Aston Martin

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Aston Martin Lagonda
Type	Private
Founded	1913
Headquarters	Gaydon, Warwickshire, United Kingdom
Key people	David Richards, Chairman Dr. Ulrich Bez, CEO
Industry	Automotive
Products	Automobile
Website	http://www.astonmartin.com

Aston Martin Lagonda Limited is a manufacturer of luxury performance cars, whose headquarters are at Gaydon, Warwickshire, England in the United Kingdom. The company name is derived from the Aston Clinton hill climb and one of the company's founders, Lionel Martin.

From 1994 until 2007 Aston Martin was part of the Premier Automotive Group, a division of the Ford Motor Company. On 12 March 2007, it was purchased by a British consortium led by David Richards of Prodrive for £479 million.^[1]

Contents 1 History 1.1 Foundation 1.2 Inter war years 1.3 The David Brown era 1.4 Changing ownership 1.5 The Ford era 1.5.1 Ford Auction 2 Astons on film 3 Models 3.1 Pre-war cars 3.2 Post-war Sports and GT cars 3.3 Other 3.4 Current models 3.5 Future models 4 Race cars 4.1 Whole race cars 4.2 Engine supply only 5 Notes 6 External links

[edit] History

[edit] Foundation

Aston Martin was founded in 1913 by Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford. The two had joined forces as Bamford & Martin the previous year to sell cars made by Singer from premises in Callow Street, London where they also serviced GWK and Calthorpe vehicles. Martin raced specials at Aston Hill near Aston Clinton, and the pair decided to make their own vehicles. The first car to be named Aston Martin was created by Martin by fitting a four-cylinder Coventry-Simplex engine to the chassis of a 1908 Isotta-Fraschini.^[2] They acquired premises at Henniker Place in Kensington and produced their first car in March 1915. Production could not start because of World War I, and Martin joined the Admiralty and Bamford the Royal Army Service Corps. All machinery was sold to the Sopwith Aviation Company.

[edit] Inter war years

After the war the company was refounded at Abingdon Road, Kensington and a new car designed to carry the Aston-Martin name. Bamford left in 1920 and the company was revitalised with funding from Count Louis Zborowski. In 1922, Bamford & Martin produced cars to compete in the French Grand Prix, and the cars set world speed and endurance records at Brooklands. The company went bankrupt in 1924 and was bought by Lady Charnwood, who put her son John Benson on the board. The company failed again in 1925 and the factory closed in 1926, with Lionel Martin leaving.

Later that year, a number of rich investors, including Lady Charnwood, took control of the company and renamed it Aston Martin Motors, and moved it to the former Citroën plant in Feltham. Benson brought in Augusto Bertelli as designer. The 1929 Aston Martin International was a successful racer and was followed by the Le Mans and the Ulster. Financial problems reappeared in 1932 and the company was rescued by L. Prideaux Brune who funded it for the following year before passing the company on to Sir Arthur Sutherland. In 1936, the company decided to concentrate on road cars. Car production had always been on a small scale and until the advent of World War II halted work only about 700 had been made. During the war years aircraft components were made.

[edit] The David Brown era

In 1947, David Brown Limited bought the company under the leadership of managing director Sir David Brown — its "post-war saviour". David Brown also acquired Lagonda that year, and both companies shared resources and workshops. In 1955, David Brown bought the Tickford coachbuilding company and its site at Tickford Street in Newport Pagnell, and that was the beginning of the classic series of cars bearing the initials "DB". In 1950, the company announced the DB2, followed by the racing DB3 in 1957 and the Italian-styled 3.7 L DB4 in 1958. All the cars established a good racing pedigree for the firm, but the DB4 was the key to establishing the company's reputation, which was cemented by the famous DB5 in 1963. The company continued developing the "grand touring" style with the DB6 (1965–70), the DBS, and the DBS V8 (1967–72).

[edit] Changing ownership

Despite the cars' appreciation in value, the company was often financially troubled. In 1972, it was sold to a Birmingham-based consortium, owned by William Willson, (MBE), and resold in 1975 to North American businessmen Peter Sprague and George Minden. The new owners pushed the company into modernizing its line, producing the V8 Vantage in 1977, the convertible Volante in 1978, and the one-off William Towns-styled Bulldog in 1980. Towns also styled the futuristic new Lagonda saloon, based on the V8 model.

In 1980 Aston-Martin had plans, which did not materialize, to buy MG, which they would have utilized as a sister marque, probably building smaller sports cars. Ideas were plotted to design a new model and they revealed to the press their approach to an 'updated' '1981' model MGB.

The Americans sold the company to CH Industrial, who themselves turned the company over in 1983 to Automotive Investments who, in turn, lasted barely a year before selling the company to Peter Livanos and company chairman Victor Gauntlett. In 1987, the Ford Motor Company purchased 75% of the company, later gaining full ownership.

In 1988, having produced some 5,000 cars in 20 years, the company finally retired the ancient V8 and introduced the Virage range. In 1992, the Vantage version was announced, and the following year the company renewed the DB range by announcing the DB7.

[edit] The Ford era

In 1993, Ford bought Victor Gauntlett's shares and took full control of the firm, placing it in the Premier Automotive Group. Ford substantially invested in new manufacturing and quickly ramped-up production. In 1994, Ford opened a new factory at Banbury Road in Bloxham. In 1995, the company produced a record 700 vehicles, in 1998 the 2,000th DB7 was built, and in 2002 the 6,000th, exceeding production of all previous DB models. The DB7 range was boosted by the addition of V12 Vantage models in 1999, and in 2001 the company introduced the V12-engine Vanquish.

At the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan in 2003, Aston Martin introduced the AMV8 Vantage concept car. Expected to have few changes before its introduction in 2005, the Vantage brings back the classic V8 engine and will allow the company to compete in a larger market. 2003 also saw the opening of the Gaydon factory, the first purpose-built factory in Aston Martin's history. Also introduced in 2003 was the DB9 coupé, which replaced the ten-year-old DB7. A convertible version of the DB9, the DB9 Volante, was introduced at the 2004 Detroit Auto Show. In 2006, the V8 Vantage sports car entered production at the Gaydon factory, joining the DB9 and DB9 Volante.

In December 2003 Aston Martin announced it would return to motor racing in 2005. A new division was created, called Aston Martin Racing, which became responsible, together with Prodrive, for the design, development, and management of the DBR9 program. The DBR9 competes in the GT class in sports car races, including the world-famous 24 hours of Le Mans.

[edit] Ford Auction

In light of mounting financial pressure, and after internal review of costs and value, Ford decided to look at selling parts of its Premium Automotive Group. After suggestions of selling Jaguar Cars, Land Rover or Volvo Cars, Ford appointed UBS AG to sell Aston Martin by auction. At the end of August 2006, Ford announced that it would be willing to sell all or part of Aston Martin. Bill Ford said: "As part of our on going strategic review, we have determined that Aston Martin may be an attractive opportunity to raise capital and generate value".^[3]

The first round of the auction closed on 30 November 2006. ^[4] One of the four survivors was Syrian-born billionaire Simon Halabi,^[5] while the Australian bid included James Packer, Australia's richest man.^[6] The German auto newspaper Autobild reported on 2 February 2007 that the luxury goods conglomerate LVMH had bought the company for an undisclosed sum. The paper cited "Anonymous, but well-placed sources" with the information. It was later reported by Autocar magazine that LVMH had denied the news as "rubbish".

On 12 March 2007 a consortium led by Prodrive chairman David Richards purchased Aston Martin for £475m/USD$848m.^[7] Prodrive has no financial involvement in the deal.^[8] Ford will keep a stake in the company (valued at GBP 40 million / USD 70 million). The consortium also consisted of John Sinders, an Aston Martin collector; and two Kuwait investment companies, Investment Dar and Adeem Investment Co.

[edit] Astons on film

The very British glamour of Aston Martin cars meant they were a natural choice for James Bond – author Ian Fleming gave his hero a DBIII in the seventh novel, Goldfinger. A long association between 007 and the marque began on screen with the silver DB5 that appears in Goldfinger (1964) and Thunderball (1965). This was James Bond's company car, and in GoldenEye (1995) and Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) appeared to have become his private car. In On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) a metallic-green DBS appears at the beginning and end of the movie. After an interlude with Lotus, Aston Martins were again used: a charcoal-grey V8 Volante and Vantage in The Living Daylights (1987). After switching to BMW for several films, the Vanquish appeared in Die Another Day (2002). In Casino Royale James Bond drives both the classic DB5 which becomes his personal vehicle after winning a poker game, and the new DBS which is revealed to be his new company car.

The Italian Job (1969) features a silver DB4 Convertible, owned by crook Charlie Croker, played by Michael Caine. This car is destroyed in a Mafia ambush, along with a pair of E-type Jaguars. The cars were meant to serve as getaway vehicles in the subsequent robbery "in case anything goes wrong." The gang decide to proceed despite this loss, and the question of what happens if anything goes wrong is pointedly ignored by Croker. Although it is commonly believed that this car was destroyed during filming, it still exists and currently belongs to an AMOC member. Rather than destroy an expensive Aston, a Lancia mocked up to look like its British counterpart was pushed over the edge for the final take. In the 2003 remake with the same title, the character Handsome Rob, played by Jason Statham, ends up driving an Aston Martin, but a DB7 Volante, not the Vanquish that he wanted. In the same film, Edward Norton's character owned a Vanquish.

An Aston Martin appeared in Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds.

Rowan Atkinson's character in Johnny English (2003) drives a DB7 Vantage.

Roger Moore's character in The Persuaders! (1971-1972) drives an Aston Martin DBS and the DB5 in The Cannonball Run (1981). Sean Connery also drove the DB5 in Goldfinger and Thunderball.

Bertie Wooster (Hugh Laurie) in the 1990-93 TV series Jeeves and Wooster drives a 1930's Aston Martin.

Also in the movie "White Chicks", a convertible DB7 appears briefly.

An Aston Martin V8 appears in the "Who Killed Harry Field" episode of Inspector Morse.

[edit] Models

1967 - 1989 DBS and later V8s	2001 Aston Martin DB7 Vantage	2004 Aston Martin DB9 coupe	DB AR1 roadster
V12 Vanquish	2003 DB7 Zagato (coupe) and DB AR1 (roadster)	2006 Aston Martin DB9 Volante (convertible)

Aston Martin's model naming can be confusing to the uninitiated. In general, high performance models use the Vantage name, while convertibles are called Volante.

[edit] Pre-war cars

• 1921-1925 Aston Martin Standard Sports
• 1927-1932 Aston Martin First Series
• 1929-1932 Aston Martin International
• 1932-1932 Aston Martin International Le Mans
• 1932-1934 Aston Martin Le Mans
• 1933-1934 Aston Martin 12/50 Standard
• 1934-1936 Aston Martin Mk II
• 1934-1936 Aston Martin Ulster
• 1936-1938 Aston Martin 2 litre Speed
• 1937-1939 Aston Martin 15/98
• 1939-1939 Aston Martin 2 litre C-Type

[edit] Post-war Sports and GT cars

• 1948–1950 Aston Martin 2-Litre Sports (DB1)
• 1950–1953 Aston Martin DB2
• 1953–1957 Aston Martin DB2/4
• 1957–1959 Aston Martin DB Mark III
• 1958–1963 Aston Martin DB4
• 1961–1963 Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato
• 1963–1965 Aston Martin DB5
• 1965–1969 Aston Martin DB6
• 1967–1972 Aston Martin DBS
• 1969–1989 Aston Martin V8
• 1977–1989 Aston Martin V8 Vantage
• 1986–1990 Aston Martin V8 Zagato
• 1989–2000 Aston Martin Virage
• 1989–1996 Aston Martin Virage/Virage Volante
• 1993–2000 Aston Martin Vantage
• 1996–2000 Aston Martin V8 Coupe/V8 Volante
• 1993–2003 Aston Martin DB7
• 2002–2004 Aston Martin DB AR1
• 2001– Aston Martin V12 Vanquish
• 2004– Aston Martin V12 Vanquish S
• 2004– Aston Martin DB9
• 2005– Aston Martin V8 Vantage
• 2007– Aston Martin DBS

[edit] Other

• 1961–1964 Lagonda Rapide
• 1976–1989 Aston Martin Lagonda
• 1980 Aston Martin Bulldog (concept)
• 1993 Lagonda Vignale (concept)
• 2008– Aston Martin Rapide

[edit] Current models

• V8 Vantage & V8 Vantage Roadster
• DB9 & DB9 Volante (with optional Sport Pack)
• Vanquish S

[edit] Future models

• Rapide - Addition to the range in 2007 - a long, 4-seater Grand Tourer
• Aston Martin DBS - Limited edition (300 units) model based on DBR9/DBRS9 race cars and seen in the film Casino Royale
• A DBX model was mentioned on the call announcing the sale of Aston Martin to the consortium led by David Richards. No further details were provided. The DBX was later revealed to be a possible new flagship for Aston Martin based on the Zagato and compete against the Mercedes McLaren SLR, with speed over 205mph and a V12 engine tuned to produce 700bhp.^[9]

[edit] Race cars

See also: List of Formula One constructors

[edit] Whole race cars

• Red Dragon 2 litre speed model (1936 - still raced in clasic car races today)
• Aston Martin DB3 (1950-1953)
• Aston Martin DB3S (1953-1956)
• Aston Martin DBR1 (1956-1959)
• Aston Martin DBR2 (1957-1958)
• Aston Martin DBR3 (1958)
• Aston Martin DBR4 (1959)
• Aston Martin DBR5 (1960)
• Aston Martin DP212 (1962)
• Aston Martin DP214 (1963)
• Aston Martin DP215 (1963)
• Aston Martin RHAM/1 (1976-1979)
• Aston Martin AMR1 (1989)
• Aston Martin AMR2 (never raced)
• Aston Martin DBR9 (2005-)
• Aston Martin DBRS9 (2005-)
• Aston Martin V8 Vantage N24 (2006-)
• Aston Martin V8 Vantage Rally GT (2006-)

[edit] Engine supply only

• Lola T70-Aston Martin (1967)
• Nimrod C2-Aston Martin (1981-1984)
• Nimrod C3-Aston Martin (never raced)
• EMKA C83-Aston Martin (1983)
• EMKA C84-Aston Martin (1984-1985)
• Cheetah G604-Aston Martin

[edit] Notes

[edit] External links

• Aston Martin - Official Aston Martin Site
• Aston Martin Racing - Official Company Site
• Aston Martin Owners Club- Official Aston Martin Owners Club
• AstonMartins.com - Tim Cottingham's Aston Martin site
• Classic Aston Martin sales and parts

											Aston Martin and Lagonda road car timeline, 1948-present																																[edit]
Type	1940s		1950s										1960s										1970s										1980s										1990s										2000s
	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
Grand tourer	DB1			DB2			DB2/4			DB Mk III										DBS/Vantage																										DB7 i6						DB7 Vantage						V8 Vantage
												DB4				DB5			DB6				V8																				Virage/V8														DB9
																														V8 Vantage																V8 Vantage								V12 Vanquish						DBS V12
Supercar														Zagato																									Zagato															Zagato			AR1
4-door	2.6-Litre					3-Litre								Rapide															Lagonda																															Rapide