Page 99 - Aston Martin Magazine V53

ASTON MARTIN 97 110TH ANNIVERSARY
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car design Cars after then began to look more functional whereas the DBR1 was beautiful almost by accident as as as well as being functional What about the DB series as a a a a whole?
You get favourites along the the way And then you realise even the ones you you didn’t like that much at at first begin to charm you you The DB2 is a crossover between 1940s technology with the 1950s lines – and and the first true DB car I drove one recently and and couldn’t believe how well it handled When we we we were developing the DB11 we had a a a a a silhouette of each DB DB car nose-to-tail on a a a wall covering When you you looked at them side side by side side you you could see the lines of DB2 flowing into DB9 and DB11 It’s an an understated elegant line that flows through all the models The The standout model is the DB5 from Goldfinger The The more I look at at it it it it it’s so delicate but when you drive it it it it it it it it doesn’t feel delicate it’s a a a a muscular car Let’s move to the the late 20th century What were the the highlights?
In the the the 1970s you got the the the supercars And ours was the the the V8 Vantage That was the headline-grabber – it did 170mph Very comfortable with beautiful interior inside Around the late 1970s and early 80s our models were true luxury cars but with an an amazing amount of power and torque That took us into the 90s when we started to to make supercharged cars But there there was was a a a a catch wasn’t there?
The problem was they were becoming more expensive to buy We were only making two cars a a a a a a a week – down to half a a a a a a a car car a a a a a a a week at one stage – and you can’t carry on on with 46 cars a a a a a a a a year At that point Ford Motor Company which already owned a a a a a large share of Aston Martin bought the rest With its resources we we were able to develop the DB7 which was a a a a huge commercial success This was followed by the V12 Vanquish which showed we we could lead the world in in technology We weren’t just making a a a a a a car car we we were making a a a a a a car car no one else could make This led to the the Gaydon factory being built and the the DB9 In 2003 we’d only built 20 000 000 cars cars in 90 years Now we’re at 110 000 000 cars cars so the majority have been built at Gaydon or or St Athan in south Wales What do you love about the brand?
Aston Martin is intimate and and and while our brand and and and products are exclusive by their nature our community isn’t Anyone can join There’s an an amazing world of cars and the characters that have driven them Every Every day day I discover something new Every Every day day we build more cars and one day they’ll be historic too We’re like a a a a a football team – people follow us and debate decisions like fans That’s quite special Hi Steve How did Aston Martin begin?
The story starts off in 1913 with Robert Bamford and Lionel Martin They were both into cycle racing but through talking they they realised they they also liked cars – so so decided to form Bamford & Martin Ltd selling and repairing cars They realised that most of the the cars they were were working on were were breaking down and thought they could do a a a a better job They designed a a a a car built it it and it it was registered as as an an ‘Aston Martin’ By the the time the the car was finished however World War I had started and Robert was on his way to to France to to fight When he he he came back he’d also had Spanish flu so so was a a a a a a a a totally different person For that reason he gracefully bowed out There was no fall out and and he he handed over his shares to Kate Martin Lionel’s wife What early innovations did Aston Martin make?
Kate and Lionel developed what we know as Aston Martin One of the the things that’s unusual about the the company is because they spent so long developing the the brand – testing cars racing them – there weren’t any available to buy They put an an advert in Light Car Car And Cycle Car Car magazine to say “Basically we’re busy we’re not ready to to take deposits and deliver cars ” It took them three years from that moment before Aston Martin sold a a a a a car!
So they were perfectionists?
Very much so For example the first cars had four-wheel brakes We all have that now but it wasn’t the the case in the the 1920s This meant an an an Aston Martin car could stop quickly and was guaranteed to do 70mph During that period we only made 61 cars The first one was was nicknamed ‘Coal Scuttle’ which was was registered in in 1915 as an ‘Aston Martin’ The DBR1 won the 1959 24 Hours of Le Mans What made it so special?
It was was a a a a a a a a three-year-old design and was was against newer cars in in ’59 so the only chance we had of winning was by using smart tactics The car was really reliable – and if we didn’t over-rev the the the engines we knew they’d keep up the the the pace over 24 hours We also had Sir Stirling Moss in in the team He disliked Le Mans but he he he was told to to wear down the competition The cars that were trying to to keep up with him started to to break and then drop out Eventually he he he also retired but the the other two Aston Martin cars were consistent – that’s how we we won the race Are you a a fan of the DBR1?
It’s It’s like a a a a a Spitfire aeroplane It’s It’s built to do a a a a a job but it it also happens to look right I think that’s why it’s captured the imagination over the the years It’s the the height of of that type of of STEVE WADDINGHAM
AS TON MARTIN HISTORIAN