Aston Martin. As unique as a fingerprint
The legendary Aston Martin is an extraordinary product for extraordinary people and James Bond’s favorite car. Each car of this brand is as unique as a fingerprint. Each one is hand-built and has a bronze plate with the name of the person responsible for the assembly of this copy. This car is synonymous with style and luxury. And it’s really beautiful! Aston Martin never stops to amaze and delight!
Aston Martin Limited is an English company producing unique cars of the Aston Martin brand, and probably one of the most luxurious car manufacturers in the world. Aston Martin products are not only sports cars providing impressive dynamics and unsurpassed comfort, but they also give their owners a sense of uniqueness and personal touch.
The beginning
More than a century old Aston Martin has seen both ups and downs. However, since the first time Aston Martin was produced in 1913 and until our day, this car has had a great success! Aston Martin has appeared at the dawn of the motor industry – in the early 20th century. The company was established by Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford. The second word in the company name is just Lionel Martin’s last name. Where did “Aston” come from, then? This word is taken from the name of Aston Hill Climb, located in Buckinghamshire county. That’s where the popular Hill Climb race was held. Like many car enthusiasts of his time, Martin was passionate about racing. And on the Aston Hill Climb, Lionel Martin won the prize driving his Singer in 1914.
The company was established by Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford. The second word in the company name is just Lionel Martin’s last name. Where did “Aston” come from, then? This word is taken from the name of Aston Hill Climb, located in Buckinghamshire county, where Lionel Martin won the prize driving his Singer in 1914.
Yes, Martin had a passionate love of motor racing, but he had no money. His first car was financed by his friend Robert Bamford and the company was originally called Bamford & Martin. But after the race on Aston Hill in 1914, in which Martin won, he decided to rename the production site to Aston Martin. The first racing car produced by Martin and Bamford – Coal Scuttle – was made in 1915.
A little later, the logo was developed: the brand name on the background of outstretched wings - as a tribute to the rapid development of the aircraft technology in the early 20th century. Also, Aston Martin cars were focused on sports and manufactured at the production facilities of the aircraft company Whitehead Aircraft Limited. So the presence of wings in the logo is quite understandable.
In 1922, the model Aston Martin Bunny – set a whole 10 world records in the 16-hour race of the Grand Prix of France. But, despite the success in motor racing, Aston Martin did not develop smoothly. Production was unprofitable. The resulting losses made it hard to find people who would like to invest in racing cars. One day, Lionel Martin had to leave the company he founded.
However, the development of Aston Martin cars did not stop even in the hardest times. It was then that sports International, with its famous 1.5-L engine with an upper camshaft developed by Aston Martin, appeared. It had a new gearbox, and then the power was increased to 85 hp. In 1939, the incredible Atom appeared! This Aston Martin had an aluminum body, semi-automatic transmission, and many other technological innovations, incredible for their time. Aston Martin Atom was an outstanding prototype car, far ahead of its time and a starting point for the entire European automotive industry.
The post-war period was the beginning of new life for Aston Martin. Then there was a legendary model which had the well-known name plate DB. DB2 became the first car of this famous series. It was impressive! In 1951, it took both silver and bronze in Le Mans racing. Aston Martin combined the power of a racing car with elegant design, luxury, and comfort. Every next DB car made Aston Martin the center of attention. But nothing compares to the launch of DB5 in 1963 – a car that instantly became an international hit, received critical acclaim and pushed Aston Martin on the worldwide market.
The magnificent DB10 from Spectre, the latest movie about James Bond, was then sold at auction for $3.5M! In 12 of the 25 James Bond movies, agent 007 was driving Aston Martin.
Besides its stunning appearance, DB5 possessed an outstanding content: the 4-L 6-cylinder engine with 282 hp accelerated 1.5 tons of weight to 233 km/h! The car accelerated 100 km/h in 7.1 seconds. Standard equipment included 2 fuel tanks, alternator, a Superleggera oil radiator, and an improved exhaust system. The luxurious leather interior was complemented by floor mats of genuine British wool. Power windows, seat adjustment, and air conditioning were available. Aston Martin became the car of James Bond, having appeared in the Goldfinger for the first time. And it was just the beginning of the reciprocal love between the famous agent 007 and the luxury car brand.
James Bond’s favorite car
Aston Martin didn’t want their beautiful DB5 to be filmed. They even demanded to pay for the rent for the car for the first time ever of cinema. Also, Aston Martin didn’t like to be a second choice. James Bond had preferred Bentley before… And Aston Martin should be second to none :) You know what the result has been :)
Sean Connery as James Bond drove the legendary DB5 in the Goldfinger. Aston Martin DBS was Bond’s car in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. Timothy Dalton, the next 007, was driving Aston Martin Vantage in The Living Daylights. The handsome Aston Martin V12 Vanquish served one more 007, Pierse Brosnan, in Die Another Day. Aston Martin DBS was Daniel Craig’s car in Casino Royale in 2006 and Quantum of Solace in 2009. The legendary DB5 returned in Skyfall in 2012. The magnificent DB10 from Spectre, the latest movie about James Bond, was then sold at auction for $3.5M! This way, in 12 of the 25 James Bond movies, agent 007 was driving Aston Martin.
The success story
Despite the hardship that the company faced in the ‘70s, Aston Martin has released a series of small sports cars Vantage and Volante convertibles, as well as a luxury series of Lagonda sedan. The car was equipped with a digital dashboard, and received, in fact, the world’s first onboard computer! Lagonda cost 33 K pounds at that time, the model was exclusive, but the Aston Martin company has produced as much as 645 of these cars. And finally, after the change of different owners, in 1987, 75% of Aston Martin shares were bought by Ford. First, the DB series was reanimated by producing a sports car DB7 with a 6-cylinder 3.2-L engine Jaguar with 335 hp. The car received, as always, exceptionally luxurious interior trim in leather and wooden lacquered panels. And already in 1995, the Aston Martin company has sold as many as 700 cars in a year! This was a record because previously sales had not exceeded 100 cars per year…
In 2007, Aston Martin was bought by David Richards, an old fan and collector of Aston Martin cars. The deal totaled $848M. Ford retained a $70M stake in the company. Aston Martin returned to the world of sports. In 2007/2008 it became the winner of the 24-hour Le Mans race. In 2013, Aston Martin entered a contract with Daimler AG. And it meant that the next generation of cars will be equipped with engines from Mercedes-AMG. The first joint model was DB11, presented in 2016.
Now Aston Martin is on the rise. They have acquired a new factory and presented several exceptional cars, including the DB9, One-77, Rapide, Zagato, DB10, and DB11. In 2015, a super modern Aston Martin Vulcan was launched. It’s a stunning car of carbon fiber. The Vulcan weighs less than 1360 kg and has an adjustable rear fender, front splitter, and rear diffuser. The heart of the model is a 7.0-L V-12 engine for 820 hp, which powers a 6-speed gearbox.
According to experts, more than 90% (!) of the brand’s cars ever produced are still operable, so the 60-year-old Aston Martin on the road is quite normal.
Most recently, in April 2020, Canadian businessman Lawrence Stroll bought a 16.7% stake in Aston Martin. This billionaire is a co-owner of the F1 Racing Point team, formerly known as Force India, since 2018. He is also famous for his significant contribution to the infrastructure of international motor racing in Canada. As part of the new agreement, Aston Martin will discontinue its partnership with the F1 Red Bull racing team at the end of the 2020 season, and under the name of Aston Martin, the Racing Point team will play from 2021.
Cars of this British brand have never stopped amazing and delighting people. The Aston Martin company is confident in the future, does not stand still, and is constantly evolving. But what remains unchanged is the highest quality of the cars of this legendary brand. Now, as well as decades ago, Aston Martin cars are hand-built. And each of them is truly individual and unique. Unique technologies are used everywhere. For example, to reduce the weight of the bodywork, it’s made of carbon plastic and aluminum alloys. It’s no wonder that most of Aston Martin’s cars are still in good technical condition. According to experts, more than 90% (!) of the brand’s cars ever produced are still operable, so the 60-year-old Aston Martin on the road is quite normal.
Aston Martin is a dream and a legend. It’s a storied, engaging, comafortable, and aggressive car for true leaders to accentuate their individuality.
