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A hand-crafted sports car : Aston Martin V8 Vantage
A hand-crafted sports car : Aston Martin V8 Vantage
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Aston Martin Lagonda Limited is a manufacturer of performance cars, whose headquarters are at Gaydon, Warwickshire, England. The company name is derived from the Aston Clinton hill climb and one of the company's founders, Lionel Martin. Since 1994 Aston Martin has been part of the Premier Automotive Group division of Ford Motor Company, though Ford announced in August 2006 that it was considering selling the firm.
Aston Martin was founded in 1913 by Robert Bamford and Martin. The two had joined forces as Bamford & Martin the previous year to sell cars made by Singer from premises in Callow Street, London. Martin raced specials at Aston Hill near Aston Clinton, and the pair decided to make their own vehicles. The first car to be named Aston Martin was created by Martin by fitting a four-cylinder Coventry-Simplex engine to the chassis of a 1908 Isotta-Fraschini.[2] They acquired premises at Henniker Place in Kensington and produced their first car in March 1915. Production could not start because of World War I, and Martin joined the Admiralty and Bamford the Royal Army Service Corps. All machinery was sold to the Sopwith Aviation Company
[edit] Inter war years
After the war the company was refounded at Abingdon Road, Kensington and a new car designed to carry the Aston-Martin name. Bamford left in 1920 and the company was revitalised with funding from Count Louis Zborowski. In 1922, Bamford & Martin produced cars to compete in the French Grand Prix, and the cars set world speed and endurance records at Brooklands. The company went bankrupt in 1924 and was bought by Lady Charnwood, who put her son John Benson on the board. The company failed again in 1925 and the factory closed in 1926, with Lionel Martin leaving.
Later that year, a number of rich investors, including Lady Charnwood, took control of the company and renamed it Aston Martin Motors, and moved it to the former Citroën plant in Feltham. Benson brought in Augusto Bertelli as designer. The 1929 Aston Martin International was a successful racer and was followed by the Le Mans and the Ulster. Financial problems reappeared in 1932 and the company was rescued by L. Prideaux Brune who funded it for the following year before passing the company on to Sir Arthur Sutherland. In 1936, the company decided to concentrate on road cars. Car production had always been on a small scale and until the advent of World War II halted work only about 700 had been made. During the war years aircraft components were made.
[edit] The David Brown era
In 1947, David Brown Limited bought the company under the leadership of managing director Sir David Brown — its "post-war saviour". David Brown also acquired Lagonda that year, and both companies shared resources and workshops. In 1955, David Brown bought the Tickford coachbuilding company and its site at Tickford Street in Newport Pagnell, and that was the beginning of the classic series of cars bearing the initials "DB". In 1950, the company announced the DB2, followed by the racing DB3 in 1957 and the Italian-styled 3.7 L DB4 in 1958. All the cars established a good racing pedigree for the firm, but the DB4 was the key to establishing the company's reputation, which was cemented by the famous DB5 in 1963. The company continued developing the "grand touring" style with the DB6 (1965–70), the DBS, and the DBS V8 (1967–72).
[edit] Changing ownership
Despite the cars' appreciation in value, the company was often financially troubled. In 1972, it was sold to a Birmingham-based consortium, and resold in 1975 to North American businessmen Peter Sprague and George Minden. The new owners pushed the company into modernizing its line, producing the V8 Vantage in 1977, the convertible Volante in 1978, and the one-off William Towns-styled Bulldog in 1980. Towns also styled the futuristic new Lagonda saloon, based on the V8 model.
In 1980 Aston-Martin had plans, which did not materialize, to buy MG, which they would have utilized as a sister marque, probably building smaller sports cars. Ideas were plotted to design a new model and they revealed to the press their approach to an 'updated' '1981' model MGB.
The Americans sold the company to CH Industrial, who themselves turned the company over in 1983 to Automotive Investments who, in turn, lasted barely a year before selling the company to Peter Livanos and company chairman Victor Gauntlett. In 1987, the Ford Motor Company purchased 75% of the company, later gaining full ownership.
In 1988, having produced some 5,000 cars in 20 years, the company finally retired the ancient V8 and introduced the Virage range. In 1992, the Vantage version was announced, and the following year the company renewed the DB range by announcing the DB7.
[edit] The Ford era
In 1993, Ford bought Victor Gauntlett's shares and took full control of the firm, placing it in the Premier Automotive Group. Ford substantially invested in new manufacturing and quickly ramped-up production. In 1994, Ford opened a new factory at Banbury Road in Bloxham. In 1995, the company produced a record 700 vehicles, in 1998 the 2,000th DB7 was built, and in 2002 the 6,000th, exceeding production of all previous DB models. The DB7 range was boosted by the addition of V12 Vantage models in 1999, and in 2001 the company introduced the V12-engine Vanquish.
At the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan in 2003, Aston Martin introduced the AMV8 Vantage concept car. Expected to have few changes before its introduction in 2005, the Vantage brings back the classic V8 engine and will allow the company to compete in a larger market. 2003 also saw the opening of the Gaydon factory, the first purpose-built factory in Aston Martin's history. Also introduced in 2003 was the DB9 coupé, which replaced the ten-year-old DB7. A convertible version of the DB9, the DB9 Volante, was introduced at the 2004 Detroit Auto Show. In 2006, the V8 Vantage sports car entered production at the Gaydon factory, joining the DB9 and DB9 Volante.
In December 2003 Aston Martin announced it would return to motor racing in 2005. A new division was created, called Aston Martin Racing, which became responsible, together with Prodrive, for the design, development, and management of the DBR9 program. The DBR9 competes in the GT class in sports car races, including the world-famous 24 hours of Le Mans.
[edit] Ford Auction
In light of mounting financial pressure, and after internal review of costs and value, Ford decided to look at selling parts of its Premium Automotive Group. After suggestions of selling Jaguar Cars, Land Rover or Volvo Cars, Ford appointed UBS AG to sell Aston Martin by auction. At the end of August 2006, Ford announced that it would be willing to sell all or part of Aston Martin. Bill Ford said: "As part of our on going strategic review, we have determined that Aston Martin may be an attractive opportunity to raise capital and generate value".[3] Auto Express reported that Ford hopes to achieve £600m from the sale. The Financial Times reported on 1 September 2006 that Ford wanted $2 billion.
It was reported that the world’s two biggest luxury goods firms are locked in a battle to buy Aston Martin from cash-starved Ford. Swiss-based Richemont and French holding company Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy have emerged as most likely to take on Aston, despite having no previous experience in the car industry.[4] Sunday Telegraph announced that Permira, Alchemy Partners and Texas Pacific Group are lining up bids of up to £500m, along with Jac Nasser, now a partner at One Equity, the private equity arm of JP Morgan. BMW have excluded themselves, as have most of the recognised car companies, in light of the cash-rich private equity money.
The first round of the auction closed on 30 November 2006.[5] One of the four survivors is Syrian-born billionaire Simon Halabi, who recently bought the Esporta fitness-club chain[6], while the Australian bid includes James Packer, Australia's richest man[7].
While the auctions seems to be going well, recent reports indicate that Aston Martin CEO Dr. Ulrich Bez is unhappy with the way Ford is handling the sale of the company. The bare, unmanned Aston Martin stand at the recent Detroit North American International Auto Show was reportedly Dr. Bez' way of expressing this[8].
[edit] Astons on film
The very British glamour of Aston Martin cars meant they were a natural choice for James Bond - author Ian Fleming gave his hero a DBIII in the seventh novel, Goldfinger. A long association between 007 and the marque began on screen with the silver DB5 that appears in Goldfinger (1964) and Thunderball (1965). This was James Bond's company car, and in GoldenEye (1995) and Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) appeared to have become his private car. In On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) a metallic-green DBS appears at the beginning and end of the movie. After an interlude with Lotus, Aston Martins were again used: a charcoal-grey V8 Volante and Vantage in The Living Daylights (1987). After switching to BMW for several films, the Vanquish appeared in Die Another Day (2002). In early 2004, Henrik Fisker, Design Director at Aston Martin, revealed that James Bond drove the new DBS in Casino Royale released in November 2006.[9]
The Italian Job (1969) features a silver DB4 Convertible, owned by crook Charlie Croker, played by Michael Caine. This car is destroyed in a Mafia ambush, along with a pair of E-type Jaguars. The cars were meant to serve as getaway vehicles in the subsequent robbery "in case anything goes wrong." The gang decide to proceed despite this loss, and the question of what happens if anything goes wrong is pointedly ignored by Croker. Although it is commonly believed that this car was destroyed during filming, it still exists and currently belongs to an AMOC member. Rather than destroy an expensive Aston, a Lancia mocked up to look like its British counterpart was pushed over the edge for the final take. In the 2003 remake with the same title, the character Handsome Rob, played by Jason Statham, ends up driving an Aston Martin, but a DB7 Volante, not the Vanquish that he wanted. In the 2002 film "The Italian Job" features a Vanquish, owned by the crook.
An Aston Martin appeared in Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds.
Rowan Atkinson's character in Johnny English (2003) drives a DB7
Roger Moore's character in The Persuaders! (1971-1972) drives a V8. He also drove the DB5 from Goldfinger and Thunderball in The Cannonball Run (1981).
The modern Aston Martin V8 Vantage is the closest to a pure sports car of any in the current Aston Martin range. Aston Martin has previously used the "Vantage" name on high performance variants of their existing GT models, notably on the massively powerful heavyweight Virage-based supercar of the 1990s. The modern car, in contrast, is the leanest and most agile car in Aston's three-model lineup. As such, it is intended as a more accessible model to compete with cars such as the Porsche 911.
Introduced all-new for the 2006 model year, the V8 Vantage was first seen at the Geneva Motor Show in 2005. The two seat, two door coupe has a bonded aluminum structure for strength and lightness. The 172.5 inch (4.38 m) long coupe features a hatchback-style tailgate for practicality, with a large luggage shelf behind the seats.
The V8 Vantage is powered by a 4.3 L (4282 cc) quad-cam 32-valve V8 which produces 380 hp (283 kW) at 7,000 rpm and 302 lb-ft (409 N·m) at 5,000 rpm. Though based loosely on Jaguar's AJ-V8 engine, this engine is unique to Aston Martin and features race-style dry-sump lubrication, which enables it to be mounted low in the chassis for an improved center of gravity. The cylinder block and heads, crankshaft, connecting rods, pistons, camshafts, inlet and exhaust manifolds, lubrication system, and engine management are all unique to Aston Martin. The V8 is assembled by hand at the AM facility in Cologne, Germany, which also builds the V12 for the DB9 and Vanquish.
The engine is front mid-mounted with a rear-mounted transaxle, giving a 49/51 front/rear weight distribution. The V8 Vantage can accelerate to 60 mph (97 km/h) in a manufacturer claimed 4.9 seconds (62 mph (100km/h), 5sec) and reach a 175 mph (280km/h) top speed. As a testament to the car's performance, handling, and endurance, an almost-stock Vantage entered and completed the 2006 Nurburgring 24-Hour race finishing 24th overall at the race, among a field of largely motorsport-homologated cars. The only modifications to the car were a roll cage, racing fuel system, fire protection, racing seat, and hydraulic jacks. The car was otherwise completely standard, including a regular production engine, transmission, suspension, and bodywork.
The V8 Vantage retails for $110,000, £79,000 or €104,000 and Aston Martin plans to build up to 3,000 per year. Included is an exclusive interior with leather-upholstery for the seats, dash, steering-wheel, and shift-knob. A two-tone full-leather interior is available as an option, as are heated front seats, navigation, rear parking sensors, and xenon headlights.
There will also be a V8 Roadster in early 2007.
In their 2006 readership survey, readers of Car Design News voted the Aston Martin V8 Vantage as the best current production car design. The survey results were based on over 1000 responses, most from working automotive designers and students of industrial and automotive design.
The V8 Vantage is one of the only two cars to be added to 'the fridge' on the BBC's Top Gear. The program rates cars from seriously un-cool to sub-zero. The fridge was an extra category added when the presenters deemed the Aston Martin DB9 too cool for the sub-zero category.
In the 2005 awards, Jeremy Clarkson declared the V8 Vantage as the best car of the year, while the award winner was actually the Porsche 911. This resulted in Richard Hammond ("Hamster") eating the piece of paper. The noise created by its V8 engine has been described by Clarkson as, "Like Tom Jones being mauled by an alsatian".
[edit] N24
During the 2006 British Motor Show, Aston Martin revealed a variant of the V8 Vantage that was set to go racing in the Nurburgring 24 Hours endurance race. The car, now known as the V8 Vantage N24, was driven by Aston Martin CEO Dr. Ulrich Bez, development engineer Chris Porrit, development driver Wolfgang Schuhbauer and Hans von Saurma in the 24 hour race and finished 4th in class and 24th overall, before being driven home on public roads. Modifications to the car include extensive lightening and strengthening, the addition of a front splitter and extended door sills for aerodynamic efficiency as well as equipment to make the car race ready (roll cage, racing fuel tank, etc.), the engine is left relatively untuned from the regular V8 Vantage, with most of the performance coming from the lightening and revised settings. The N24 is considered Aston's rival to the Porsche 911 GT3 RS and both cars share similar performance figures, both reaching 62 mph from a standstill in 4.2 seconds. Unlike the rival Porsche however, the N24 will not cost any more than the regular car (price is currently set at about £82,000) as Aston does not believe in the Porsche strategy of charging more for a car with less equipment. Only around 20 or so examples of the N24 are expected to be built.
source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aston_Martin_V8_Vantage_%282005%29
