The Aston Martin is luxury vehicle today that most can only dream of owning. This near century old manufacturer has certainly had its share in the spotlight, breaking numerous racing records and setting the standard for style and luxury in our day.

Aston Martin has also seen a century’s worth of near fatal financial situations, being sold more times than most companies would care to tell you, but somehow Aston Martin has still made it out on top as first rate performance sports car.

Aston Martin – The Beginning

Aston Martin’s humble beginning all started in 1913 when Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford joined forces as Bamford & Martin to sell Singer cars, but soon they found themselves modifying and building cars meant for hill climbing and racing.

Martin soon became a success at Aston Clinton, Buckinghamshire, racing cars built by Bamford & Martin. Martin’s success in these races inspired the modern day name of Aston Martin and in 1914 Aston Martin was born.

In 1922 Aston Martin made its first overseas race at the French Grand Prix and on May 24, Aston Martin broke 10 records in Brooklands.

In 1925 Lionel Martin left the company and the Charnwood family, who by then had a major holding, took over with the help of Augustus Bertelli and William Renwick. Bertelli became the technical director at Aston Martin and one of the few car manufacturers who actually raced his own cars.

The DB Era

In 1947 David Brown Limited bought both Aston Martin and Lagonda, using the combined resources of the two to succeed and achieve on and off of the track. Lagonda like Aston Martin had a strong history in racing and made a name for itself in 24 hour races with record breaking times.

David Brown Limited’s takeover of Aston Martin started a new era for the company, the DB era. The DB series soon stood out as the symbol of Aston Martin, winning races and capturing the imagination of TV viewers around the world.

The Aston Martin has shown itself in 19 films including its most famous appearances in 9 James Bond 007 movies.

A New Owner

From 1972-1991 Aston Martin saw troubled times and many new owners. 1991 Aston Martin saw some stability with ownership taken over by Ford.

In 1995 a record of 700 DB7s were built and by 2002, 6,000 DB7s were made. Aston Martin’s time with Ford Produced many new models of cars including the V12 Vantage in 1999, V-12 Vanquish, AMV8 Vantage and the DB9 in both coupe and convertible.

The Ford Era also reunited Aston Martin with the racing world in 2005 with the creation of the DBR9 which races in the GT class, including the 24 hours of Le Mans.

In 2006 Aston Martin was auctioned off for an undisclosed sum to LVMH, but was resold to consortium led by David Richards in 2007 for $848 million.

Today Aston Martin still holds the same luster it had in its early years and continues to amaze with its performance and luxury.