The Story of Aston Martin

Aston Martin cars have an enviable reputation for quality, styling, engineering and effortless performance, and also enjoys Royal Patronage from HRH The Prince of Wales. Of which its founder Lionel Martin would be very proud when he laid out his vision for:

"A quality car of good performance and appearance: a car for the discerning owner driver with fast touring in mind, designed, developed, engineered and built as an individual."

Aston Martins have always been produced individually. In 1913 Martin turned his passion for racing into a business and joined forces with Robert Bamford to sell Singer cars. The partners always had always wanted to manufacture cars of their own-and a name was needed. Martin regularly competed in climbs at Aston Hill; Buckinghamshire-and with the simple combination of a hill and a driver Aston-Martin was born. In 1914 Bamford & Martin Limited bought a premises in Chelsea, and the following March, the very first Aston Martin car was registered. Fitted with a Coventry Simplex (forerunner to the Coventry Climax) side valve engine, built to his own specification. By 1920 the company was operating from Abingdon Road in Kensington, and motoring enthusiast Count Zborowski funded the construction of two Aston Martin racing cars, which competed in the 1922 French Grand Prix, which gave the marque respected racing credentials.

Lionel Martin left the company in 1925, by which time the Charnwood family held a major part. In 1926 Lord Charnwood collaborated with William Renwick and Augustus Bertelli to form Aston Martin Motors at a new premises in Victoria Road, Feltham, Middlesex. By 1929 the Aston Martin International model had evolved, setting new standards for road holding and handling. In its racing guise it helped Bertelli build a successful racing programme and in 1932 he and Pat Driscoll won the Biennel Cup in the Le Mans 24 hour race. At the end of that year the company passed into the hands of Sir Arthur Sutherland and was managed by his son Gordon.

The International was succeeded by the Le Mans model, which in turn gave way to the Ulster. Then in 1936, it was decided to focus on a touring car model, with the appearance of the 2.0 litre engine for the 15/98. Early in 1939 a prototype was built using independent front suspension and a Cotal electric gearbox, packaged in an early form of space frame. Known as the Atom, it ran throughout the Second World War and although it never went into production, it was the basis for the first generation of post-war Aston Martins. The next significant chapter in the Aston Martin story came in 1947 when David Brown bought the Feltham company and the DB era was born with a passion.

Later that year he also acquired the successful motorsport outfit-Lagonda, a natural stablemate for Aston Martin. Though quintessentially British the Lagonda name came from founder Wilbur Gunns early life in Lagonda, Ohio. The combined resources of Aston Martin and Lagonda under the leadership of David Brown bought new dynamism, and great achievement on and off the track. In 1948 the 2.0 litre Sports entered production and won that year's 24-hour race at Spa Franchorchamp.

In April 1950 the 2.6 DB2 was announced. It took equal first in the Index of Performance at that year's Le Mans, and won the 3.0 litre class. Both Aston Martin and Lagonda cars were built at Hanworth Park in Feltham, with engines, chassis and running gear assembled at David Brown's factory in Farsley, Yorkshire. Then in 1954, Brown bought Tickford Motor Bodies in Newport Pagnell, where the production facilities for the Vanquish are now located. By 1957 it was truly home to Aston Martin and Lagonda. By which most components including engines were manufactured and assembled there.

That year saw the DB MkIII, one of the pioneers of the use of disc brakes, a direct development of the company's racing experience. The peak of the racing programmes success was the DBR1/300, which won the World Sports Car Championship in 1959. During 1968 and 69, four DBR1s won six world championship races and set six new lap records. The DBR4, which represented a major leap forward in design, was introduced in 1958. Styled by the design house Touring of Milan, it was equipped with a 3.7 litre engine designed by Aston Martin. By 1963 the rapidly rising cost of competitive motorsport had began to take its toll and Aston Martin decided to withdraw and use its resources to refine its production cars.

It was a bold but enlightened decision, and heralded a new era as the company's production and reputation stepped up a gear. In 1963 the now legendary 4.0 litre DB5 was introduced, a car so popular that production had to be doubled to meet worldwide demand. The car owed some of its global popularity to its role as vehicle of choice to James Bond 007, in the films ‘Goldfinger' and ‘Thunderball' where its ‘factory fitted options' included machine guns, a passenger ejector seat and equipment for dispensing oil, smoke and nails to thwart would be pursuers. The DB6 was introduced in 1965 and remained in production until 1970. Its convertible equivalent, the Volante, was the first European car with a power-operated hood.

It was followed by the DBS in 1967, the biggest advance in Grand Touring style and design since the DB4. Designed entirely at Newport Pagnall, it came with a 4.0 litre engine and later evolved into the DBSV8. Whilst in 1972 Aston Martin would enter another new era, in which ownership changed hands several times. First it was acquired by Company Developments, a North of England based group, with the now knighted Sir David Brown retaining a seat on the board and becoming President.

Production of the DBS and DBSV8 continued until May 1972 when modified versions appeared under the name of Aston Martin Vantage and AM V8. The company changed hands again in 1975, when it was taken over by American Peter Sprague and Canadian George Minden. There were immediate moves to inject new vitality and a direct result was the appearance of a totally new Lagonda in 1976. With coachwork by William Towns, who had previously styled the DBS, its strikingly modern appearance and a very advanced specification made a considerable impact. The following year saw the introduction of the Aston Martin V8 Vantage and a year later a convertible version, the Volante, was unveiled. In 1980 a revolutionary mid-engined two seater named the Bulldog with a 5.7 litre fuel injected twin turbo was released. In 1981 Aston Martin Lagonda was taken over again by Petrol Company Pace Petroleum and CH Industrials. Within two years Automotive Investments took control and in 1984 the company changed hands when the family of Peter Livanos took a 75% holding and Victor Gauntlett 25%.

In 1986 Aston Martin Lagonda partnered with the legendary Italian styling house to create the 180mph Vantage Zagato, an exclusive model of which just 50 were built. The following year the company partnered James Bond again in 'The Living Daylights' and The Ford Motor Company purchased 75% of the company's shares. In October 1988 the new Virage was unveiled. Designed to take the Company into the 21^st century, this 155mph, two door, 2+2 seater replaced the V8, which now had been in production for 20 years.

With Fords involvement there was investment in design, production and the sourcing of components and materials. 1992 saw an extension of the Virage range with a 6.3 litre engine conversion, and the Virage Volante Convertible. The 550 horsepowered twin supercharged Vantage was also previewed. At the Geneva show the following year, Aston Martin announced the return of a DB model for the first time in more than 20 years. The ‘DB7' was named 'Car of the Show'.

That summer Ford took complete ownership of Aston Martin Lagonda, having invested £65 million in the company for the design, development and provision of manufacturing facilities for the DB7. To accommodate the DB7, the company bought a specialist paint and assembly plant at Bloxham in Oxfordshire from JaguarSport. A record was established in 1995 when more than 700 new cars were produced and delivered in single year for the first time in the company's history.

In addition to the spectacular success of the DB7, production of the Vantage passed the 100 mark and preparations were made for the introduction of the DB7 Volante model to the United States. This world debut signalled the return of Aston Martin to North America. Meanwhile the DB7 rapidly had become the most successful model ever by passing the 1000 mark in October 1996 and the 2000^th in July 1998.

Major introductions in 1999 included the launch of the first ever 12 cylinder DB7 Vantage and Vantage Volante, powered by a 6.0 litre 420 horsepower engine developed in close conjunction with Ford RVT and Cosworth. In July 2000 Dr Ulrich Bez joined the company as Chief Executive, and October saw the delivery of the last Aston Martin V8 model.

Since the DBS began production in 1970, Aston Martin constructed 5016 V8 models at Newport Pagnall and 30 years of continuous improvement and refinement saw the engine's output double from 300 to 600 horsepower. In February 2001 the V12 Vanquish, the most sophisticated and technology advanced new model ever designed, developed and built by Aston Martin, was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show. This totally new model with a sequential gearbox became the new flagship model.