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Aston Martin Lagonda Limited is a British manufacturer of luxury sports cars.
It was founded in 1913 by Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford.
From 1994 until
2007, Aston Martin was a wholly owned subsidiary of the Ford Motor Company,
becoming part of Ford's Premier Automotive Group when it was formed in 2000. In
March 2007, a consortium of investors led by Prodrive boss David Richards
purchased 90% of Aston Martin for £479 million, with Ford retaining a £40
million stake.6 David Richards becomes chairman of Aston Martin. In December
2012, the Italian private equity fund Investindustrial7 signed a deal to buy
37.5% of Aston Martin, investing £150 million as a capital increase.
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, which went on to set
world speed and endurance records at Brooklands. Three works Team Cars with
16-valve twin cam engines were built for racing and record breaking: chassis
number 1914, later developed as the Green Pea; chassis number 1915, the Razor
Blade record car; and chassis number 1916, later developed as the Halford
Special.
Approximately 55 cars were built for sale in two configurations,
long chassis and short chassis. 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, Bill Renwick, Augustus (Bert) Bertelli and investors which
included Lady Charnwood took control of the company. They renamed it Aston
Martin Motors and moved it to the former Whitehead Aircraft Limited works in
Feltham. Renwick and Bertelli had been in partnership some years and had
developed an overhead-cam four-cylinder engine using Renwick's patented
combustion chamber design, which they had tested in an Enfield Allday chassis.
The only "Renwick and Bertelli" motor car made, it was known as "Buzzbox" and
still survives.
The pair had planned to sell their engine to motor
manufacturers, but having heard that the Aston Martin was no longer in
production realised they could capitalise on its reputation to jump start the
production of a completely new car.
Between 1926 and 1937 Bertelli was both
technical director and designer of all new Aston Martins, since known as
"Bertelli cars". They included the 1½-litre "T-type", "International", "Le
Mans", "MKII" and its racing derivative, the "Ulster", and the 2-litre 15/98 and
its racing derivative, the "Speed Model". Most were open two-seater sports cars
bodied by Bert Bertelli's brother Enrico (Harry), with a small number of
long-chassis four-seater tourers, dropheads and saloons also produced.
Bertelli was a competent driver keen to race his cars, one of few
owner/manufacturer/drivers. The "LM" team cars were very successful in national
and international motor racing including at Le Mans and the Mille Miglia.
Financial problems reappeared in 1932. The company was rescued for a year by L.
Prideaux Brune before passing it on to Sir Arthur Sutherland. In 1936, Aston
Martin decided to concentrate on road cars, producing just 700 until World War
II halted work. Production shifted to aircraft components during the war.
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