Aston Martin developing wild DBR1-inspired speedster

Aston Martin is secretly readying a new DBS Superleggera-based speedster that will draw styling cues from the legendary DBR1 Le Mans-winning racer.

According to

The blog claims just 88 will be made and a concept for the bare-bones Aston supercar was revealed at a VIP event at last week's Pebble Beach Concours to a handpicked bunch of Aston Martin owners.

Set to rival the limited-edition Ferrari SP1 and SP2 Monzas, Porsche's 911 Speedster and the forthcoming Ultimate Series McLaren speedster, the roofless Aston Martin is almost certain to come with a multi-million dollar price tag.

Under the skin, it's thought the speedster will be based on the current DBS Superleggera, meaning it will come powered by a more powerful version of that car's 5.2-litre twin-turbocharged V12.

Expect power to budge north of 600kW and, combined with a healthy weight loss of around 100kg, performance to stray into hypercar territory with a 0-100km/h time of comfortably less than three seconds.

Adding credibility to the rumours a wild roadster is on the way from Aston Martin, it's not the first time the famous British sports car maker has celebrated its topless past.

Back in 2013 the British brand got busy with the gas axe and created the CC100 Speedster for its 100th anniversary.

Also said to be loosely based on the 1959 DBR1, the CC100 (pictured) weighed in at just 1200kg – 400kg lighter than the lightest V8 Vantage at the time.

Powered by a naturally-aspirated 6.0-litre V12, the stripped-out 300km/h roadster was said to be a retirement gift for outgoing Aston Martin boss, Ulrich Bez.