Performance for the discerning

Aston Martin Lagonda Limited is a British manufacturer of luxury sports cars and grand tourers. It was founded in 1913 by Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford.

oo

Martin raced specials at Aston Hill near Aston Clinton, and the pair decided to make their own vehicles. 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.

oo

The firm became associated with luxury grand touring cars in the 1950s and 1960s, and with the fictional character James Bond following his use of a DB5 model in the 1964 film Goldfinger.

oo

The company has had a chequered financial history, including bankruptcy in the 1970s, but has also enjoyed long periods of success and stability, including under the ownership of David Brown, from 1947 to 1972.The Brown era  to the classic "DB" series of cars. In 1950, the company announced the DB2, followed by the DB2/4 in 1953, the DB2/4 MkII in 1955, the DB Mark III in 1957 and the Italian-styled 3.7 L DB4 in 1958.

oo

The Ford Motor Company took control from 1994 to 2007.

oo

In March 2007, a consortium of investors, led by David Richards, purchased 92% of Aston Martin for £479 million, with Ford retaining a £40 million stake. David Richards became chairman of Aston Martin. In December 2012, the Italian private equity fund Investindustrial signed a deal to buy 37.5% of Aston Martin, investing £150 million as a capital increase.

oo

In 1982, Aston Martin was granted a Royal Warrant of Appointment by the Prince of Wales.

- from HRH The Prince of Wales, King Charles III.

The company holds the warrant to this day.

1922 Aston Martin 1.5 litre

1953 Aston Martin DB2/4 (MkI)

2004 Aston Martin V12 Vanquish

Source: Wikipedia

Images: Believed to be in the Public Domain or used with permission