Homage to the Aston Martin range

Created Date: 18/03/2011

Aston Martin has led a truly staggering life spanning almost a hundred years of car production. From its founding in 1914 they have gone on to be what many perceive as the designers of some of the world’s most iconic premium supercars. Spanning over half a dozen owners in its lifetime, Aston Martin might not be under British ownership anymore but it will always be at its heart. Originally established by Robert Bamford and Lionel Martin, the company began by building competition cars specifically made for uphill climbing and breaking records. The name Aston Martin came to be in 1915 after Lionel Martins love for competing in the Aston Hill climb, in which he raced a custom car that they had both built together. The pair then moved onto selling production cars shortly after and despite a short blip during world war one, powered on to create several record breaking cars after it had ended. Every Aston Martin is as beautiful as the next and as we will see, this is a rundown of the most iconic models from the companies thriving history.

In chronological order, perhaps the most remembered car of the post war period of World War One was the Ulster, which was based on the MKII that Aston Martin had previously produced. Designed by respected engineer Bertelli, it housed a 1.5 litre SOHC engine that would later be used in the Le Mans series Ulsters. While the Ulster only enjoyed a short two year race program between 1934 and 1935, it managed to dominate most competition it entered. For example in 1934 at the British tourist Trophy at Goodwood, the Ulster stole all three podium place finishing first, second and third respectively. It still stands up as a classic today and was regarded as one of the most beautiful cars available when it was first released.

During World War II Aston Martin had survived building parts for aircraft and when the war ended, they were bought out by David Brown Limited. This lead to the birth of pretty much the entire Aston Martin legacy we know today- I’m talking of course about the David Brown range which was abbreviated to DB for short. David Brown had also purchased Lagonda around a similar time, so the range adopted many of the styling of the Lagonda name but blended them with that of Aston Martins in-house styling. As such it also carried across some of the engineering side of Lagonda, who fitted some of the models with their own 2.3 litre engine. The first of these was the DB2, which was released it was their first post WWII production car and widely regarded as the best British sports car of its time. Released as a production car in 1950, interim models actually raced the year before in the Le Mans series but a fatal crash that killed driver Pierre Marechal dampened their early success. During its three years of consumer production the DB2 sold in very large quantities, with a total of 339 coupes and 102 drop head models ordered. Over the years it was replaced by the Vantage model and the DB2/4, which sold equally as well. It was eventually replaced by the DB4 in 1959.

The DB4 continued Aston Martins success, but didn’t anything achieve anything revolutionary as those above. However when the DB4 grand tourer model was hailed as the most beautiful Aston Martin ever created, they set to work on creating a follow up that would eclipse it in every way. In 1963, the replacement to the DB4 was announced and it was the the legendary ‘James Bond car’, the DB5. Though visually similar to the DB4, it was its participation in the James Bond film Goldfinger that cemented its success as one the classic pinup cars of the 20th century. It took what the DB4 had started and went one step further, with subtle styling enhancements and a totally revamped engine which produced four litres rather than the DB4’s 3.5. It also comprised a full 5 speed gearbox, a premium at the time. Taking inspiration from the DB4 before it the styling remained very close between the two models, with the big difference being the DB5’s more modern curves. The grill was slightly altered to keep up with the times as were the front lights, which were slightly slanted and followed the curves around the edge.

Few iconic Aston Martins were made during the 1970’s and 1980’s, as the company opted for a more industrial approach to further cement their profits. The 1974 Lagonda was a rare gem but highly sought after as only seven were produced, and its follow up was a low point for the company as a whole. However with the emergence of the 90’s the company began to bounce back into their stride with their innovative and beautiful styling. A modern day classic that emerged from this would of course be the Aston Martin DB7, which was released in 1994. This quickly shot to the top of many people’s lists as the world’s most beautiful car, with its grand tourer styling capturing many people’s hearts. It was praised for its smooth ride which made it a fantastic long distance driver’s car. Due to its massive success Aston Martin made several versions of the DB7, ranging from their first V12 powered car the Volante, to the more limited edition Zogato and GT models. It still ranks as the highest production Aston Martin ever, with over 7000 built between its 1993 and 2004 lifetime until it was replaced its newest equivalent the DB9.

The DB9 was launched in 2004 to much fanfare, taking obvious inspiration from the DB7 that came before it. It was a much beefier package with flared arches and a more aggressive look, however it still capitalised on that fantastic grand tourer styling that had made those before it so popular. Coined as the most successful Aston Martin of all time which it shares with the V8 Vantage, the DB9 offered quality and high tech equipment in a spacious, practical sports car. Using a 6.0 litre V12, it was also substantially faster than the DB7 which only used a V8. Carrying on from its success Aston Martin continued to upgrade the range to include convertible models and a Volante models to name but a few. Critics called it the “definitive grand tourer”, a title it still holds in many people’s opinions today.

This takes us to the Aston Martins of recent that most people will be familiar with and in a life spanning nearly a hundred years their focus hasn’t really changed. Since the launch of the DB series Aston Martin have constantly been pushing the boundary for exotic sports cars and it’s only got better and better. Since the DB9’s arrival in 2004, the company have gone on to produce more cars in this short period than ever before, with even more scheduled for the near future. From being sold nine times to one of the most successful car names in the world, I guess it shows that in the end quality pays!

Article written by Thomas Wellburn...

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