Aston Martin celebrates GP centenary
'Grean Pea' gets a gallop
At the 2022 French Grand Prix, Aston Martin marked the centenary of racing for the marque, with its original 1922 TT1 race car, nicknamed Green Pea, driven around the Paul Ricard circuit by four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel.
The race, back in 1922 where TT1 debuted was a 60-lap 800km affair on public roads around Strasbourg, with Green Pea one of two Astons entered in the event.
The 1922 cars were built by founder Lionel Martin after being commissioned by a wealthy young racing driver Count Louis Zborowski, who invested £10,000 in their construction and development.
The first Aston Martin Grand Prix car was powered by a 16-valve twin overhead cam, four-cylinder 1486cc engine and good for around 55bhp at 4200 rpm.
Built with a voiturette style body, it weighed 750 kilograms. Its top speed was 140km/h with two seats, as per the Grand Prix regulations of the time, for the riding mechanic who was an essential member of the team. It was his job to pressurise the fuel tank via a hand pump.
The Aston twins, TT1 and TT2 were originally intended for the 1922 Isle of Man TT (Tourist Trophy) event, but a delay saw them make the marque’s international racing debut at the French Grand Prix on the 15 July, 1922, with Zborowski piloting TT1.
Zborowski went on to design Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the car which inspired the book, film, and stage musical.
Vettel commented, "It was an incredible honour to drive this car, exactly 100 years on from it last taking to the starting line at the French Grand Prix.
"Green Pea holds a very special place in Aston Martin’s heritage, and you can almost feel that century of history beneath your fingertips when at the wheel.
"The racing spirit and will to win is something that defines Aston Martin, and it’s fantastic to celebrate it this weekend as we bring Green Pea and our heritage in motorsport together with the cutting-edge technology and performance of today’s AMR22 car."
In further celebration at the 2022 French GP, the Aston Martin F1 cars wore the original brand logo from 1913.
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