Heritage
BEAUTIFUL ORIGINS
Ever since the first Aston Martin was crafted more than one hundred years ago, we’ve had a talent for creating beautiful. Founded by Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford in 1913 in a small London workshop, Aston Martin has since grown to become an internationally admired luxury brand.
The love of beautiful has always been our guiding principle. And Martin and Bamford’s coming together – our origins as a company – was our earliest expression of it.
Both men had a passion and a talent for machines, propulsion, engines and racing. They had a shared love for the car because it provided them the most exhilarating and memorable experiences. Moments of beauty. Moments that they craved to create, repeat, celebrate and share. That passion drove them to hand build cars that were ever faster, more powerful, thrilling, comfortable – more beautiful – than the previous.
Little wonder then that they named Aston Martin after one singular motoring event in Buckinghamshire, England. A moment of pure driving emotion, when Lionel Martin took on the Aston Clinton Hill Climb race in their latest creation, and won.
RACING PEDIGREE
Since our earliest days, we have always believed that racing helped to improve our cars. From our historic debut in the 1922 French Grand Prix, to the 24 Hours of LeMans winning DBR1 in 1959, and the Monza success of the expressive DB4GT, some of our most loved cars have performed at the highest levels of competitive racing.
This is true as much today in our second century as in our first. From stunning victory in 2017 for the V8 Vantage GTE in the 24 Hours of LeMans GTE Pro Class, to the technically advanced Valkyrie hypercar, we have continued to craft innovative cars with the beauty of competitive racing at their heart.
WORLDWIDE ACCLAIM
The impact of David Brown, the English industrialist who took the helm between 1947 and 1972 can hardly be understated. His contributions made it one of the most notable periods of our illustrious past, as Aston Martin flourished under his watch. With a burst of dynamism he set about revolutionising the company, expanding its operations, purchasing the Lagonda marque and introducing a succession of now iconic cars that continue to set pulses racing today.
Launched in 1947, DB2 was the first Aston Martin to carry the now famous ‘DB’ nameplate, and it impressed as it took 2nd and 3rd in its class at LeMans in 1951. By nurturing Aston Martin’s talents for blending performance on the track with luxury comfort, elegant design and dedicated craftsmanship, each new car edged the company further into the limelight. The race-bred DB3 and DB3S were followed by the exquisite DB4 and its high-performance sibling the DB4GT, before the now historic collaboration with Zagato produced the DB4GT Zagato.
However, nothing would compare to the game-changing launch of the DB5 in 1963 – a car that became an instant international hit, garnering critical acclaim and propelling Aston Martin onto the global stage like never before.
Still today it is frequently praised as the most beautiful car in the world and one that transcended into popular culture like no other.
A LASTING LEGACY
From our humble origins to today, on road and track the irresistible draw of an Aston Martin endures. People all over the world seek our beautifully designed cars; cars that have always been synonymous with high performance, bespoke craftsmanship, technological innovation and timeless style.