110 Years in the making. And we're only getting started.

Why Is Aston Martin Called Aston Martin?

The origins of Aston Martin take us all the way back to 1913, when the company was founded by Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford. Back then, it wasn’t yet known as Aston Martin but as Bamford & Martin. The first vehicle that the pair named Aston Martin was a 1908 Isotta Fraschini, which they had fitted with a four-cylinder engine.

Is Aston Martin a Person?

Aston Martin is not a person. Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford started Aston Martin, but then why was the company not called Bamford Martin? Where does the “Aston” come from? Simply put, after the two men began hand-building cars, Lionel Martin raced one at the Aston Clinton Hill Climb race in Buckinghamshire, England, The rest, as they say, is history.

A Chronology of Aston Martin Over the Years

It wasn’t until 1915 that Bamford & Martin would create the first vehicle entirely produced by the company, but production was quickly halted by the First World War. After the war, Bamford & Martin took up production at a location in Kensington, London, where it would produce approximately 55 vehicles before the company went bankrupt in 1924. There was no choice but to sell the company in 1925, when it was bought by Bill Renwick, Augustus Bertelli, and a group of investors. That same year, the new owners renamed the company Aston Martin Motors. By 1932, the company yet again faced financial difficulties and was sold to an individual named Lance Prideaux Brune, who then passed it on to Sir Arthur Sutherland.

1947 – 1972

David Brown, a machine tools manufacturer, bought Aston Martin in 1947. Under Brown’s ownership in 1950, plans for a prototype called the DB2 were announced, followed by the DB2/4 in 1953, the DB2/4 MkII in 1955, the DB Mark III in 1957, and the DB4 in 1958. These models effectively shaped the Aston Martin lineup as we know it today. In fact, the Aston Martin DBS dates back to 1967, when it was first introduced under David Brown’s ownership.

1972 – 1975

By 1972, David Brown paid off all debts held by the Aston Martin company. He then sold it to an investment bank consortium called Company Developments, which was chaired by an accountant named William Willson. Aston Martin would remain under Willson’s ownership until 1975.

1975 – 1981

1975 – 1981 were significant years for Aston Martin. At the time, it was owned by a varied group of businesspeople: Peter Sprague, George Minden, and Jeremy Turner. Under their ownership, iconic models like the V8 Vantage and the Volante were introduced to the world.

1981 – 1991

In 1981, Aston Martin was once again sold, this time to Pace Patroleum’s Victor Gauntlett. The next decade would see continued financial struggles for the brand, but in 1987 Walter Hayes, the vice president of Ford of Europe, took a shareholding because he saw so much potential.

1991 – 2007

There are plenty of twists, turns, and surprises in Aston Martin’s history! Between the years of 1991 – 2007, it was owned by the Ford Motor Company, which placed Aston Martin in the Premier Automotive Group.

2007 – 2018

In 2007, Aston Martin was purchased by David Richards, the chairman of the Prodrive motorsport company. Richards remained in ownership of Aston Martin until 2013, when he chose to return to Prodrive, leaving Aston Martin with Dr. Ulrich Bez as a non-executive chairman of the company, and Nissan executive Andy Palmer as the CEO. Also in 2013, Aston Martin signed a deal with Daimler AG. The partnership with Daimler AG still exists today, supplying the current generation of Aston Martin vehicles with Mercedes-AMG engines.