The History of Aston Martin

Founded in 1913 by two keen cycling friends Mr Lionel Martin and Mr Robert Bamford.  The name has been linked to Martin who was an avid hill climber and raced at Aston Clinton Hill climb.  The first car produced was short lived in production due to the Ist world war when Martin joined the Admiralty and Bamford the Royal Army.

After the war the company re-sited to premises in Abingdon Rd Kensington and they produced cars together until 1920 when Bamford left, with funding from Count Zborowski Bamford and Martin Cars went on to make a total of 55 cars in long and short wheel base.  The success of the cars was shown in its racing triumphs, such cars raced in the French Grand Prix and set new speed and endurance records at Brook lands.  In 1926 Bamford and Martin shut its doors when they went bankrupt, Martin then left.

1926 with Lady Charnwood still on the board, she was joined by further investors including Bill Renwick and Augustus Bertelli.  They moved premises and re branded as Aston Martin Motors. The Bertelli years 1926- 1937 with Bertelli as technical director, cars were known as the Bertelli cars.  

Amidst financial problems the company turned to making more road cars in 1936, Aston Martin Motors was sold once again in 1947 bought by David Brown for £20,500 who also purchased Lagonda and the Tickford Coach building Co. in Newport Pagnell at the same time. Claude Hill draughtsman/designer was at the helm, who was famed for the Atom which put Aston Martin firmly in the racing triumphs, but Hill and Brown parted company with a difference of opinion when Brown introduced the Bentley engine which he had brought with him from Lagonda.

1950 and here we see the production of the notorious DB range, commencing with the DB2.  Setting a standard with the DB4 most famed for securing the future back in 1963 was the DB5 the company went on with the DB6 and DBS, alas in the 70's troubled by finances again the company was sold on in 1975 to North American businessmen Peter Sprague and George Minden who got the company back in the black with the introduction of a more modern Aston Martin the V8 Vantage and the Volante.

By the 1980's sales had dropped dramatically to only 3 per week and ownership had changed once again. With the success of the Aston Martin Lagonda - the fastest four seater on the road, and a great marketing strategy the sales took off particularly in the Far East, Oman and Kuwait. In fact the Kuwait investment office loved it so much they bought into the company in 1983.

1986 and James Bond is to be re cast with Timothy Dalton in the "Living Daylights" equipped with the chairman of AML very own pre production Vantage, Cubby Broccolli even purchased a volante for himself.  Aston Martin and James Bond have shared a love of this marque with Aston being the preferred car in no less than 10 of the films,  and I bet we can all name them and the models.

1992 the return of the DB range with the DB7.

The Ford years.  By 1998 the 2,000th DB7 was produced and sales rocketed to 2002 and the 6,000th car was produced, 1999 and sales increased further with the introduction of the V8 Vantage and the V12 engine Vanquish. 2003 and the DB coupe replaced the DB7 followed by the DB Volante.

On the 1st September 2008, Aston Martin announced the new Lagonda range to coincide with the 100th Anniversary and production should be released in 2012.

Today Aston Martin produce some of the most stunning vehicles on the road including the new DBS, a more agressive and powerful version of the DB9.