AN ICON IS BORN
FOUNDED IN 1913 BY ROBERT BAMFORD AND LIONEL MARTIN AS 'BAMFORD & MARTIN LTD', THE COMPANY HAS DEVELOPED INTO AN ICONIC
BRAND SYNONYMOUS WITH LUXURY AND ELEGANCE. 1914 SAW THE BIRTH OF THE NAME 'ASTON MARTIN' FOLLOWING ONE OF LIONEL MARTIN'S
SUCCESSFUL RUNS AT THE ASTON HILL CLIMB IN BUCKINGHAMSHIRE, ENGLAND. WITHIN A YEAR THE FIRST ASTON MARTIN HAD BEEN BUILT
AND REGISTERED WITH THE NAME.
2013 SEES ASTON MARTIN CELEBRATE ITS CENTENARY AND 100 YEARS OF CREATING THE MOST BEAUTIFUL CARS IN THE WORLD.
A GLOBAL SET OF CELEBRATORY EVENTS IS PLANNED TO CELEBRATE WITH THE OWNERS, SUPPORTERS AND PARTNERS OF ASTON MARTIN,
INCLUDING A SPECIAL CENTENARY WEEK IN JULY 2013 WHERE THE LARGEST GATHERING OF ASTON MARTINS IN HISTORY WILL TAKE PLACE
IN CENTRAL LONDON.
RACING DEBUT
COMPETING IN THE 1922 FRENCH GRAND PRIX, ASTON MARTIN TOOK ITS FIRST HISTORIC STEPS IN OVERSEAS COMPETITION WITH
TWO CARS COMPLETING THE RACE.
FINANCIAL PROBLEMS PLAGUED THE COMPANY OVER THE NEXT DECADE WITH THE BUSINESS FORCED TO CLOSE IN 1925 ONLY TO BE RESCUED BY
A GROUP OF INVESTORS IN 1926, FORMING 'ASTON MARTIN MOTORS LTD'.
THE BUSINESS WAS SOON ON A SOUND FOOTING, WITH A COMPETITIVE RANGE OF SPORTS CARS AND AN INCREASING REPUTATION FOR ENGINEERING
AND DESIGN. THIS PROGRESS LEAD TO THE FIRST ENTRY OF AN ASTON MARTIN IN THE LE MANS 24-HR RACE IN 1928.
ASTON MARTIN WON GREAT ACCLAIM AT LE MANS, WHEN THE 1.5L MODEL TOOK A CLEAN SWEEP OF THE PODIUM
PLACES WITHIN ITS CLASS AT THE 1933 RACE.
SWEEPING TO VICTORY
FURTHER RACING SUCCESS CONTINUED, THROUGHOUT THE DAVID BROWN ERA, WHICH BEGAN IN 1947 WHEN THE BUSINESS WAS
ACQUIRED BY AN ENGLISH INDUSTRIALIST. THE DB2 MODEL ENTERED PRODUCTION THE SAME YEAR, QUICKLY FOLLOWED
BY 2ND & 3RD IN CLASS SUCCESS AT LE MANS IN 1951.
ASTON MARTIN ENDED THE 1950S WITH FURTHER RACING SUCCESS, AS THE DBR1 TEAM SECURED THE 1959 WORLD SPORTSCAR
CHAMPIONSHIP BY WINNING RACES SUCH AS THE NÜRBURGRING 1000KM RACE AND THE FAMOUS LE MANS 24HR.
AWAY FROM THE CIRCUIT, THE DB4GT, A HIGH-PERFORMANCE VERSION OF THE DB4, WAS LAUNCHED TO ACCLAIM. 1960
SAW A FURTHER DB4 EVOLUTION AND THE FOUNDING OF AN HISTORIC COLLABORATION WITH THE ITALIAN COACHBUILDER
ZAGATO TO LAUNCH THE DB4GT ZAGATO.
A SEMINAL YEAR FOR THE BUSINESS SAW SUCCESS FOR THE DB4GT AT MONZA AND THE LAUNCH OF A NEW MODEL,
THE YEAR WAS 1963 AND THE MODEL WAS THE ASTON MARTIN DB5.
ASTON MARTIN DB5
FREQUENTLY ACCLAIMED AS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL CAR IN THE WORLD, THE ASTON MARTIN DB5 ENTERED PRODUCTION IN 1963.
THE FOLLOWING YEAR SAW THE BIRTH OF A RELATIONSHIP THAT HAS LEFT AN INDELIBLE MARK ON POPULAR CULTURE,
AS THE DB5 WAS CHOSEN TO BE JAMES BOND'S CAR OF CHOICE IN THE CLASSIC FILM 'GOLDFINGER'.
INTO A NEW DECADE
DESPITE THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN ICONIC PRODUCT RANGE, THE 1970'S SAW A CHANGE IN OWNERSHIP
FOR ASTON MARTIN AS 'COMPANY DEVELOPMENTS LTD' TOOK OVER THE FIRM IN 1972.
IN THE SAME YEAR THE ASTON MARTIN V8 ENTERED PRODUCTION.
REVITALISING LAGONDA
IN 1975, JUST THREE YEARS AFTER ITS LAST TAKE-OVER, THE COMPANY ENTERED RECEIVERSHIP AND WAS
RESCUED BY A CONSORTIUM LEAD BY PETER SPRAGUE, GEORGE MINDEN AND LATER ALAN CURTIS.
THE FIRST CAR TO BE UNVEILED UNDER THIS NEW OWNERSHIP WAS THE REVOLUTIONARY 'LAGONDA'
AS THE ICONIC SISTER MARQUE OF ASTON MARTIN WAS RE-LAUNCHED.
THE ICONIC DB & 007
THE ICONIC 'DB' MONIKER WAS RESURRECTED IN 1993 WITH THE INTRODUCTION OF THE DB7 AT A
NEW PRODUCTION FACILITY AT WYKHAM MILL, BLOXHAM. THE SAME YEAR SAW FORD MOTOR COMPANY
INCREASE THEIR HOLDING TO TAKE FULL CONTROL OF THE BUSINESS.
THE 1990S ALSO SAW ASTON MARTIN FEATURE IN TWO SEPARATE JAMES BOND FILMS AS THE DB5
ROLLED BACK THE YEARS WITH A PERFORMANCE IN 'GOLDENEYE' AND 'TOMORROW NEVER DIES'.
IN 1998 THE COMPANY WAS PRESENTED WITH THE QUEEN'S AWARD FOR EXPORT, RECOGNISING THE
CONTRIBUTION OF THE FIRM TO THE UK ECONOMY.
RACE SUCCESS
2008 SAW THE DBR9 TAKE GT1 CLASS VICTORY AT THE LE MANS 24-HR RACE FOR THE SECOND
CONSECUTIVE YEAR.
THE SAME YEAR SAW THE MARQUE'S LOVE AFFAIR WITH JAMES BOND CONTINUE AS DBS MADE A SECOND
JAMES BOND APPEARANCE BY FEATURING IN 'QUANTUM OF SOLACE'.
THE ASTON MARTIN RAPIDE
2009 MARKED ONE OF THE MOST ACTIVE YEARS FOR PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT IN THE COMPANY'S RECENT HISTORY.
AS BOTH THE V12 VANTAGE AND THE DBS VOLANTE WERE LAUNCHED, WITH THE V12 VANTAGE COMPETING AT THE
GRUELLING NÜRBURGRING 24-HOUR RACE.
FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS INCLUDED THE UNVEILING OF THE RAPIDE AT THE FRANKFURT MOTOR SHOW AND AN
ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE INTENTION TO REVIVE THE LAGONDA BRAND.
SUPER CAR
ON TOP OF THESE DRAMATIC ENGINEERING AND PRODUCT DEVELOPMENTS 2009 ALSO SAW
ASTON MARTIN UNVEIL THE ULTIMATE ASTON MARTIN, THE ONE-77, THE MOST POWERFUL
NATURALLY ASPIRATED CAR IN THE WORLD.
LAUNCHED TO ACCLAIM, ON ITS DEBUT THE ONE-77 WON THE DESIGN AWARD IN THE
CONCEPTS AND PROTOTYPES CLASS AT THE CONCORSO D'ELEGANZA, VILLA D'ESTE, ITALY.
FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH
THE LAUNCH OF THE ASTON MARTIN VIRAGE AND V8 VANTAGE S IN MARCH 2011 ENSURED
THE COMPANY CONTINUED TO EXPAND AND DEVELOP. JUST TWO MONTHS LATER AN HISTORIC
PARTNERSHIP WAS REKINDLED WITH THE UNVEILING OF V12 ZAGATO AT THE
CONCORSO D'ELEGANZA, VILLA D'ESTE, ITALY. OVERWHELMING CUSTOMER RESPONSE SAW
THE CAR CONFIRMED FOR PRODUCTION WITH CUSTOMER DELIVERIES BEGINNING IN 2012.
JUNE 2012 SAW THE UNVEILING OF THE NEW VANQUISH, AN ICONIC NAME, FITTING FOR A NEW FLAGSHIP.
THIS ULTIMATE GRAND TOURER COMBINES WORLD-LEADING DESIGN, INDUSTRY LEADING TECHNOLOGY
AND ADVANCED ENGINEERING TO CREATE A CAR THAT IS QUITE SIMPLY THE BEST ASTON MARTIN IN HISTORY.
JUST THREE MONTHS LATER THE NEW DB9 WAS UNVEILED. A NEW DESIGN OF TIMELESS ELEGANCE AND
OVER 70% RE-ENGINEERED BODY PARTS, THE NEW DB9 COMPLETED ASTON MARTIN'S REVISED MODEL LINE UP.
FROM THE SPORTING VANTAGE RANGE, THE TIMELESS DB9 AND LUXURIOUS RAPIDE TO THE ULTIMATE
GT - VANQUISH, ASTON MARTIN ENTERED THEIR CENTENARY YEAR WITH THE STRONGEST MODEL RANGE
IN ITS 100 YEAR HISTORY.
100Years
WITH AN UNRIVALLED HISTORY AND HERITAGE, ASTON MARTIN STRIDES FORWARD INTO A SECOND
CENTURY WITH NEW INVESTMENT AND THE STRONGEST MODEL LINE-UP EVER CREATED.