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 | Warwickshire and it's connections to the Car Industry - Aston Martin |
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Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd is a British manufacturer of luxury sports cars, based in Gaydon, Warwickshire. The company name is derived from the name of one of the company's founders, Lionel Martin, and from the Aston Hill speed hillclimb near Aston Clinton in Buckinghamshire. |
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Aston Martin is one of the world’s most distinguished sports car manufacturers. The company has produced exclusive handcrafted cars since 1914. All cars are hand-built and bespoke but using high technology processes in a very modern environment.
The company is owned by a joint venture company; co-owned by Investment Dar and Adeem Investment of Kuwait and English businessman John Sinders, as well as partial stake being retained by previous owners Ford Motor Company.
Links with Coventry & Warwickshire
In 2003, Aston Martin moved into its first ever purpose-built headquarters in Gaydon. The opening of the new facility was a significant and mark in the history of the company and underlined its transformation. The move was a considerable boost for the local economy with staff relocating from the Bloxham, Banbury site and new employees recruited locally.
The headquarters at Gaydon is the home of Aston Martin production and produces the V8 Vantage, DB9 and DBS models. Aston Martin also has a new design studio which stands adjacent to Aston Martin’s headquarters in Gaydon and is a tailor-made space for the Aston Martin design team.
“Gaydon is the future of Aston Martin” said Dr. Ulrich Bez, Chief Executive Officer of Aston Martin. “It combines cutting-edge technology with hand craftsmanship and tradition. It is probably the best facility of its type in the world, and the perfect showcase of how to design and build innovative cars for the 21st Century.”
The dynamic architecture of Aston Martin’s headquarters at Gaydon in historic Warwickshire, symbolises optimism and confidence. The building is the embodiment of Aston Martin and its cars, reflecting the power of the idea, the aesthetic and inner beauty of technically advanced solutions and the very soul that comes from hands that create pure sports cars.
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Current Models |
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V8 Vantage, V8 Vantage Roadster & V12 Vantage RS - a high-performance sports car to reach out to potential buyers of cars such as the Porsche 911and other exotic sports or GT cars. |
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DB9 & DB9 Volante - a grand tourer launched by Aston Martin in 2004, and the first new car to be built at Aston's Gaydon facility.
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DBS - a 6.0-litre V12 high performance luxury sports car. |
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One-77 - a limited run of 77 cars, featuring a full carbon fibre monocoque chassis, a handcrafted aluminium body, and a 7.3 litre V12 engine with over 700 bhp. The price tag per car can reach up to £1,200,000.
See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aston_Martin_One-77 for further details. |
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Rapide - a four-door, high-performance sport sedan, which Aston Martin plans to introduce in early 2010 to compete with the Maserati Quattroporte, Porsche Panamera and Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class, along with the upcoming Audi A7 and Lamborghini Estoque. |
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Cygnet - based on the Toyota iQ, the Cygnet will be available at the end of 2010, initially to current Aston Martin owners, but may later go on sale to the general public.
See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aston_Martin_Cygnet for further details. |
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Lagonda concept - A crossover 4WD, 4-seat SUV that commemorated the 100th anniversary of the first Lagonda car. It includes a V12 engine, and 22-inch wheels. Aston Martin wants to see the Lagona sold in more than 100 countries (versus the 32 they are currently offered in), with a focus on emerging markets in the Middle East, South America, China, India and Russia.
See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagonda for further details.
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Racing Heritage
Aston Martin has a rich racing heritage, starting in 1923 after competing in the French Grand Prix. Victory after victory on international motor racing circuits have followed during the company's history.
Most famously, Stirling Moss became arguably Britain’s greatest Grand Prix and sports car driver in 1959, when he raced a DBR1 at Le Mans to help the team claim a momentous first, and second place. Efforts here paved the way for Moss to win the final race in the Goodwood Tourist Trophy and the World Sports Car Championship for Aston Martin with it. Following that famous victory, there was no factory Aston Martin presence for more than 40 years.
Aston Martin made its return to international racing in 2005 with a new division called Aston Martin Racing. This division was created in partnership with Prodrive, the world’s leading motorsport and automotive technology specialist. Prodrive is responsible for Aston Martin's global racing operations and oversees all aspects of race car production and development.
Fifty years on from Aston Martin’s victory in the 1959 Le Mans 24 Hours race, the company returned as a factory team in the prestigious LMP1 division. The team exceeded all expectations by finishing an excellent fourth overall in the 2009 Le Mans 24 Hours race, having been quickest of the petrol runners from start to finish.
Current racing cars include the DBR9, DBRS9, Lola-Aston Martin LMP1, Vantage GT2 and GT4.
See www.astonmartinracing.com for further details. |
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Further details
See the official Aston Martin website at www.astonmartin.com for further details including history of the brand, car specifications, prices and images.
With thanks to Wikipedia for the above text - see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/aston_martin.
Top Speed Aston Martin Wallpapers - see www.topspeed.com/cars/aston-martin. |
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