ASTON MARTIN

The History of Aston Martin

It all started in 1913 when two cycling buddies, over a couple pints at the end of a long day on the hill climbs (ok, I'm embellishing the back story a bit here) decided to go into business together. The two men were Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford. They started out selling Singer automobiles. They were both handy mechanics and Lionel was an accomplished driver. He was often seen racing at the near by Aston Hill Hillclimb races near Aston Clinton. In 1914 the two decided to start to build there own vehicles and Aston Martin was born.

The name came from the combination of "Aston" from the hillclimb races and Lionel Martin's last name. I could never find out how or why Bamford's name was not involved, I envision a nagging wife that didn't want to have the tax collector come pocking around the household finances, but I somehow think that Martin-Bamford's would have had the legacy that Aston Martin now enjoys.

As with all great endeavors there are successes and challenges. What makes Aston Martin such a great marquee is that even though the challenges always seemed to outweigh the successes the product was always notable. As such were the early years. Soon after the first Aston Martin rolled out of the garage he first world was started and the company shuttered up for the duration. Once the war was over, and with fresh cash from Count Louis Zborowski, the company started to roll out vehicles that competed in races such as the French Grand Prix and Brooklands.

The early racing successes didn't result in a beneficial partnership for the two founders and Mr. Bamford sold his interest to Mr. Martin in 1922. Money was tight and cash flow was kept positive by infusions by the Count. Unfortunately, in 1924 the Count died in a racing accident and the future of Aston Martin became uncertain. In comes John Benson, later to be named Lord Charnwood (I'm American so I have no idea what it takes to go from just John to Lord Charnwood. However, I imagine it to be quit painful). he Lord had the cash and the desire to continue Aston's reputation in the racing world. He, however, didn't care for Mr. Martin and in 1925 Lionel hit left the company.

Lord Charnwood didn't last for long. By 1926 he had sold Aston Martin Motors to Renwick & Bertelli, a recently formed engineering company, for 4000 pounds. It was at this time the company moved to Victoria Road, Feltham. These new owners where also not to last. About a year later Renwick and Bertelli broke up and had to seek outside investors to keep the concern running. By 1936 the Bertelli's had left and the largest investors, the Sutherland family, took control. Now things were to get bad - like I said, what makes Aston Martin so great is the blood and sweat it took to build it. From the beginning, Aston Martin was destined to become the world's greatest marquee. Even at the expense of it many many owners. It indeed had a soul of it's own.

During WW II Aston Martin was assigned to making tooling and spare parts for aircraft joysticks. It was during these years that in the back corners of the works one of Aston's earliest stars, Claude Hill, continued work on a sports saloon - the Atom. It was the Atom that would spring board Aston Martin back to it's intended path.

In 1946 David Brown saw a small classified ad in the London Times offering Aston Martin for sale for only 30,000 pounds. He went over to Feltham to check the place out and drive the Atom. He fell in love with Atom and bought the company for the discounted price of on 20,500 pounds from the Sutherland family. Aston Martin now had the leader it needed to become what it was meant to be. Mr. Brown's core business was tractor parts. Specifically gears and transmissions. At first he did little with Aston Martin as his attention was devoted to finishing a new gear design. However, a friend of his convinced him to buy another automotive company, Lagonda, and merge it together with Aston Martin. After some shrud positioning he acquired Lagonda for 52,500 pounds. Aston Martin Lagonda was born. Yes, now you know why this site's domain name is AML. In 1954 the company moved to its Newport Pagnell facilities.

With David Brown came the "DB" vehicles. First there was the Aston Martin 2-litre, later called the DB1, built between 1948 and 1950. In 1950 the DB2s started to roll out of the plant followed by "DB"'s up till the DBS V8 built from 1967 to 1972. For more information on each model built please see our Gallery section. Unfortunately, the company, which had always just squeaked by, could no longer go in alone. In 1972 Mr. Brown sold the company to Company Developments Ltd. Company Developments was a second string asset stripper - remember that crazy in the 80's (see Pretty Women, Other Peoples Money, and Wallstreet, for a refresher). Things did not look good. But before they could rip the company apart two American enthusiasts, Peter Sprague and George Minden, bought the company. They focused on the product. Streamlining operations and improving quality. By 1981 things had greatly improved at Aston Martin but the American's couldn't keep it going and sold the company to CH Industrial. Who then sold it to Automotive Investments in 1983. They lasted just a year before selling the company to Peter Livanos and Victor Gauntlett. Could you imagine working at this place! You would never know how the boss was. Then in 1986 Ford bought 75% of the the company and the future of Aston Martin started to look a bit more promising.

In 1993 Ford finally bought the rest of the company from Victo Gauntlett and took over complete control of the operations. Ford invested heavily into modernizing the plants and focusing on innovative designs and technologies. For a company that averaged only a few hundred examples a year started to produce hundred then thousands of autos under Ford's leadership. In 2002 the company produced 6000 DB7's. More than all of the previous "DB"s ever built.

Ford Sells Aston Martin!

On Aug 31st, 2006 Ford has announced that Aston Martin Lagonda is up for sale. Now we have been here before and sometimes we have been in much more dire straights. Since Aston Martin's humble beginnings in 1913 the company has been sold:

- 1946 Sold to David Brown
- 1972 Sold to Company Developments
- 1975 Sold to Peter Sprague and George Minden
- 1981 Sold to CH Industrial
- 1983 Sold to Automotive Investments
- 1984 Sold to Peter Livanos and Victor Gauntlett
- 1986 Ford buys 75%
- 1993 Ford buys entire company

This time it's Ford that is in dire straights. The automotive giant is struggling to navigate the new world economy with an old world pension, health care program, and union. Let alone a product line up only second to GM. It's time for Ford to streamline operations and generate some fast cash to fundamentally change their business.

The good news is that this is the first time in Aston Martin history that the company is set up to deliver consistent profits. The product line up includes the DB9, Vanquish, and the Vantage V8. Along with many specials like the upcoming DBS - which may pr may not become a production vehicle. This means that Aston Martin could be purchased and ran without the buyers taking on a company under water.

The bad news is that since Aston Martin is above water financially it may be purchased for investment reasons rather than the love of the marques. The worst case scenario in my opinion is a VW buyout, or similar company, that folds Aston Martin into it's current global supply chain. For example, is it me or is the Bentley Continental Flying Spur a VW Pheaton? (nothing against VW -my day drive is a Passat!) What we need is an owner that will fundamentally understand that Aston Martin is a brand that will only retain its status if it retains its exclusivity.

David Richards and friends buy Aston Martin for $925MM!

In early 2007 Ford sold 92% of Aston Martin to the Aston enthusiast and CEO of Prodrive, David Richards. The sale once again sees our cherished marque in British hands and being lead by true enthusiasts. Prodrive is the automotive technology and racing company behind Astons racing program. In addition to David Richards, the American John Sinders and two Kuwaiti investment firms where part of the deal -- a deal that went down just as Aston Martin started to turn a profit. The company now has 100 worldwide dealerships selling around 6500 vehicles per year. Considering that in the 1990's they were producing fewer than 50 examples per year I'd say Aston is on a roll.

Mahindra XUV500 launched at a really attractive price of Rs. 10.8 lakh

Mahindra has just launched its global SUV, the XUV500 (pronounced “eks you we five double oh”) in three variants at a really attractive price of Rs. 10.8 lakh for the W6 base variant, Rs. 11.95 lakh for the middle variant W8 and Rs. 12.88 lakh for the W8 4×4 variant. Not only does the vehicle look aggressive, it’s priced aggressively as well and set to take a bite out of competition.

Aggressive pricing

At these prices not only does the Mahindra XUV500 give the Toyota Innova and Tata Aria a run for their money, it also puts pressure on its own stable mate, the Mahindra Scorpio as well.

With this aggressive pricing, Mahindra seems to have taken a calibrated decision to introduce a genuine value-for-money proposition with a product that meets the aspirations of the SUV buyer who cannot afford the Rs 20 lakh-plus SUV but wants features comparable to those.

The Tata Aria base model at Rs 12.6 lakh is almost at the same price as the XUV500. And the Mahindra Scorpio top-end 4X4 will cost more than the XUV500 base variant.

Not just the Yeti, even SUVs such as the Ford Endeavour and Toyota Fortuner do not have as many features and they are priced nearly twice as much as the XUV500. So in that sense, the XUV500 is absolutely good value for money.

Value for money

The XUV500 has many things going for it. For one, it outclasses many SUVs a segment or two above it in terms of features that it offers. The fully-loaded W8 variant (both two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive) are high on comfort and safety features.

The XUV500 is spacious and can seat seven passengers. In terms of safety features, it has six airbags, all-round disc brakes with ABS, traction control and electronic stability program. It also offers driving aids like hill-descent control seen only in SUVs like the Skoda Yeti and above so far (which is priced a good Rs 3.5 lakh higher.)

Other features of the XUV500 include tyre pressure monitoring, cruise control, touch-screen integrated music system with steering audio controls, GPS navigation, Bluetooth phone connectivity, power-folding rear-view mirrors, puddle lamps, cooled glove box and plenty more. What Mahindra has done is to take all the best features offered in competing vehicles and include it in the XUV500. And then go and price it so aggressively.

There are some things that are unique in the build of this crossover sport-utility vehicle that are a first for a carmaker like Mahindra. It’s the first time Mahindra has developed a fully monocoque platform (all its other SUVs use a ladder-frame chassis with the body bolted on to it).  It’s also the first time it has developed a front-wheel drive vehicle with a transverse-mounted engine. It’s also the first six-speed manual gearbox from the carmaker (the Scorpio automatic has a six-speed box though).

Mahindra is initially rolling out the XUV500 in five cities for the first month (Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore and Chennai), and will then take it across the country in the next 2-3 months. Stay tuned for more on the XUV500 after the national launch in New Delhi on September 30.

LAMBO THE BEAST

Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 

Well, here it is then! The car we’ve all been waiting for is finally unveiled. Feast your eyes on the 2012 Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4. We’re not going to mess about. It is EPIC.

Everything about this car is ten or twenty percent better than what we were expecting. From the looks, to the new V12 engine, the single-clutch transmission, and the new chassis. Did we mention the interior? It’s excellent! Getting out of Murceilago and entering the Aventador is likemoving forward another century.

To give you a quick overview of the new Lamborghini before detailing it in the official release below, we have to mention new things like the innovative carbon-fiber monocoque, new twelve-cylinder engine with 515 kW / 700 hp, super fast shifting ISR (Independent Shifting Rods) transmission, and Pushrod suspension.

There is a whole lot more to the new Lambo than just technicalities though. For the first time they are offering a vast array of personalization and customization possibilities for colors, interior and equipments. It is obvious they wanted to create the ultimate supercar.

Given the lightweight of just 1,575 kilograms, the Aventador’s performance is spectacular. 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) takes 2.9 seconds, top speed 350 km/h (217 mph)!

deliveries of the Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 will begin from Summer 2011. This awesomecar comes with s staggering price tag though! Ready for it?

UK: GBP 201.900,00
Europe: € 255.000
USA: 379.700 USD
China: RMB 6.270.000,00
Japan: YEN 39.690.000,00

We could wax lyrical about this car for days and days But we leave that to another opportunity because you’re going to hear a lot more about this car, a whole lot more! For now Check outLamborghini’s words as they describe the new technical features of the Aventador here:

Aventador: the name of one of the most courageous of all bulls

According to its tradition, Lamborghini’s new flagship bears the name of a bull – naturally, a particularly courageous specimen from the world of the Spanish Corrida. Aventador was the name of a bull that entered into battle in October 1993 at the Saragossa Arena, earning the “Trofeo de la Peña La Madroñera” for its outstanding courage.

The technology package of the Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4 is utterly unique. It is based on an innovative monocoque made from carbon-fiber that combines exceptional lightweightengineering with the highest levels of stiffness and safety. The new twelve-cylinder with 6.5 liters’ displacement and 515 kW / 700 hp brings together the ultimate in high-revving pleasure with astonishing low-end torque. Thanks to a dry weight of only 1,575 kilograms (3,472 lb), which is extremely low for this class of vehicle, the weight-to-power ratio stands at only 2.25 kilograms per hp (4.96 lb/hp). Even the fantastic 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) acceleration figure of just 2.9 seconds and the top speed of 350 km/h (217 mph) do not fully describe the Aventador’s extreme performance. And yet, fuel consumption and CO2 emissions are down by around 20 percent compared with its predecessor, despite the considerable increase in power (+8%).

The ISR transmission is unique among road-going vehicles, guaranteeing the fastest shifting time (only 50 milliseconds) and a highly emotional shift feel, while the lightweight chassis with pushrod suspension delivers absolute handling precision and competition-level performance. The expressively-designed interior offers hi-tech features ranging from the TFT cockpit display with Drive Select Mode system. The Aventador will be built to the very highest quality standards in an all-new production facility in Sant’Agata Bolognese.

“With the Aventador LP 700-4, the future of the super sports car is now part of the present. Its exceptional package of innovative technologies is unique, its performance simply overwhelming,” says Stephan Winkelmann, President and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini. “The Aventador is a jump of two generations in terms of design and technology, it’s the result of an entirely new project, but at the same time it’s a direct and consistent continuation ofLamborghini’s brand values. It is extreme in its design and its performance, uncompromising in its standards and technology, and unmistakably Italian in its style and perfection. Overall, the dynamics and technical excellence of the Aventador LP 700-4 makes it unrivalled in the worldwide super sports car arena.”

A sculpture of extreme dynamics

For Lamborghini, design is always the beauty of aggressive power, the elegance of breathtaking dynamics. From the very first glance, the new Aventador is unmistakably aLamborghini, clothed in the brand’s characteristic and distinctive design language – with its extremely powerful proportions, its exact lines and precise surfaces, and with taut muscularity in every one of its details. The designers in the Centro Stile Lamborghini have carefully developed this design language to give the Aventador a significant new edge. It is an avantgarde work of art, an incredibly dynamic sculpture, from the sharply honed front end through the extremely low roofline to the distinctive rear diffuser. Every line has a clear function, every form is dictated by its NEED FOR SPEED, yet the overall look is nothing less than spectacular and breathtaking.

The doors open upward – of course

Truly impressive proportions come from an overall length of 4,78 meters (188.19 in.) matched with an impressive width of 2,26 meters (88.98 in.) including the exterior mirrors, and further accentuated by an extremely low height of just 1.136 mm (44.72 in.). It goes without saying that both doors of the carbon-fiber monocoque open upward – a feature that was first introduced in the now legendary Countach and then used for subsequent V12 models such as Diablo and Murciélago. However, the Aventador also evokes its immediate predecessor the Murciélago – electronically managed air intakes open depending on the outdoor temperature and the need for cooling air,ensuring maximum aerodynamic efficiency. And for those whishing to flaunt the heart of their Lamborghini, the optional transparent engine bonnet exhibits the twelve-cylinder engine like a technical work of art in a display case.

Exclusive and high-tech interior

The Aventador’s spacious interior combines the fine exclusivity of premium materials and perfect Italian craftsmanship with state-of-the-art technology and generous equipment. The red switch cover on the broad center tunnel encloses the start button used to awaken the twelve-cylinder. The interior is dominated by a next-generation dashboard – as in a modern airplane, the instruments are presented on a TFT-LCD screen using innovative display concepts. A second screen is dedicated to the standard-fit multimedia and navigation system.

Carbon-fiber monocoque

The new Lamborghini flagship has a full monocoque. The entire occupant cell, with tub and roof, is one single physical component. This ensures extreme rigidity and thus outstanding driving precision, as well as an extremely high level of passive safety for the driver and his passenger. The entire monocoque weighs only 147.5 kilograms (325.18 lb).

The monocoque, together with the front and rear Aluminium frames, features an impressive combination of extreme torsional stiffness of 35,000 Newton meters per degree and weighs only 229.5 kilograms (505.9 lb).

Maximum revs, amazing sound

For the Aventador LP 700-4, the engineers in Lamborghini’s R&D Department have developed a completely new high-performance power unit – an extremely powerful and high-revving, but very compact power unit. At 235 kilograms (518 lb), it is also extremely lightweight. A V12 with 515 kW (700 hp) at 8,250 rpm sets a whole new benchmark, even in the world of super sports cars. The maximum torque output is 690 Newton meters (509 lb-ft) at 5,500 rpm. The extremely well-rounded torque curve, the bull-like pulling power in every situation, the spontaneous responsiveness and, last but not least, the finely modulated but always highly emotional acoustics are what make this engine a stunning power plant of the very highest order. 

Innovative transmission for maximum performance

Engineers at Lamborghini have created the perfect mate for the new twelve-cylinder engine with the highly innovative ISR (Independent Shifting Rods) transmission. The development objective was clearly formulated – to build not only the fastest robotized gearbox, but also to create the world’s most emotional gear shift. Compared with a dual-clutch transmission, not only is the ISR gearbox much lighter, it also has smaller dimensions than a conventional manual unit – both key elements in the field of lightweight engineering for super sports cars.

Refined and safe with all-wheel drive

This kind of extreme power must be delivered reliably to the road. The driver of the Aventador LP 700-4 can depend fully on its permanent all-wheel drive – indicated by the 4 in the model designation. In the driveline, an electronically controlled Haldex coupling distributes the forces between front and rear. In a matter of milliseconds, this coupling adapts the force distribution to match the dynamic situation. A self-blocking rear differential together with a front differential electronically controlled by ESP make for even more dynamic handling. The Drive Select Mode System enables the driver to choose vehicle characteristics (engine, transmission, differential, steering and dynamic control) from three settings – Strada (road), Sport and Corsa (track) – to suit his individual preferences.

Pushrod suspension

Lamborghini has equipped its new V12 super sports car with an innovative and highly sophisticated suspension concept. The pushrod spring and damper concept was inspired by Formula 1 and tuned perfectly to meet the needs of a high-performance road-going vehicle. Together with aluminum double wishbone suspension and a carbon-fiber ceramic brake system, this lightweight chassis represents a further aspect of the new flagship’s unique technology concept.

Extensive assistance and safety systems

In the hands of its driver, the Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4 is a high-precision machine – spontaneous, direct and always reliable. The driver is also assisted by the latest electronic systems such as the incredibly sporty, adjustable ESP system. When it comes to passive safety, front, head-thorax and knee airbags play their part alongside the extremely stiff carbon-fiber cell.

A rich and wide-ranging individualization program

A Lamborghini should always fit perfectly with the style and preferences of its owner. To this end, the range of individualization options is virtually inexhaustible. There is a selection of 13 production paint colors to choose from, three of which are highly sophisticated matt tones. A choice of two-tone interiors are offered with the “Sportivo” and “Elegante” versions, while a premium audio system and reversing camera are among the many technology options. And of course, the “Ad Personam” individualization program knows no limits when it comes to colors and materials.