History of Aston Martin
Aston Martin has evolved from a small-scale car manufacturer to the internationally renowned car company we know today.
Aston Martin is an English luxury sports cars and grand tourers manufacturer. The English Car manufacturer gained worldwide popularity due to the James Bond movies, where the British spy often drives an Aston Martin as his ‘’Bond car’’.
Aston Martin, the history of the British cultural icon
The story of the famous car manufacturer started in the early 1900s as Bamford & Martin Ltd. It was founded in 1913 in a small London workshop by businessman Lionel Martin (1878–1945) and engineer Robert Bamford (1883–1942) who were both car enthusiasts.
The name of the company ‘Aston Martin’ came after Lionel Martin won at the Aston Hillclimb, near Aston Clinton. That’s where the ‘’Aston’’ came from and ‘’Martin’’ is the surname of one of the founding fathers.
They produced their first car in 1915 in Kensington. However, due to the First World War, production was put to a stop. After the war ended, Robert Bamford left the company, in 1920. The company was kept alive with the funding of Count Louis Zborowsk and later, Lady Charnwood. After financial difficulty, Martin was forced to sell the company in 1925. Later that year, Bill Renwick, Augustus (Bert) Bertelli and other investors took control. Bamford & Martin continued as ‘’Aston Martin Motors’’ with Bertelli as technical director and designer of the Aston Martin cars until 1937.
In 1947, the industrialist David Brown, acquired Aston Martin and Lagonda in the following year. All the Aston Martin operations were moved to Newport Pagnell. The late Sir David Brown, had a major impact on Aston Martin. His work at Aston Martin has lifted the company to higher levels.
The first Aston Martin car that carried the ‘DB’ nameplate, the ‘DB2’ prototype was released in 1947 and has made a major impression as it took 2nd and 3rd place in its class at LeMans in 1951. This car inspired the production of the DB2 and is the foundation of the iconic designs of the DB cars we love. Racing was in the DNA of Aston Martin. It helped to improve the cars. Aston Martin cars have performed at high levels of competitive racing.
The DB2 was followed by the the DB2/4 in 1953, the DB2/4 MkII in 1955, the DB Mark III in 1957, the DB4 in 1958, the DB5 in 1963, the DBS6 1965 and the DBS in 1967. Aston Martin always stuck to its Grand Touring style.
Sir David Brown’s legacy is undeniable, Aston Martin thrived under his watch. The car manufacturing company was worldwide renowned, known to create the most desirable cars. The legendary DB models from Aston Martin were often featured in the James Bond films.
At David Bruin Services we are specialized in the renovation of the Aston Martin DBS from 1968 up until 1972, 6 and 8 cylinders. Currently there are 7 Aston Martin DBS cars being restored. The crown of our collection is the Aston Martin DBS 1968 that was owned and driven by the late Sir David Brown.
We offer you the opportunity to own one of these unique cars. Contact us for more info.