. Put the DBR22 next to a DBR1 and it’s clear that the new car mimics its older sibling’s silhouette from the angled front nose to the sculpted rear arches.

Sitting under those arches are all-new 21-inch alloy wheels featuring motorsport-derived centre-lock hubs.

The new car houses a 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12 underneath a long vented bonnet, the engine pumping out 525kW and 753Nm. An eight-speed paddle-shift automatic transmission connects the engine to the rear wheels.

You may need the racing goggles for this one as it can achieve a 0 to 100km/h time in 3.4 seconds and a top speed of 319km/h.

Don’t be fooled though, the DBR22 is no bare-bones racer as the driver and passenger are treated to a leather and carbon fibre clad interior complete with “sleek” infotainment displays.

Attention has also been paid to the chassis with high torsional rigidity found throughout. The DBR22 also features a first for Aston Martin in the form of a 3D printed subframe made from aluminium.

Expect to see more of the DBR22 over the coming days as it goes on display at Pebble Beach Concours D’ Elegance from Friday 19 to Sunday 21 August.