Aston Martin Independent Service

A Brief History of Aston Martin

In 1913 Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford, two passionate racing drivers, founded Bamford & Martin Ltd. in East London, initially selling Singer cars. Frustrated by the speeds their Singers could reach, Martin entered the Aston Hill climb in 1914 — and the Aston Martin name was born from that event.

The first prototype, the Coal Scuttle, appeared in 1915. Bamford, uninterested in series production, left the company, and the wealthy racing driver Count Louis Zborowski stepped in, easing its finances. He took the marque's first major success in 1922, setting a speed record at Brooklands, but lost his life at Monza in 1924. Lionel Martin was unable to keep the business stable and was forced out after bankruptcy.

Under new owners including Lord Charnwood, Augustus Bertelli and William Renwick, success followed from 1927 with the International, Le Mans, Mark II and Ulster models. In 1932 Sir Arthur Sutherland bought the company and steered it toward road cars — a move so well received that the first Aston Martin owners' club was founded. Around 700 cars had been built by 1945; the Atom was the last pre-war project before production stopped in 1941.

After the war, tractor businessman David Brown acquired Aston Martin, added the Lagonda sports car works, and launched the DB line — the DB1 of 1948, the DB2, and eventually the DB5, which became a legend after its appearance in a James Bond film in 1963. Following the crises of the 1970s came the Vantage, Volante, Vantage Zagato and the acclaimed Virage, and from 1991 the marque continued production under Ford Motor Company.