Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford founded Bamford & Martin in 1912, starting out selling cars made by Singer as well as servicing GWK and Calthorpe autos. Three years later they would acquire production facilities in Kensington and would produce their first vehicle in March 1915. In 1926 the company would be renamed Aston Martin Motors, and would begin to produce the high end sports cars and purpose built race cars that Aston Martin is known for today.
Aston Martin has a well known affiliation with James Bond. A silver DB5 was Bond’s car in Goldfinger (1964) and Thunderball (1965). Aston Martins have also been Bond’s business or personal vehicle in seven other films including the newest installment - Quantum of Solace (2008).
The first car to bear the initials DB (for owner David Brown - who introduced the line and was later called the savior of Aston Martin) was the DB1 produced in 1947. The DB line would achieve great racing success in the 1950s, culminating in a 24 Hours of Le Mans win in 1959. Aston Martin Motors has continued to produce race cars at the highest tiers and also builds engines for several race teams, and the DBR9 and DBRS9 continue the legacy started in the fifties.
Today’s Aston Martin road cars are known as much for style and elegance as they are for performance. Each Aston Martin vehicle is hand crafted and hand painted with an attention to detail which is unmatched in the auto industry. The result is stunning vehicles whose combination of luxury and performance truly places them in a class by themselves.