Aston-Martin Lagonda
Type	Private
Founded	1913
Founder	Lionel Martin Robert Bamford
Headquarters	Gaydon, Warwickshire, England
Key people	Dr. Ulrich Bez CEO/Chairman David Richards Non-Executive Chairman
Industry	Automotive
Products	Automobile
Owner	Investment Dar and Adeem Investment
Website	www.astonmartin.com

Aston Martin Lagonda Limited is a British manufacturer of luxury performance cars, whose headquarters are at Gaydon, Warwickshire, England. The term privately held company refers to ownership of a business company in two different ways first referring to ownership by non-governmental organizations and second An entrepreneur is a person who has possession over a company enterprise, or Venture, and assumes significant accountability for the inherent risks and the outcome Lionel Martin (1878-(1945 a Cornishman who with Robert Bamford, founded Aston Martin. Gaydon is a parish and village in Warwickshire, England, close to Leamington Spa. Geography Warwickshire is bounded to the northwest by the West Midlands Metropolitan county and Staffordshire, by Leicestershire to England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Dr Ulrich Bez (b November 1943 in Bad Cannstatt, Germany) is a German-businesman and currently CEO of Aston Martin motorcars David Pender Richards CBE (born 3 June 1952 Wales is the chairman of Prodrive, and a former team principal of the BAR and Benetton For other uses of this term see Industry (disambiguation An industry (from Latin industrius, "diligent industrious" The automotive industry is the industry involved in the design development manufacture marketing and sale of Motor vehicles In 2007 more than 73 million motor vehicles In Marketing, a product is anything that can be offered to a Market that might satisfy a want or need Ownership is the state or fact of exclusive rights and control over Property, which may be an object, land/real estate, Intellectual property Investment Dar is a Kuwaiti shareholding company founded in October 1994 with a declared capital of KWD 22 A website (alternatively web site or Web site, a back-construction from the Proper noun World Wide Web) is a collection of Web pages A sports car is a term used to describe a class of Automobile. Gaydon is a parish and village in Warwickshire, England, close to Leamington Spa. Geography Warwickshire is bounded to the northwest by the West Midlands Metropolitan county and Staffordshire, by Leicestershire to England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The company name is derived from the name of one of the company's founders, Lionel Martin, and from the Aston Hill hillclimbing race near Aston Clinton in Buckinghamshire^[1]

From 1994 until 2007 Aston Martin was part of the Premier Automotive Group, a division of the Ford Motor Company. Lionel Martin (1878-(1945 a Cornishman who with Robert Bamford, founded Aston Martin. Aston Hill Mountain Bike Area is located in Wendover Woods on the ridge of the Chiltern Hills. Hillclimbing (also known as hill climbing, speed hillclimbing or speed hill climbing) is a branch of Motorsport in which drivers compete against Auto racing (also known as automobile racing, motor racing or car racing) is a Motorsport involving Racing Cars It Aston Clinton is a Village and Civil parish that sits close to the main A41 road in Buckinghamshire, England between Tring Buckinghamshire (abbreviated Bucks) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The Premier Automotive Group (PAG is a group within the Ford Motor Company that oversees the Business operations of Volvo. Ford Motor Company is an American Multinational corporation and the world's fourth largest automaker based on Worldwide vehicle sales, following On 12 March 2007, it was purchased for £479 million (US$848 million) ^[2]by two Kuwaiti investment companies in a deal led by David Richards of Prodrive. Events 538 - Witiges, king of the Ostrogoths ends his siege of Rome and retreats to Ravenna, leaving Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. The Pound Sterling ( symbol £; ISO code: GBP) subdivided into 100 pence (singular penny) is the Currency The State of Kuwait ( دولة الكويت IPA [dawlatt̪ alkuwajt̪]) is a sovereign Arab Emirate on the coast of the Persian Gulf, enclosed David Pender Richards CBE (born 3 June 1952 Wales is the chairman of Prodrive, and a former team principal of the BAR and Benetton Prodrive Ltd is a Motorsport and automotive Engineering group based in Banbury, Oxfordshire, England. Ford retained a US$77 million stake in Aston Martin, setting the total value of the company at US$925 million. ^[3]

Aston Martin has also been best recognized as the Bond mobile in the famous James Bond film series

Contents 1 History 1.1 Foundation 1.2 Inter war years 1.3 The David Brown era 1.4 1970s - Changing ownership 1.5 1980s - Victor Gauntlett 1.6 The Ford era 1.6.1 Sale by Ford 1.7 2007 - A new era begins 2 Aston Martins on film and culture 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 (post-war) 4.2 Engine supply only 5 Notes 6 See also 7 External links

History

Foundation

Aston Martin was founded in 1913 by Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford. The James Bond film series are Spy films inspired by Ian Fleming 's novels about the fictional MI6 agent Commander James Bond (codename 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. Singer was an Automobile company founded in 1905 in Coventry, England The GWK was a British car made in Maidenhead, Berkshire between 1911 and 1931 Calthorpe cars were made in Bordesley Green, Birmingham, England from 1904 to 1932 Martin raced specials at Aston Hill near Aston Clinton, and the pair decided to make their own vehicles. Aston Hill Mountain Bike Area is located in Wendover Woods on the ridge of the Chiltern Hills. Aston Clinton is a Village and Civil parish that sits close to the main A41 road in Buckinghamshire, England between Tring 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. Coventry Climax was a British forklift truck, fire pump and speciality Engine manufacturer Isotta Fraschini represents two Italian manufacturing companies which produce respectively marine engines and luxury goods ^[4] They acquired premises at Henniker Place in Kensington and produced their first car in March 1915. Kensington is a district of West London, England within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, located west of Charing Cross. Production could not start because of the outbreak of World War I, and Martin joined the Admiralty and Bamford the Royal Army Service Corps. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All All machinery was sold to the Sopwith Aviation Company. The Sopwith Aviation Company was a British Aircraft company that designed and manufactured aeroplanes mainly for the British Royal Flying Corps, Royal

Inter war years

After the war the company was refunded 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. Count Louis Zborowski ( 20 February 1895 – 19 October 1924) was a racing driver and automobile engineer 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 French Grand Prix ( Grand Prix de France) is a race held as part of Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile 's annual Formula One automobile There is also a type of Windscreen known as "Brooklands" or "Brookland screen" Three works Team Cars with 16 valve twin cam engines were built for racing and record breaking: chassis number 1914, later developed as the Green Pea; chassis number 1915, the Razor Blade record car; and chassis number 1916, later developed as the Halford Special. The Aston Martin Razor Blade team car was built in 1923 to break the one hour light car record of held by AC Cars. The Halford Special was a Grand Prix racing car of the 1920s built by Frank Halford Approximately 55 cars were built for sale in two configurations, long chassis and short chassis. 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, Bill Renwick, Augustus (Bert) Bertelli and 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 Whitehead Aircraft Limited works in Feltham. Renwick and Bertelli had been in partnership some years and had developed an overhead cam 4 cylinder engine, using Renwick's patented combustion chamber design, and had tested it in an Enfield Allday chassis. It was the only 'Renwick and Bertelli' motor car made. It was known as 'Buzzbox' and survives to this day.

They had planned to sell this engine to motor manufacturers, but having heard that the Aston Martin car was no longer in production they realised that they could capitalise on the reputation of the Aston Martin name (what we would now call the brand) to give themselves a head start in the production of a completely new car.

Between the years 1926 and 1937 Bertelli was the technical director of Aston Martin, and the designer of all subsequent Aston Martin cars during this period, these being known as the 'Bertelli cars'. They included the 1 1/2 litre 'T-type', the 'International, the 'Le Mans, the 'MKII' its racing derivative the 'Ulster, and the 2 litre 15/98 and its racing derivative the 'Speed Model'.

Mostly open two seater sports cars and mostly bodied by Bert Bertelli's brother Enrico (Harry)a small number of long chassis four seater tourers, dropheads and saloons were also produced.

Bertelli was very keen to race his cars and he was a very competent driver. One of the very few motor manufacturers to actually sit in and race the cars he designed and built , the competition no doubt 'improved the breed' and the 'LM' team cars were very successful in national and international motor racing including at Le Mans and the Mille Miglia.

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. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including During the war years aircraft components were made.

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 Engineering Limited is a British Engineering company principally engaged in the manufacture of Gears and Gearboxes Their major gear Sir David Brown ( May 10, 1904 - September 3, 1993) was an English Entrepreneur, managing director of his family firm David Brown also acquired Lagonda that year, and both companies shared resources and workshops. Lagonda was a British car manufacturer founded as a company in 1906 in Staines, Middlesex by the American Wilbur Gunn (1859-1920 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". Tickford is an automobile engineering and testing company with a history of coachbuilding and tuning, famous for such products as the 140mph Tickford Turbo Capri Newport Pagnell is a Town in the Borough of Milton Keynes (ceremonial Buckinghamshire) England. In 1950, the company announced the DB2, followed by the racing DB3 in 1957 and the Italian-styled 3. The DB2 was a Sports car sold by Aston Martin from 1950 through 1953 See Aston Martin DB Mark III for the road car often called "DB3" The Aston Martin DB3 and later DB3S were racing 7 L DB4 in 1958. DB4 GT See also Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato The DB4 GT was a special lightweight high-performance version of the DB4 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 1963 Aston Martin DB5 was an improved DB4. The DB series was named after David Brown (the head of Aston Martin from 1947–1972 The company continued developing the "grand touring" style with the DB6 (1965–70), the DBS, and the DBS V8 (1967–72). The Aston Martin DB6 was a sports car manufactured by Aston Martin from 1965 to 1970 The Aston Martin DBS is a GT car produced by the British manufacturer Aston Martin Lagonda Limited. See also Aston Martin V8 (disambiguation The Aston Martin V8 is a two-door saloon-type automobile manufactured in the United Kingdom from 1969 to 1989

1970s - 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. Birmingham ( ˈbɜːmɪŋəm Ber -ming-um William Willson (MBE was chairman of Aston Martin from 1972 - 1975 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. See also Aston Martin V8 Vantage for other models sharing this name The Aston Martin V8 Vantage was hailed at its 1977 introduction as "Britain's See also Aston Martin V8 (disambiguation The Aston Martin V8 is a two-door saloon-type automobile manufactured in the United Kingdom from 1969 to 1989 William (Bill Towns (died 1994 was a British car designer. Towns began his training as a designer at Rootes in 1954 The Aston Martin Bulldog, styled by William Towns, was a one-off testbed vehicle produced by Aston Martin in 1979 Towns also styled the futuristic new Lagonda saloon, based on the V8 model. This article is about a particular model of motor vehicle For the motor vehicle manufacturer see Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd

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. MG is a British Sports car brand founded in 1924 MG is best known for two-seat open sports cars but MG also produced saloons and Coupés Ideas were plotted to design a new model and they revealed to the press their approach to an 'updated' '1981' model MGB. The MGB was Britain 's best-selling Sports car model. Launched in May 1962 to replace the MGA, the MGB was manufactured until 22 October

As worldwide sales of Aston Martin shrank to three per week, chairman Alan Curtis together with fellow shareholders American Peter Sprague and Canadian George Minden, had almost chosen to shut down the production side of the business and concentrate on service and restoration. Alan Curtis may refer to Alan Curtis (American actor (1909-1953 Alan Curtis (British actor (born 1930 English actor and announcer Automobile restoration is the process of repairing a car to return it to essentially the same or better condition than it was in when it left the factory at time of manufacture Curtis attended the 1980 Pace sponsored Stirling Moss benefit day at Brands Hatch, and met fellow Farnham resident Victor Gauntlett. Sir Stirling Craufurd Moss OBE (born September 17, 1929 in London) is a retired racing driver from England. Brands Hatch is a Motor racing circuit in Kent, England. First used as a dirt track motorcycle circuit on farmland it hosted 12 runnings of the Farnham is a Town in Surrey, England, within the Borough of Waverley. Malcolm Victor Gauntlett ( 20 May, 1942 - 31 March, 2003) was an English Petrochemical Entrepreneur and car enthusiast

1980s - Victor Gauntlett

Gauntlett bought a 10% stake in Aston Martin for £500,000 via Pace Petroleum in 1980, with Tim Hearley of CH Industrials taking a similar share. Kuwait Petroleum International, often referred to by its trademark Q8, refines and markets fuel lubricants and other petroleum derivatives in Europe. Pace and CHI took over as joint 50/50 owners at the beginning of 1981, with Gauntlett as executive chairman. Gauntlett also led the sales team, and after some development and a lot of publicity when it became the world’s fastest 4-seater production car, was able to sell with success the Aston Martin Lagonda into Persian Gulf states, particularly Oman, Kuwait and Qatar. This article is about a particular model of motor vehicle For the motor vehicle manufacturer see Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman ( Arabic: سلطنة عُمان) is an Arab Country in Southwest Asia on the southeast The State of Kuwait ( دولة الكويت IPA [dawlatt̪ alkuwajt̪]) is a sovereign Arab Emirate on the coast of the Persian Gulf, enclosed Qatar ( قطر; ˈqɑtˁɑr local pronunciation giṭar officially the State of Qatar (Arabic دولة قطر transliterated ^[5]

Understanding it would take some time to develop new Aston Martin products, they bought Tickford to develop automotive products for other companies. Tickford is an automobile engineering and testing company with a history of coachbuilding and tuning, famous for such products as the 140mph Tickford Turbo Capri Products included a Tickford Austin Metro, a Tickford Ford Capri and even Tickford train interiors, particularly on the Jaguar XJS. Austin/MG Metro On 8 October 1980, BL introduced the Austin miniMetro. Ford Capri was a name used by the Ford Motor Company for three separate Automobile models The Ford Consul Capri coupe produced by Ford of Great The Jaguar XJ-S (later the Jaguar XJS) is a luxury Grand tourer produced by the British manufacturer Jaguar. ^[5] Pace continued sponsoring racing events, and now sponsored all Aston Martin Owners Club events, taking a Tickford engined Nimrod Group C car owned by AMOC President Viscount Downe, which came third in the Manufacturers Championship in both 1982 and 1983. Viscount Downe is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of Ireland. Year 1982 ( MCMLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar) Year 1983 ( MCMLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar) It also finished seventh in the 1982 24 Hours of Le Mans race. The 1982 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 50th Grand Prix of Endurance and took place on June 19 and 20, 1982. However, sales of production cars were now at an all time low of 30 cars produced in 1982. ^[5]

As trading became tighter in the petroleum market, and Aston Martin was requiring more time and money, Gauntlett agreed to sell Hays/Pace to the Kuwait Investment Office in September 1983. As Aston Martin required greater investment, he also agreed to sell his share holding to American importer and Greek shipping tycoon Peter Livanos, who invested via his joint venture company with Nick and John Papanicalou, ALL Inc. Gauntlett remained chairman of the AML company 55% owned by ALL, with Tickford a 50/50 venture between ALL and CHI. The uneasy relationship was ended when ALL exercised options to buy a larger share in AML; CHI's residual shares were exchanged for CHI's complete ownership of Tickford, which retained development of existing Aston Martin projects. In 1984, Titan the main shipping company of the Papanicolaou’s was in trouble, so Livanos's father George bought out the Papanicolaou's shares in ALL, while Gauntlett again became a shareholder with a 25% holding in AML. The deal valued Aston Martin/AML at £2 million pounds, the year it built its 10,000th car. ^[5]

Although as a result Aston Martin had to make 60 members of the workforce redundant, Gauntlett bought a stake in Italian styling house Zagato, and resurrected its collaboration with Aston Martin. Zagato (SZ DESIGN srl is a design consultancy and Engineering services company situated just outside Milan, Italy.

In 1986, Gauntlett negotiated the return of fictional British secret agent James Bond to Aston Martin. The Living Daylights, released in 1987 is the fifteenth Spy film of the James Bond series, and the first to star Timothy Dalton James Bond 007 is a Fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve Novels and two Short story Cubby Broccoli had chosen to recast the character using actor Timothy Dalton, in an attempt to re-root the Bond-brand back to a more Sean Connery-like feel. Albert Romolo Broccoli, CBE (Hon ( April 5 1909 &ndash June 27 1996) nicknamed "Cubby" was an American Timothy Peter Dalton (born March 21, 1946) is an English Sir Thomas Sean Connery (born August 25 1930) is an Academy Award - Golden Globe - and BAFTA Award -winning Scottish Gauntlett supplied his personal pre-production Vantage for use in the filming of "The Living Daylights," and sold a Volante to Broccoli for use at his home in America. See also Aston Martin V8 Vantage for other models sharing this name The Aston Martin V8 Vantage was hailed at its 1977 introduction as "Britain's The Living Daylights, released in 1987 is the fifteenth Spy film of the James Bond series, and the first to star Timothy Dalton Unfortunately, Gauntlett turned down the role of a KGB colonel in the film: "I would have loved to have done it but really could not afford the time. KGB ( Transliteration of "КГБ" is the Russian abbreviation of Committee for State Security ( Komityet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosty "^[6]

Although the company was doing well, Gauntlett knew it needed extra funds to survive in the long term. In May 1987, Gauntlett and Prince Michael of Kent were staying at the home of Contessa Maggi, the wife of the founder of the original Mille Miglia, while watching the revival event. Year 1987 ( MCMLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar) "Prince Michael" redirects here For other people named Prince Michael see Prince Michael (disambiguation. The Mille Miglia (Thousand Miles - pronounced 'miʎʎa was an open-road endurance race which took place in Italy twenty-four times from 1927 to 1957 (thirteen Another house guest was Walter Hayes, vice-President of Ford of Europe. For the US Representative see Walter I Hayes Walter Hayes CBE ( 12 April, 1924 - 26 December, Ford Europe is the European division of the Ford Motor Company that is based in America. Despite problems over the previous acquisition of AC Cars, Hayes saw the potential of the brand and the discussion resulted in Ford taking a share holding in September 1987. AC Cars Group Ltd formerly known as Auto Carriers Ltd is a British specialist Automobile manufacturer and one of the oldest independent car marques Ford Motor Company is an American Multinational corporation and the world's fourth largest automaker based on Worldwide vehicle sales, following Year 1987 ( MCMLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar) ^[7] In 1988, having produced some 5,000 cars in 20 years, a revived economy and successful sales of limited edition Vantage, and 52 Volante Zagato coupes at £86,000 each; the company finally retired the ancient V8 and introduced the Virage range - the first new Aston launched in 20 years. See also Aston Martin Vantage (disambiguation Aston Martin has used the Vantage name on a number of vehicles normally indicating a high-performance version The V8 Zagato model Aston Martin was a GT car of the 1980s Just 52 examples each of the Coupe and 37 of the Convertible were to be built between Volante The Virage Volante Convertible debuted for 1992 as a 2-seat car but all production examples featured 2+2 seating

Although Gauntlett was contractually to stay as chairman for two years, his racing interests took Aston back into sports car racing in 1989 with limited European success. However, with engine rule changes for the 1990 season and the launch of the new Aston Martin Volante model, Ford provided the limited supply of Cosworth engines to the Jaguar cars racing team. Cosworth is an Automotive engineering company founded in London in 1958 specialising in engines for automobile racing (motorsport Jaguar Cars Limited is a luxury car manufacturer based in Coventry, England, now operated as part of the Jaguar Land Rover business As the "small Aston" DB7 would require a large engineering input, Ford agreed to take full control of Aston Martin, and Gauntlett handed over the company chairmanship to Hayes in 1991. The Aston Martin DB7 is a Grand tourer made by Aston Martin from September 1994 to December 2003 ^[8] In 1992, the Vantage version was announced, and the following year the company renewed the DB range by announcing the DB7. Volante The Virage Volante Convertible debuted for 1992 as a 2-seat car but all production examples featured 2+2 seating The Aston Martin DB7 is a Grand tourer made by Aston Martin from September 1994 to December 2003

The Ford era

Ford placed Aston in the Premier Automotive Group, substantially invested in new manufacturing and quickly ramped up production. The Premier Automotive Group (PAG is a group within the Ford Motor Company that oversees the Business operations of Volvo. In 1994, Ford opened a new factory at Banbury Road in Bloxham. Bloxham is a village in Oxfordshire on the edge of the Cotswolds in the central part of England. 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. The Aston Martin DB7 is a Grand tourer made by Aston Martin from September 1994 to December 2003

At the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan in 2003, Aston Martin introduced the AMV8 Vantage concept car. See also Aston Martin V8 Vantage for other models sharing this name The Aston Martin V8 Vantage is a hand built Sports car from the Expected to have few changes before its introduction in 2005, the Vantage brought back the classic V8 engine to 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. Gaydon is a parish and village in Warwickshire, England, close to Leamington Spa. Also introduced in 2003 was the DB9 coupé, which replaced the ten-year-old DB7. The Aston Martin DB9 is a Grand tourer launched by Aston Martin in 2004 The Aston Martin DB7 is a Grand tourer made by Aston Martin from September 1994 to December 2003 A convertible version of the DB9, the DB9 Volante, was introduced at the 2004 Detroit Auto Show. The SPYDER ( S urface-to-air PY thon and DER by is an anti-aircraft missile system developed by RAFAEL and uses surface-to-air versions of The Aston Martin DB9 is a Grand tourer launched by Aston Martin in 2004 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. Prodrive Ltd is a Motorsport and automotive Engineering group based in Banbury, Oxfordshire, England. The DBR9 competes in the GT class in sports car races, including the world-famous 24 hours of Le Mans. Sports car racing is a form of circuit Auto racing with Automobiles that have two seats and enclosed wheels The 24 Hours of Le Mans ( 24 Heures du Mans) is a sports car endurance race held annually since near the town of Le Mans, Sarthe,

Sale by Ford

In 2006, under mounting financial pressure, an internal review of costs and realisable value on investment, led Ford to consider divesting itself of parts of its Premier Automotive Group. The Premier Automotive Group (PAG is a group within the Ford Motor Company that oversees the Business operations of Volvo. After suggestions of selling Jaguar Cars, Land Rover or Volvo Cars, Ford appointed UBS AG to sell Aston Martin by auction. Jaguar Cars Limited is a luxury car manufacturer based in Coventry, England, now operated as part of the Jaguar Land Rover business Land Rover is an all-terrain vehicle and Multi Purpose Vehicle (MPV manufacturer based in Solihull, England, now operated as part of the Jaguar Volvo Cars, or Volvo Personvagnar AB, is a Swedish premium Automobile maker founded in 1927 in the city of Gothenburg in Sweden UBS AG ( SWX: UBSN) is a diversified global financial services company with its main headquarters in Basel & Zürich, Switzerland "Auctioneer" redirects here For the DC Comics supervillain see Auctioneer (comics. 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". ^[9]

The first round of the auction closed on 30 November 2006. Events 1700 - Battle of Narva — A Swedish army of 8500 men under Charles XII defeats Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ^[10] One of the four survivors was Syrian-born billionaire Simon Halabi,^[11] while the Australian bid included James Packer, Australia's second richest man. Simon Halabi is a Syrian born businessman based in the United Kingdom. James Douglas Packer (born 8 September, 1967 in Sydney, Australia) is an Australian Businessman and currently Australia ^[12] The German auto newspaper Autobild reported on 2 February 2007 that the luxury goods conglomerate LVMH had bought the company for an undisclosed sum. Events 962 - Translatio imperii: Pope John XII crowns Otto I Holy Roman Emperor, the first Holy Roman Emperor Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. LVMH Moët Hennessy • Louis Vuitton SA ( usually shortened to LVMH, is a French Holding company and is the world's largest Luxury 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".

2007 - A new era begins

On 12 March 2007 a consortium led by Prodrive chairman David Richards purchased Aston Martin for £475m/USD$848m. Events 538 - Witiges, king of the Ostrogoths ends his siege of Rome and retreats to Ravenna, leaving Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Prodrive Ltd is a Motorsport and automotive Engineering group based in Banbury, Oxfordshire, England. David Pender Richards CBE (born 3 June 1952 Wales is the chairman of Prodrive, and a former team principal of the BAR and Benetton See also Pound (currency.The pound sign (" £ " or " ₤ " is the symbol for the Pound sterling —the currency of the The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been ^[13] Prodrive has no financial involvement in the deal. Prodrive Ltd is a Motorsport and automotive Engineering group based in Banbury, Oxfordshire, England. ^[14] Ford will keep a stake in the company (valued at GBP 40 million / USD 70 million). The Pound Sterling ( symbol £; ISO code: GBP) subdivided into 100 pence (singular penny) is the Currency The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been The consortium also consisted of John Sinders, an Aston Martin collector; and two Kuwaiti investment companies, Investment Dar and Adeem Investment Co. The State of Kuwait ( دولة الكويت IPA [dawlatt̪ alkuwajt̪]) is a sovereign Arab Emirate on the coast of the Persian Gulf, enclosed

On 19 July 2007 the last car, a Vanquish S, was produced at the Newport Pagnell plant. Newport Pagnell is a Town in the Borough of Milton Keynes (ceremonial Buckinghamshire) England. Nearly 13,000 cars had been made there since 1955. All production was concentrated at Gaydon, with the old premises in Tickford Road remaining in Aston Martin ownership as the restoration and service department. ^[15]

Aston Martin has also boosted its worldwide appeal by opening more dealers in Europe, as well as branches in China for the first time in its 93 year history in Beijing and Shanghai. China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National Shanghai ( 上[[wikt 海|海]] is the largest city in China in terms of population and one of the largest urban areas in the world with over 20 million This has brought their dealership programme to 120 dealers in 28 countries. ^[16]

Aston Martins on film and culture

Author Ian Fleming gave his James Bond hero a DB Mark III in the seventh novel, Goldfinger. Ian Lancaster Fleming ( May 28, 1908 – August 12, 1964) was a British author, Journalist and Second World War James Bond 007 is a Fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve Novels and two Short story Goldfinger is the seventh novel in Ian Fleming 's James Bond series A long association between 007 and the marque began on screen with the silver DB5 that appears in Goldfinger (1964) and Thunderball (1965). Goldfinger (1964 is the third James Bond film, as well as the third to star Sean Connery as MI6 agent James Bond. Thunderball (1965 is the fourth Spy film of the British James Bond series, and the fourth to star Sean Connery as the This was James Bond's company car, and in GoldenEye (1995) and Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) appeared to have become his private car. GoldenEye (1995 is the seventeenth Spy film of the British James Bond series directed by Martin Campbell and the Tomorrow Never Dies, released in 1997, is the eighteenth Spy film in the James Bond series, and the second to star Pierce Brosnan In On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) a metallic-green DBS appears at the beginning and end of the movie. On Her Majesty's Secret Service, released in 1969, is the sixth Spy film in the James Bond series, and the only one to star George After an interlude with Lotus, Aston Martins were again used: a charcoal-grey V8 Volante and Vantage in The Living Daylights (1987). Lotus Cars is a British manufacturer of sports and racing cars based at Hethel, Norfolk, England. The Living Daylights, released in 1987 is the fifteenth Spy film of the James Bond series, and the first to star Timothy Dalton After switching to BMW for several films, the Vanquish appeared in Die Another Day (2002). ( BMW) (Bavarian Motor Works is an independent German automobile manufacturer founded in 1916 Die Another Day is a 2002 film the 20th in the James Bond series, and the fourth and final film to star Pierce Brosnan as fictional MI6 In Casino Royale (2006), 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 in Quantum of Solace(in theaters November 2008)

In Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds (film), a DB2/4 Drophead Coupe (convertible) is driven by male lead Rod Taylor and figures prominently in the final scene. Casino Royale ( 2006) is the twenty-first film in the James Bond series; it is directed by Martin Campbell and the first to star Quantum of Solace ( 2008) is the 22nd James Bond film by EON Productions, due for release in the United Kingdom on 31 October 2008 and in The Birds ( 1963) is a Horror film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, based on the Short story of the same name by Rodney Sturt Taylor (born January 11, 1930) is an Australian -born Film and Television Actor.

A black Aston Martin Vanquish appears in The Italian Job (2003 film). The Italian Job is a 2003 American Heist film directed by F Gary Gray.

In the film Gorgeous (1999) Jackie Chan drives an Aston Martin.

Rowan Atkinson's own DB7 Vantage was used in Johnny English (2003). Rowan Atkinson (born 6 January 1955 is an English Comedian, actor and writer famous for his title roles in the British television comedies Blackadder Johnny English is a British comic Film Parodying the James Bond Secret agent genre released in 2003

In the HBO series Entourage (2006), Vince buys all the guys an Aston Martin DB9 to celebrate the recent success of "Aquaman". Entourage is an Emmy Award -winning HBO original series created by Doug Ellin that chronicles the rise of Vincent Chase — a

In the TV Series "Las Vegas" James Caan's character Ed Deline drives a DB9 Volante.

In the TV series Desperate Housewives, the character Gabrielle Solis (played by Eva Longoria Parker) drives a Maroon DB9 Volante. Desperate Housewives is an American Television Dramedy series created by Marc Cherry, who also serves as Show runner, and produced Gabrielle Solis ( née Marquez, previously Lang; is a Fictional character on the ABC Television series

Models

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

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.

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

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/DB7 Vantage
• 2002–2004 Aston Martin DB AR1
• 2001–2007 Aston Martin V12 Vanquish
• 2004–2007 Aston Martin V12 Vanquish S
• 2004– Aston Martin DB9
• 2005– Aston Martin V8 Vantage
• 2007– Aston Martin DBS

Other

• 1944 Aston Martin Atom (concept)
• 1961–1964 Lagonda Rapide
• 1976–1989 Aston Martin Lagonda
• 1980 Aston Martin Bulldog (concept)
• 1993 Lagonda Vignale (concept)
• 2008– Aston Martin Rapide
• 2007 Aston Martin V12 Vantage RS (concept)

Current models

• V8 Vantage, V8 Vantage Roadster & V12 Vantage RS
• Aston Martin DB9 & DB9 Volante
• Aston Martin DBS V12

Future models

• Rapide - Addition to the range in 2009 - a long, 4-seater Grand Tourer
• A DBX model was mentioned on the call announcing the sale of Aston Martin to the consortium led by David Richards and CEO, Ulrich Bez. Aston Martin’s single-overhead-cam was highly efficient at from 1 The Aston Martin 2-Litre Sports was a Sports car sold by Aston Martin from 1948 to 1950 The DB2 was a Sports car sold by Aston Martin from 1950 through 1953 The DB2/4 was a Sports car sold by Aston Martin from 1953 until 1957 See also Aston Martin DB3 for the racing car often confused with the Mark III The DB Mark III (normally simply called Mark III, even at DB4 GT See also Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato The DB4 GT was a special lightweight high-performance version of the DB4 The Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato was introduced in 1960 at the London Motor Show. The 1963 Aston Martin DB5 was an improved DB4. The DB series was named after David Brown (the head of Aston Martin from 1947–1972 The Aston Martin DB6 was a sports car manufactured by Aston Martin from 1965 to 1970 The Aston Martin DBS is a GT car produced by the British manufacturer Aston Martin Lagonda Limited. See also Aston Martin V8 (disambiguation The Aston Martin V8 is a two-door saloon-type automobile manufactured in the United Kingdom from 1969 to 1989 See also Aston Martin V8 Vantage for other models sharing this name The Aston Martin V8 Vantage was hailed at its 1977 introduction as "Britain's The V8 Zagato model Aston Martin was a GT car of the 1980s Just 52 examples each of the Coupe and 37 of the Convertible were to be built between Volante The Virage Volante Convertible debuted for 1992 as a 2-seat car but all production examples featured 2+2 seating Volante The Virage Volante Convertible debuted for 1992 as a 2-seat car but all production examples featured 2+2 seating Volante The Virage Volante Convertible debuted for 1992 as a 2-seat car but all production examples featured 2+2 seating Volante The Virage Volante Convertible debuted for 1992 as a 2-seat car but all production examples featured 2+2 seating The Aston Martin DB7 is a Grand tourer made by Aston Martin from September 1994 to December 2003 The Aston Martin DB AR1 was a limited-edition Grand tourer made by Aston Martin for the United States market in 2003 The Aston Martin DB9 is a Grand tourer launched by Aston Martin in 2004 See also Aston Martin V8 Vantage for other models sharing this name The Aston Martin V8 Vantage is a hand built Sports car from the The modern Aston Martin DBS is a high performance sports car from the UK manufacturer Aston Martin. The Lagonda Rapide was a 4-door GT car produced from 1961 through 1964 This article is about a particular model of motor vehicle For the motor vehicle manufacturer see Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd The Aston Martin Bulldog, styled by William Towns, was a one-off testbed vehicle produced by Aston Martin in 1979 The Aston Martin Rapide is a four-door high-performance sport sedan, which British luxury marque Aston Martin plans to introduce in late 2009 to compete See also Aston Martin V8 Vantage for other models sharing this name The Aston Martin V8 Vantage is a hand built Sports car from the See also Aston Martin V8 Vantage for other models sharing this name The Aston Martin V8 Vantage is a hand built Sports car from the The Aston Martin DB9 is a Grand tourer launched by Aston Martin in 2004 The modern Aston Martin DBS is a high performance sports car from the UK manufacturer Aston Martin. The Aston Martin Rapide is a four-door high-performance sport sedan, which British luxury marque Aston Martin plans to introduce in late 2009 to compete No further details were provided. The DBX was later revealed to be a possible new flagship for Aston Martin based on the Zagato to compete against the Mercedes McLaren SLR, with speed over 205 mph (330 km/h) and a V12 mid engine tuned to produce 700 bhp. The V8 Zagato model Aston Martin was a GT car of the 1980s Just 52 examples each of the Coupe and 37 of the Convertible were to be built between ^[17]
• Aston Martin V12 Vantage RS (600bhp) - Announced at the official opening of Aston Martin's first-ever dedicated design centre in Gaydon, Warwickshire, on Tuesday 11 December 2007. Events 359 - Honoratus, the first known Prefect of the City of Constantinople, takes office Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.

Race cars

See also: List of Formula One constructors

Whole race cars (post-war)

• 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-)
• Aston Martin V8 Vantage GT2 (2008-)

Engine supply only

• Cooper-Aston Martin (1963)
• Lola T70-Aston Martin (1967)
• Nimrod NRA/C2-Aston Martin (1982-1984)
• EMKA C84/1-Aston Martin (1984-1985)
• Cheetah G604-Aston Martin
• Lola B08/60-Aston Martin (2008-)

Notes

See also

• Aston Martin Owners Club

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
• AstonMartinDB9.net - Aston Martin DB9 models information

The Aston Martin Owners Club (AMOC pronounced aim-moc) is one of the oldest one-make car enthusiast clubs, one of the largest with world-wide membership and

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