Aston Martin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Aston Martin Lagonda
Global Holdings PLC

Type	Public limited company
Traded as	LSE: AML FTSE 250 component
Industry	Automotive
Founded	15 January 1913; 112 years ago (1913-01-15)
Founders	Lionel Martin Robert Bamford
Headquarters	Gaydon, Warwickshire, England, United Kingdom
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Lawrence Stroll (Executive Chairman) Amedeo Felisa (Chief Executive Officer) Marek Reichman (Chief Creative Officer)
Products	Luxury cars Sports cars Grand tourers
Brands	Aston Martin Lagonda
Revenue	£1,632.8 million (2023)
Operating income	–£79.7 million (2023)
Net income	–£226.8 million (2023)
Subsidiaries	Aston Martin Racing

Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings PLC is a famous British company that makes fancy sports cars and grand tourers. It was started in 1913 by two friends, Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford.

Later, in the 1950s and 1960s, Aston Martin became well-known for its expensive, powerful touring cars. It became super famous when the fictional spy James Bond drove an DB5 in the 1964 movie Goldfinger. Because of this, Aston Martin cars are now seen as a cool symbol of British culture.

Aston Martin has a special "Royal Warrant" from King Charles III, meaning they supply cars to the Royal Family. They have over 160 car dealerships in 53 countries, making them a truly global car brand. The company is listed on the London Stock Exchange. In 2003, they even won the "Queen's Award for Enterprise" for their great work in international trade. The company has faced tough times and gone bankrupt seven times in its history, but it always bounced back!

The main factory for their sports cars is in Gaydon, England. It's a huge place, about 55 acres! There's also an older factory in Newport Pagnell that now focuses on restoring classic Aston Martin cars. A newer, 90-acre factory in St Athan, Wales, builds Aston Martin's first-ever SUV, the DBX.

Aston Martin has also been involved in car racing throughout its history, especially in sports car racing and Formula One. The Aston Martin brand is also used for other cool products, like submarines and even luxury homes!

History

How Aston Martin Started

Aston Martin was founded in 1913 by Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford. Before that, they sold cars and fixed them in London. Lionel Martin loved racing cars at a place called Aston Clinton Hillclimb. They decided to build their own cars. The very first car named Aston Martin was made by Lionel. He put a special engine into an old car chassis.

They opened a small workshop in London and made their first car in March 1915. But then World War I started, so they had to stop making cars and join the army.

The Years Between the World Wars (1918–1939)

1923 Razor Blade Team car

1924 tourer

1937 2-Litre open 2/4-seater Speed model, Kop Hill 2010

After the war, they started fresh in a new place. Robert Bamford left the company in 1920. In 1922, Aston Martin cars raced in the French Grand Prix and even set world speed records! They built special racing cars like the "Green Pea" and the "Razor Blade."

Around 55 cars were sold during this time. The company faced money problems in 1924 and was bought by Lady Charnwood. It ran into trouble again in 1925, and Lionel Martin had to sell his share.

Later that year, Bill Renwick and Augustus (Bert) Bertelli took over and renamed the company Aston Martin Motors. Bertelli became the main designer for all new Aston Martins until 1937. These cars were known as "Bertelli cars." Most of them were open-top sports cars.

Bertelli himself was a good driver and loved to race his cars. His "LM" team cars were very successful in races, including the famous Le Mans race.

More money problems came up in 1932, but Sir Arthur Sutherland saved the company. By 1936, Aston Martin decided to focus on making cars for the road. They built about 700 cars before World War II stopped production. During the war, they made parts for airplanes instead.

The David Brown Years (1947–1972)

1958 Aston Martin DB Mark III

In 1947, a company called David Brown Limited bought Aston Martin. David Brown also bought another car company, Lagonda, for its special engine. Lagonda moved its operations to Aston Martin's factory. This is when Aston Martin started making the famous "DB" series of cars.

They introduced models like the DB2 in 1950, followed by the DB2/4 and the DB Mark III. In 1958, they launched the stylish DB4.

The DB4 was very important and led to the legendary DB5 in 1963. Aston Martin continued to make its classic "grand touring" cars, like the DB6 and DBS. The powerful six-cylinder engines for these cars were designed by Tadek Marek.

Changing Owners (1972–1987)

The Tadek Marek-designed V8 engine was a mainstay of the Aston Martin lineup for decades, and was built from 1969 until 2000.

Aston Martin often struggled financially. In 1972, David Brown sold the company. A few years later, in 1975, American and British investors bought the business. They reopened the factory and started making cars again.

The new owners wanted to modernize Aston Martin. They introduced new models like the V8 Vantage in 1977 and the convertible Volante in 1978. They also created the unique Bulldog concept car and the futuristic Lagonda saloon.

In 1981, the company was sold again to Pace Petroleum's Victor Gauntlett. He helped sell cars in new places like Oman and Kuwait. In 1982, Aston Martin received a special honor from the Prince of Wales (now King Charles III).

Gauntlett also brought the famous spy James Bond back to Aston Martin. He even lent his own car for the filming of The Living Daylights!

The Ford Years (1987–2007)

Aston Martin V8 Vantage from The Living Daylights

In 1987, Ford bought a large part of Aston Martin, and later bought the rest. Ford invested a lot of money to build new factories and make more cars. In 1994, Ford opened a new factory to build the DB7. By 1995, Aston Martin made a record 700 cars.

Before Ford, cars were mostly built by hand. Ford helped Aston Martin use more modern production methods. In 1999, they added more powerful V12 engines to the DB7. In 2001, they launched the amazing Vanquish model.

The DB9 was the first car to use the "vertical/horizontal" platform.

In 2003, Aston Martin showed off the V8 Vantage concept car, which brought back the classic V8 engine. This allowed Aston Martin to sell cars to more people. Also in 2003, the new Gaydon factory opened. This was the first factory built just for Aston Martin! They also launched the DB9 coupé, which replaced the DB7.

In 2004, Aston Martin opened a special engine plant in Germany to make their own engines. This helped them create even more powerful versions of their cars. In 2005, Aston Martin returned to motor racing with a new team called Aston Martin Racing. Their DBR9 cars competed in major sports car races, including the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans.

In 2006, Ford decided to sell Aston Martin.

Becoming a Private Company (2007–2018)

On March 12, 2007, a group of investors led by Prodrive chairman David Richards bought Aston Martin. Ford still kept a small part of the company.

To show how tough their cars were, two Britons drove a V8 Vantage all the way from Tokyo to London in 2007! This helped Aston Martin open new dealerships in China.

In 2007, the old Newport Pagnell factory stopped making new cars and became the home for restoring classic Aston Martins. All new car production moved to the Gaydon factory. Aston Martin also announced they would bring back the Lagonda car brand.

In 2010, the first four-door Rapide grand tourers were built in Austria. But in 2012, production of the Rapide moved back to Gaydon, so all Aston Martin cars were made in one place again.

In 2012, an Italian investment fund bought a large share of Aston Martin. The company faced financial challenges again, but they kept working on new models.

In 2014, Andy Palmer became the new CEO. He had a big plan to make Aston Martin profitable again. This included developing new car platforms, adding an SUV (the DBX), and updating their supercars. He said, "In the first century we went bankrupt seven times. The second century is about making sure that is not the case."

In 2016, Aston Martin chose a new factory site in St Athan, Wales, for its SUV production. By 2017, Aston Martin was making a profit again after selling over 5,000 cars!

Working with Mercedes-Benz (2013–Present)

In 2013, Aston Martin made a deal with Mercedes-Benz Group (also known as Daimler). Mercedes-Benz agreed to supply engines and electrical systems for the next generation of Aston Martin cars. This partnership helps Aston Martin use new technology. In return, Mercedes-Benz gained a small ownership stake in Aston Martin. The DB11, launched in 2016, was the first car to use Mercedes-Benz electronics and V8 engines. In 2020, Mercedes said it would increase its ownership to 20%, giving Aston Martin access to Mercedes-Benz's hybrid and electric car technology.

Becoming a Public Company (2018–Present)

After becoming profitable again, Aston Martin announced in 2018 that it would become a public company, meaning its shares could be bought and sold on the London Stock Exchange. This happened on October 3, 2018. In 2019, the new factory in St Athan officially opened for the production of the DBX SUV.

In January 2020, Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll led a group of investors who bought a large part of Aston Martin. Stroll became the new chairman. Other important people, like Ernesto Bertarelli and Toto Wolff (from the Mercedes-AMG F1 team), also joined the group.

In May 2020, Andy Palmer stepped down as CEO, and Tobias Moers from Mercedes-AMG took over. In June 2020, the company had to cut jobs due to slow sales during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, Lawrence Stroll announced that Aston Martin plans to build electric vehicles by 2025. In 2022, Amedeo Felisa became the new CEO.

In July 2022, Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund also bought a stake in Aston Martin. In September 2022, Chinese carmaker Geely bought a share, and in May 2023, Geely increased its stake to become the third-largest shareholder.

In June 2023, Aston Martin partnered with Lucid Motors to get electric motors and battery systems for its future electric cars. In February 2024, they announced that their first electric car would be ready by 2026. In March 2024, Adrian Hallmark was named the new CEO.

Cool Car Auctions

In August 2017, a 1956 Aston Martin DBR1 racing car was sold at an auction for an amazing US$22,550,000! This made it the most expensive British car ever sold at an auction at that time. Famous drivers like Carroll Shelby and Stirling Moss had driven this car.

Other Aston Martin cars have also sold for huge amounts, like a 1962 Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato for US$14,300,000 in 2015, and a 1963 Aston Martin DP215 for US$21,455,000 in 2018.

Models

Pre-war cars

Post-war cars

Other

Current models

Upcoming models

Gallery

• Aston Martin models
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  1930 Aston Martin1.5L International

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  1932–1934 Aston Martin Le Mans short chassis

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  1948–1950 Aston Martin DB1

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  1950–1957 DB2 and later DB2/4

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  1957–1959 Aston Martin DB Mark III

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  1958–1963 Aston Martin DB4/GT

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  1961–1963 Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato

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  1963–1965 Aston Martin DB5

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  1965–1971 Aston Martin DB6

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  1967–1989 DBS and later V8s

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  1986–1990 Aston Martin V8 Zagato

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  1989–2000 Virage/V8/Vantage

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  1993–2003 Aston Martin DB7/Vantage

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  2001–2007 Aston Martin V12 Vanquish/S

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  2002–2003 DB7 Zagato coupé/roadster

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  2002–2004 Aston Martin DB AR1 roadster

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  2003–2016 Aston Martin DB9 coupé/Volante

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  2005–2017 Aston Martin V8/V12 Vantage

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  2007–2012 Aston Martin DBS V12

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  2009–2012 Aston Martin One-77

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  2010–2020 Aston Martin Rapide

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  2011–2012 Aston Martin Virage

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  2011–2013 Aston Martin Cygnet

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  2012–2013 Aston Martin V12 Zagato

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  2012–2018 Aston Martin Vanquish

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  2016–2023 Aston Martin DB11

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  2017– Aston Martin Vantage

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  2018– Aston Martin DBS Superleggera

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  2020– Aston Martin DBX

Brand Expansion

Aston Martin DBS Superleggera pictured in 2017

Since 2015, Aston Martin has tried to make its brand appealing to more people, including women, as a luxury lifestyle brand. They even have a special group that helps design cars to suit women's tastes.

Aston Martin has expanded beyond just cars:

• In 2016, they showed off a 37-foot-long Aston Martin speedboat called the AM37.
• In 2017, they teamed up with a company called Triton Submarines to build a submarine called Project Neptune.
• They have also worked with luxury clothing companies like Hackett London to create special clothes.
• In 2017, Aston Martin released a limited edition bicycle with the company Storck.
• Aston Martin is building a huge 66-story luxury apartment building called Aston Martin Residences in Miami, Florida. It's expected to be finished in 2021.
• In 2018, Aston Martin showed a concept luxury aircraft that can take off and land vertically.
• Also in 2018, a Lego version of James Bond's DB5 car was released, and a special Aston Martin watch was made with TAG Heuer.
• In 2018, Aston Martin opened a design studio in Shanghai, China.

Motorsport

Aston Martin Vantage F1 Edition at the 2021 United States Grand Prix

Aston Martin is involved with two different racing teams. The Aston Martin Formula One team races in the Formula One Championship. Aston Martin Racing competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship. Both teams use the Aston Martin brand, but they are not directly owned by Aston Martin itself. The Formula One team is owned by Lawrence Stroll, a major Aston Martin shareholder. Aston Martin Racing works with a racing company called Prodrive.

Formula One

Aston Martin first raced in Formula One in 1959 and 1960, but they didn't score any points. In 2020, it was announced that the Racing Point F1 Team would change its name to Aston Martin for the 2021 season. This happened because Lawrence Stroll, who owned Racing Point, invested a lot of money in Aston Martin. The team changed its car color from pink to a modern version of Aston Martin's traditional "British racing green." The Aston Martin AMR21 was shown in March 2021, marking Aston Martin's return to Formula One after 61 years!

Racing cars (post-war)

DBR1/2 at Goodwood Festival of Speed 2009

Part of Aston Martin's most recent racing program, Charouz Racing System competed with sports prototypes powered by an Aston Martin V12.

Aston Martin DBR9

Aston Martin-powered racing cars

24 Hours of Le Mans Finishes

Year	Pos	Class	No	Team	Drivers	Chassis	Engine	Laps
1931	5	1.5	25	Aston Martin	A.C. Bertelli Maurice Harvey	Aston Martin 1½-litre International	Aston Martin 1.5L I4	139
1932	5	1.5	20	Aston Martin Ltd.	Sammy Newsome Henken Widengren	Aston Martin 1½-litre Le Mans	Aston Martin 1.5L I4	174
	7	1.5	21	Aston Martin Ltd.	A.C. Bertelli Pat Driscoll	Aston Martin 1½-litre Le Mans	Aston Martin 1.5L I4	168
1933	5	1.5	25	Aston Martin Ltd.	Pat Driscoll Clifton Penn-Hughes	Aston Martin 1½-litre Le Mans	Aston Martin 1.5L I4	188
	7	1.5	24	Aston Martin Ltd.	A.C. Bertelli Sammy Davis	Aston Martin 1½-litre Le Mans	Aston Martin 1.5L I4	174
1934	10	1.5	20	M.R.E. Tongue	Reggie Tongue Maurice Faulkner	Aston Martin 1½-litre Le Mans	Aston Martin 1.5L I4	188
	11	1.5	24	John Cecil Noël	John Cecil Noël Jen Wheeler	Aston Martin 1½-litre Le Mans	Aston Martin 1.5L I4	180
1935	3	1.5	29	Roy Eccles	Charles E.C. Martin Charles Brackenbury	Aston Martin 1½-litre Ulster	Aston Martin 1.5L I4	215
	8	1.5	33	Maurice Faulkner	Maurice Faulkner Tom Clarke	Aston Martin 1½-litre Ulster	Aston Martin 1.5L I4	202
	10	1.5	32	C.T. Thomas	C.T. Thomas M. Kenyon	Aston Martin 1½-litre Ulster	Aston Martin 1.5L I4	199
	11	1.5	31	P.L. Donkin	Peter Donkin Lord Malcolm Douglas-Hamilton	Aston Martin 1½-litre Ulster	Aston Martin 1.5L I4	199
	12	1.5	27	John Cecil Noël	Jim Elwes Mortimer Morris-Goodall	Aston Martin 1½-litre	Aston Martin 1.5L I4	196
	15	1.5	30	R.P. Gardner	R.P. Gardner A.C. Beloë	Aston Martin 1½-litre Ulster	Aston Martin 1.5L I4	190
1937	5	1.5	37	J.M. Skeffington	J.M. Skeffington R.C. Murton-Neale	Aston Martin 1½-litre Ulster	Aston Martin 1.5L I4	205
	11	2.0	31	C.T. Thomas	Mortimer Morris-Goodall Robert P. Hichens	Aston Martin Speed Model	Aston Martin 2.0L I4	193
1939	12	2.0	29	Robert Peverell Hichens	Robert P. Hichens Mortimer Morris-Goodall	Aston Martin Speed Model	Aston Martin 2.0L I4	199
1949	7	S 2.0	27	Arthur Jones	Arthur Jones Nick Haines	Aston Martin 2-Litre Sports (DB1)	Aston Martin 2.0L I4	207
	11	S 2.0	29	Robert Lawrie	Robert Lawrie Robert W. Walke	Aston Martin 2-Litre Sports (DB1)	Aston Martin 2.0L I4	193
1950	5	S 3.0	19	Aston Martin Ltd.	George Abecassis Lance Macklin	Aston Martin DB2	Aston Martin 2.6L I6	249
	6	S 3.0	21	Aston Martin Ltd.	Charles Brackenbury Reg Parnell	Aston Martin DB2	Aston Martin 2.6L I6	244
1951	3	S 3.0	26	Aston Martin Ltd.	Lance Macklin Eric Thompson	Aston Martin DB2	Aston Martin 2.6L I6	257
	5	S 3.0	25	Aston Martin Ltd.	George Abecassis Brian Shawe-Taylor	Aston Martin DB2	Aston Martin 2.6L I6	255
	7	S 3.0	24	Aston Martin Ltd.	Reg Parnell David Hampshire	Aston Martin DB2	Aston Martin 2.6L I6	252
	10	S 3.0	28	N.H. Mann	Nigel Mann Mortimer Morris-Goodall	Aston Martin DB2	Aston Martin 2.6L I6	236
	13	S 3.0	27	P.T.C. Clark	Peter Clark James Scott Douglas	Aston Martin DB2	Aston Martin 2.6L I6	233
1952	7	S 3.0	32	Peter C.T. Clark	Peter Clark Mike Keen	Aston Martin DB2	Aston Martin 2.6L I6	248
1955	2	S 3.0	23	Aston Martin Ltd.	Peter Collins Paul Frère	Aston Martin DB3S	Aston Martin 2.9L I6	302
1956	2	S 3.0	8	Aston Martin Ltd.	Stirling Moss Peter Collins	Aston Martin DB3S	Aston Martin 2.9L I6	299
1957	11	S 3000	21	David Brown	Jean-Paul Colas Jean Kerguen	Aston Martin DB3S	Aston Martin 3.0L I6	272
1958	2	S 3000	5	P & A.G. Whitehead	Graham Whitehead Peter Whitehead	Aston Martin DB3S	Aston Martin 3.0L I6	293
1959	1	S 3.0	5	David Brown Racing Dept.	Carroll Shelby Roy Salvadori	Aston Martin DBR1/300	Aston Martin 3.0L I6	323
	2	S 3.0	6	David Brown Racing Dept.	Maurice Trintignant Paul Frère	Aston Martin DBR1/300	Aston Martin 3.0L I6	322
1960	3	S 3.0	7	Border Reivers	Roy Salvadori Jim Clark	Aston Martin DBR1/300	Aston Martin 3.0L I6	306
	9	S 3.0	8	Major Ian B. Baillie	Ian B. Baillie Jack Fairman	Aston Martin DBR1/300	Aston Martin 3.0L I6	281
1977	17	GTP	83	SAS Robin Hamilton	Robin Hamilton David Preece Mike Salmon	Aston Martin DBS V8 RHAM/1	Aston Martin 5.3L V8	260
1982	7	C	32	Viscount Downe Pace Petroleum	Ray Mallock Simon Phillips Mike Salmon	Nimrod NRA/C2	Aston Martin-Tickford DP1229 5.3L V8	317
1983	17	C	41	EMKA Productions Ltd.	Tiff Needell Steve O'Rourke Nick Faure	EMKA C83/1	Aston Martin-Tickford 5.3L V8	275
1985	11	C1	66	EMKA Productions, Ltd.	Tiff Needell Steve O'Rourke Nick Faure	EMKA C84/1	Aston Martin-Tickford 5.3L V8	338
1989	11	C1	18	Aston Martin Ecurie Ecosse	Brian Redman Michael Roe< Costas Los	Aston Martin AMR1	Aston Martin (Callaway) RDP87 6.0L V8	340
2005	9	GT1	59	Aston Martin Racing	David Brabham Stéphane Sarrazin Darren Turner	Aston Martin DBR9	Aston Martin 6.0L V12	333
2006	6	GT1	007	Aston Martin Racing	Tomáš Enge Darren Turner Andrea Piccini	Aston Martin DBR9	Aston Martin 6.0L V12	350
	9	GT1	62	Russian Age Racing Team Modena	Antonio García David Brabham Nelson Piquet Jr.	Aston Martin DBR9	Aston Martin 6.0L V12	343
	10	GT1	009	Aston Martin Racing	Pedro Lamy Stéphane Sarrazin Stéphane Ortelli	Aston Martin DBR9	Aston Martin 6.0L V12	342
2007	1	GT1	009	Aston Martin Racing	David Brabham Darren Turner Rickard Rydell	Aston Martin DBR9	Aston Martin 6.0L V12	343
	3	GT1	008	AMR Larbre Compétition	Casper Elgaard Johnny Herbert Fabrizio Gollin	Aston Martin DBR9	Aston Martin 6.0L V12	341
	4	GT1	007	Aston Martin Racing	Tomáš Enge Johnny Herbert Peter Kox	Aston Martin DBR9	Aston Martin 6.0L V12	337
2008	1	GT1	009	Aston Martin Racing	David Brabham Darren Turner Antonio Garcia	Aston Martin DBR9	Aston Martin 6.0L V12	344
	4	GT1	007	Aston Martin Racing	Heinz-Harald Frentzen Andrea Piccini Karl Wendlinger	Aston Martin DBR9	Aston Martin 6.0L V12	339
2009	4	LMP1	007	AMR Eastern Europe	Tomáš Enge Jan Charouz Stefan Mücke	Lola-Aston Martin B09/60	Aston Martin 6.0L V12	373
	13	LMP1	008	Aston Martin Racing	Anthony Davidson Darren Turner Jos Verstappen	Lola-Aston Martin B09/60	Aston Martin 6.0L V12	342
	3	GT1	66	Jetalliance Racing	Lukas Lichtner-Hoyer Thomas Gruber Alex Müller	Aston Martin DBR9	Aston Martin 6.0L V12	294
2010	6	LMP1	007	Aston Martin Racing	Harold Primat Adrián Fernández Stefan Mücke	Lola-Aston Martin B09/60	Aston Martin 6.0L V12	365
	3	GT1	52	Young Driver AMR	Tomáš Enge Christoffer Nygaard Peter Kox	Aston Martin DBR9	Aston Martin 6.0L V12	311
2011	7	LMP1	22	Kronos Racing Marc VDS Racing Team	Vanina Ickx Bas Leinders Maxime Martin	Lola-Aston Martin B09/60	Aston Martin 6.0L V12	328
2012	3	GTE-Pro	97	Aston Martin Racing	Darren Turner Adrián Fernández Stefan Mücke	Aston Martin V8 Vantage GTE	Aston Martin 4.5L V8	332
2013	3	GTE-Pro	97	Aston Martin Racing	Darren Turner Peter Dumbreck Stefan Mücke	Aston Martin V8 Vantage GTE	Aston Martin 4.5L V8	314
	6	GTE-Am	96	Aston Martin Racing	Roald Goethe Jamie Campbell-Walter Stuart Hall	Aston Martin V8 Vantage GTE	Aston Martin 4.5L V8	301

Sponsorships

Aston Martin sponsors the German football club 1860 Munich, which plays in the 2. Bundesliga.

See Also

In Spanish: Aston Martin para niños

• Aston Martin Heritage Trust Museum
• Aston Martin Owners Club
• List of car manufacturers of the United Kingdom