Description – Beginnings, 1913-26: Robert Bamford and Lionel Martin started producing small sporting cars that showed prowess in racing. – The Bertelli and Sutherland eras, 1926-39: Under the leadership of Augustus ‘Bert’ Bertelli and then investor Gordon Sutherland, Aston Martins became rakish road cars bred through racing endeavor, notably at Le Mans. – The early David Brown cars, 1948-59: A glorious period unfolded under tractor magnate David Brown, with the fine DB2 family of road cars and a serious racing programme that culminated in victory at Le Mans in 1959, plus Lagondas. – The new six-cylinder cars, 1958-69: The superb DB4 was followed by the DB5, which shot the company’s image into orbit thanks to James Bond in Goldfinger, then DB6 and DBS completed the line. – A family tree of V8s, 1969-2000: Despite numerous ups and downs, Aston Martin’s big hand-built V8 engine powered an enduring family of super-exclusive cars with evocative names like Vantage, Volante and Zagato, plus the ‘wedge’ Lagonda. – Into the big time with Ford, 1987-2007: The all-new and very successful DB7 began a revival, leading to a new V12 engine, the mighty Vanquish and then the ‘VH’ cars including the DB9, V8 Vantage, Rapide and many specials. – A successful return to racing with the DBR9 and the Vantage GTE is given a dedicated chapter. – The rollercoaster continues, 2007 to date: From purchase by a consortium led by Prodrive boss David Richards to Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll’s present-day stewardship, Aston Martin’s activities have been enormously varied, even embracing an SUV (the luxury DBX) and a Formula 1 programme. – Full specifications are included and appendices cover the James Bond Astons and ‘continuation’ cars.
