Who Owns Aston Martin? We explain everything.

Aston Martin is a British sports car brand, specialising in luxury cars and grand tourers. We tell you everything about who owns Aston Martin.

Aston Martin History

So who owns Aston Martin? The company was founded in 1913 by Lionel Martin (left) and Robert Bamford (right). Lionel Martin was banned from drivin

g in 1909 after not paying a fine. He quickly took up cycling and it was then that he met Robert Bamford. They both shared a passion for luxury cars and soon developed the Aston Martin brand. Their first car was made in 1915 but, with the outbreak of World War 1, no other cars were created.

Bamford left the company in 1920 but more cars were then produced for the French Grand Prix, with funding from  Count Louis Zborowski. Around 55 cars were built but eventually the company went bankrupt in 1924.

Seeing potential for the brand, Dorothea, Lady Charnwood bought the company, but it again went under in 1925. It was a year later in 1926 that Lionel Martin left the company.

The company was not dead yet and in the same year  Bill Renwick, Augustus (Bert) Bertelli and other investors created a new brand, Aston Martin Motors. In 1932, financial problems occurred once more and the company was rescued by Lance Prideaux Brune, who in turn passed it to Sir Arthur Sutherland.

Unfortunately, another World War was around the corner and in 1936 production was halted. The company instead began making aircraft parts for the war.

The DB range was born

In 1947, David Brown Limited bought Aston Martin, who was an established gear and machine tools manufacturer. It was at this time that Aston Martin started creating the “DB” series of cars.

Unsurprisingly, Aston Martin ran into debt once more and it was bailed out by David Brown in 1972. It was said that the debts were over £5million. David Brown handed it to Company Developments which was a Birmingham-based investment bank consortium. The company had further problems, including not being able to develop an engine suitable for California’s exhaust emission requirements. This lead to a drop in US sales and eventually the plant was closed in 1974.

Vantages and Volantes

In April 1975 the company was again sold for £1.05 million to businessmen Peter Sprague, Toronto hotelier, George Minden and Jeremy Turner. They also brought in further investors, Alan Curtis and George Flather. Aston Martin Lagonda (AML) was born.

During this time, Aston Martin made some of their most recognisable cars, including the V8 Vantage and convertible Volante. Their customer base also changed from Aston Martin enthusiasts to young and successful married men. Prices increased and there was talk of Aston Martin even buying Lamborghini. In 1980, production was cut back due to a recession.

1981 saw the company sold once more, this time to Pace Petroleum’s Victor Gauntlett. Production was up and down and sales slowed around only around 30 cars were produced in 1982. In September 1983, Aston Martin was sold to the Kuwait Investment Office. Investments were made by Peter Livanos and Nick and John Papanicolaou although Gauntlett remained a shareholder.

Aston Martin and James Bond Returns

In 1986, Gauntlett negotiated a deal for Aston Martin to return to the James Bond franchise. He provided his personal V8 Vantage for the filming of ‘The Living Daylights’, starring Timothy Dalton. Gauntlett even turned down a role as a KGB colonel because he “could not afford the time”.

Partnership with Ford

Due to the company still needing funds, a deal with Ford was negotiated in 1987 where they became a share holder.

In the early 1990s, Ford ramped up production of Aston Martin and invested more money. A new factory was opened and 700 vehicles were produced. Cars such as the Aston Martin DB7 were made, as well as the V12 Vantage in the late 90s and the V12 Vanquish in 2001.

In 2006 Ford had to sell off parts of its motor group, including part of Aston Martin. In 2007 a consortium led by Prodrive chairman David Richards bought the company for £475 million. Ford kept a stake at approximately £40 million. In 2008 they announced a partnership with Magna Steyr where they would outsource the manufacturing of 2000 cars a year to Austria. The workforce was also cut down again during this year but the company was not sold again.

Italian private equity fund Investindustrial signed a deal in December 2012 to buy 37.5% of Aston Martin. The sales of the DB9 were not as great as expected though and in 2014 Aston Martin suffered a pre-tax loss of £72 million.

Mercedes AMG and the Future

In 2013, Aston Martin signed a deal with Mercedes AMG who now own 5%. They aim to support the company through providing electrical systems and launching a new range of V8s. The latest car to be developed will be the DB11.

So now you know who owns Aston Martin! Do you have a favourite car? Let us know in the comments.

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