Aston Martin: 100 Years of Sports Car Excellence

• Millions witness exceptional centenary events around the world
• New models celebrate brand’s success; a concept car looks to its future
• The most valuable collection of Aston Martins ever assembled is created for one day only in London
• The Aston Martin Yearbook is available at www.astonmartinyearbook.com  

The Aston Martin centenary celebrations throughout 2013 were a glamorous global showcase of all that makes the luxury British sports car maker one of the world’s most admired, and desired, brands.

As the centenary year draws to a close, the exclusive band of owners past and present, along with many of the brand’s enthusiasts worldwide can look back on an unrivalled 12 months of activity.

The marque has compiled a digest of its centenary year highlights and is creating a special section on its website: www.astonmartin.com/100 – that acts as a digital store for its centenary memories.

Events to celebrate the brand’s 100th birthday started in London’s Henniker Mews on 15 January 2013. A ceremony was held outside the premises in Chelsea where Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford took the momentous decision to found what was to become one of the world’s most renowned sports car companies. A plaque now hangs at the site of the firm’s first premises in Chelsea.

Just a few days later the centenary focus moved to Dubai where the ultimate GT, the Vanquish, made history by becoming the first car to be airlifted onto the helipad of the iconic Burj Al Arab hotel. The sports car was placed precisely 1,000ft above the ground, in front of some of the region’s most important dignitaries, media and enthusiasts. The video of that exceptional feat has since gone on to receive more than half a million views on YouTube.

In March, came celebrations in Switzerland as the brand unveiled perhaps the most tangible, and exclusive, of its centenary activities: the Centenary Edition sports cars at the Geneva International Motor Show. Limited to just 100 of each model – Vantage, DB9, Rapide S and Vanquish, these cars feature details carefully created to honour Aston Martin’s 100 years of craftsmanship.

At the Nürburgring 24 Hours in Germany in May, the 200,000-strong crowd of spectators at what is one of the most gruelling races in the world witnessed a number of centenary-themed occasions.

First came the global public debut of the exceptional CC100 Speedster Concept. Created as a stunning celebration of 100 years of sports car excellence, the CC100 looks both to the past and the DBR1 – Aston Martin’s 1959 Le Mans and World Sportscar Championship winning car – and to the future with its teasing glimpses of potential future design direction.

Just ahead of the start of the 41st Nürburgring 24 Hours, a cavalcade of more than 100 Aston Martins took to the infamous road circuit for a celebratory parade lap.

Led by the CC100, the parade comprised cars from the marque’s glittering past and stylish present with numerous VIP drivers and scores of enthusiast owners who had travelled across Europe to take part in the iconic gathering.

Among the 100 models making the 22 km lap were the DB5 used in the James Bond film, Skyfall, a One-77, the 1959 Nürburgring 1000 km-winning DBR1 with its original driver Sir Stirling Moss at the wheel, and a Centenary Edition Vanquish bearing the number plate ‘100 YRS’.

Also in May the focus returned to the UK, and to the historic home of the marque at Newport Pagnell, where Aston Martin Works hosted the Aston Martin Centenary Sale. The annual Bonhams auction of Aston Martin and Lagonda cars, the 14th to be held at Works, celebrated 100 years of the marque and saw the unique Bertone Jet DB4GT achieve a world record price of £3,249,500, the highest price ever paid at auction for an Aston Martin.

June witnessed Aston Martin’s annual pilgrimage to the world’s most famous 24 hour race at Le Mans, with Aston Martin Racing fielding a strong team for the endurance classic.

On Friday prior to the race, members of the Aston Martin Owners Club from around the world journeyed to the Hotel de France in La Chartre-sur-le-Loir, their traditional pre-event meeting spot and home to numerous Aston Martin racers over the years including the race-winning team of 1959. On race day itself a selection of rare and historic Aston Martin sports cars from across the years paraded around the circuit ahead of the start in front of hundreds of thousands of spectators.

It was back to the track in July as the Aston Martin Centenary Festival brought race cars ranging from classics such as the DB4 Lightweight up to the DBR9 and the latest Vantage GT3 onto the Brands Hatch GP circuit. In the same month the brand took the starring role at the Silverstone Classic, a long-weekend of amazing motorsport memories billed as “the world’s biggest classic motor racing festival”.

Meanwhile, the exceptional CC100 Speedster Concept was running demonstration laps throughout the quintessentially British Goodwood Festival of Speed. The 6.0-litre V12-powered concept car made its UK dynamic debut in West Sussex as a special centenary treat for the fans of the famous event.

Completing the British brand’s participation at Goodwood was Aston Martin Racing’s World Endurance Championship car – the Vantage GTE – piloted by AMR Works drivers, Darren Turner and Bruno Senna.

July also witnessed what was, perhaps, the highest profile activity in its centenary year with a public celebration in Kensington Palace Gardens, London.

The ambitious event, jointly organised by Aston Martin, the Aston Martin Owners Club and the Aston Martin Heritage Trust – and staged in partnership with The Royal Parks and The Royal Household – saw rare and historic cars exhibited, together worth more than £1 billion.

A Centenary Timeline display took visitors to the event on a 100-year journey from the origins of the marque in Henniker Mews, Chelsea, to the current global headquarters in Gaydon, Warwickshire. Every iconic Aston Martin road car was represented from ‘A3’, the oldest surviving car, to the most current models.

A Centenary Selection display comprised a diverse collection of cars rarely seen outside private collections including a brace of bespoke Zagatos and the trio of Bertone Jets. Aston Martin’s 50-year ‘love affair’ with James Bond was celebrated in fine style as seven of the movie cars were on display, including the iconic DB5 from Skyfall.

Aston Martin owners from across Europe got their chance to participate in the centenary festivities by joining an epic 1,000-mile rally. Travelling through seven countries in just five days the route took in some of the most scenic drives in Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg and France before arriving at July's Aston Martin centenary celebrations in London.

July also saw a special Centenary Week of activities at the brand’s global headquarters in Gaydon. Conceived for owners and enthusiasts to be involved as never before, events included factory visits, design master classes, exhibitions and an unprecedented “Dine on the Line” pop-up restaurant delivering Michelin star-standard cuisine at the very heart of the production line.

In August, the brand’s American fans had their chance to witness centenary celebrations at the 2013 Pebble Beach Automotive Week, where Aston Martin had the honour of being a featured marque.

CC100 made its North American debut and shared the limelight in California with two of Aston Martin’s newest models – the extreme V12 Vantage S and luxurious Vanquish Volante.

Also that month, the brand’s Chinese dealers offered their own take on 100 years of sports car success. China’s first Aston Martin rally set off for Hong Kong from the marque’s impressive showroom in Pudong, Shanghai.

Participants travelled through nine cities over the course of nine days finishing in Hong Kong with a dramatic closing ceremony held with the amazing view of Victoria Harbour as its backdrop.

Into September, and the centenary focus once again turned to Europe, with the eyes of the automotive world on the Frankfurt Motor Show. Aston Martin chose to emphasise both the historic, and the modern, with the DBR1-inspired CC100 Speedster Concept sitting alongside examples of the Vanquish Volante and V12 Vantage S in Germany.

Meanwhile, back in Britain and back on the track, the marque was stealing the show at the Goodwood Revival where the Aston Martin Project 212 car was driven to victory in the Revival’s blue riband event, the Royal Automobile Club Tourist Trophy Celebration race.

In November Aston Martin was once again in the news, this time courtesy of its place at the historic pageant, the Lord Mayor’s Show. No fewer than six of the brand’s sports cars – including a unique Vanquish dressed in the livery of the British Government’s ‘GREAT’ campaign – made their way through the city’s streets as tens of thousands of admiring spectators looked on.

Aston Martin’s centenary artist-in-residence, James Hart Dyke, encapsulated the spirit of the centenary by unveiling the exceptional works he created over the course of the year to record the celebrations for posterity.

Hart Dyke’s works were previewed by luminaries from the world of art in W-One, the exclusive Aston Martin brand centre in London’s Mayfair.

Of course there have been a myriad of other celebration activities around the world during 2013 as owners, enthusiasts and dealer partners have taken every opportunity to display their affection for this great British luxury sports car maker.

Summarising the highlights, Aston Martin Global Brand Communications Director, Janette Green, said: “Condensing 100 years of achievement into 12 months of celebration brought many planning and logistical challenges as we organised a multitude of events and activities around the globe. However as the centenary year draws to a close everyone associated with the brand can reflect proudly on the fun, commitment and passion displayed by Aston Martin staff, owners and enthusiasts worldwide.”

The Aston Martin Yearbook includes exclusive content of some of the most iconic Aston Martins from the past 100 years, as well as full pictorial coverage of the celebrations throughout 2013. The centenary souvenir is available to order at www.astonmartinyearbook.com

Aston martin celebrates a successful role in the Lord mayors Show, if a little damp.

Luxury British sports car maker Aston Martin is celebrating a successful role in one of the world’s most famous parades as six of the company’s models took to the streets of London on Saturday (9 November) for the historic pageant that is the Lord Mayor’s Show.

Adding more than a dash of glamour to proceedings, the stunning selection of sought-after sports cars joined the three-and-a-half-mile-long cavalcade at the invitation of The Worshipful Company of Coachmakers and Coach Harness Makers of London which selected the marque to participate in this, the firm’s centenary year.

The Aston Martins, which included a Vanquish Coupe dressed in the unmistakable Union Jack-inspired livery of the UK Government’s GREAT Britain campaign, made their way through the capital’s packed streets at a decidedly stately three miles per hour as an estimated half million spectators looked on.

Aston Martin is proudly partnering with the GREAT Britain campaign, the biggest ever initiative to showcase the very best of what Britain has to offer, driving investment, students and tourism to the UK.

Joining the uniquely eye-catching Vanquish Coupe in London was the new Vanquish Volante convertible – launched to eager buyers worldwide just a few weeks ago.

Sharing the limelight in the capital were examples of Aston Martin’s four-door sports car, the luxurious Rapide S, and elegantly timeless GT, the DB9.

Aston Martin Global Brand Communications Director, Janette Green, said: “To see our sports cars taking part in such an historic and famous event as The Lord Mayor’s Show is a special occasion for everyone associated with Aston Martin.

“I would like to thank the Worshipful Company for their kind invitation, and hope all those who saw the cars felt a little of the pride that I know we at Gaydon share in being part of this remarkable event.”

For almost 800 years, since, the time of medieval King John, every newly-elected Lord Mayor of London has to leave the safety of the City of London and travel up the Thames to Westminster to swear loyalty to the Crown.

Over the centuries the Mayor's journey has become one of London's favourite rituals, and around it grew the splendid festival that we know today as the Lord Mayor's Show.

The modern procession fills the space between Bank and Aldwych over a three- to four-hour period, cheered by a crowd of around half a million people and watched live on the BBC by millions more.

The focus on Aston Martin in this year’s event continues the brand’s year-long centenary party that began in London back in January with the unveiling of a plaque in Chelsea’s Henniker Mews – original home of the company that went on to become Aston Martin Lagonda.

FRANKFURT - Aston Martin

Aston Martin is showing a vibrant, exciting and dynamic future at the 65th Frankfurt International Motor Show.

2013 is a global celebration for the luxury British sports car maker – which is marking its centenary – as it reflects on 100 years of iconic sports car manufacture with landmark events across the globe.

And while the centenary festivities continue in Germany with show-goers being offered a glimpse of the rarest of all new Aston Martin models – the CC100 Speedster Concept created to mark the brand’s first century as well as hint at its future design direction – centre stage at the IAA Cars event goes to a brace of the brand’s forthcoming sports cars.

In Frankfurt are the luxury British brand’s two newest production models: the extreme V12 Vantage S and luxurious Vanquish Volante – Aston Martin’s ultimate convertible.

Welcoming the bold showing Aston Martin CEO Dr Ulrich Bez said: “Our centenary celebrations highlight the rich history of this exceptional sports car company.

“Centenary events in Dubai, Shanghai, the Far East, Pebble Beach in the US, the UK and right across Western Europe – including the Nürburgring here in Germany – have celebrated the remarkable Aston Martin story so far.    

“Now, we are looking to the strong and exciting future of the brand with cars that clearly show our engineering and design capabilities.

“The Vanquish Volante is automotive art and exhilarating GT luxury combined, while the V12 Vantage S shows the sporting heart of the brand beats more powerfully than ever.”

V12 Vantage S

The V12 Vantage S, which arrives in showrooms around the world over the next few weeks, is the brand’s fastest accelerating production car to date – with the exception of the sold-out One-77 hypercar.

Taking just 3.7 seconds to sprint from 0-60 mph (3.9 seconds 0-100 km/h) the sports car underlines its position as not only the brand’s fastest accelerating production car, but also the most potent Vantage in Aston Martin’s 100-year history.

Equipped with the new 573 PS AM28 6.0-litre V12 engine, featuring latest generation engine management from Bosch, the car is capable of reaching 205 mph making it, also, the fastest sports car to wear the iconic Aston Martin wings – One-77 excepted.

With 620 Nm of torque available at 5,750 rpm the V12 Vantage S is as flexible as it is powerful. Low rev torque – measured at just 1,000 rpm – stands at 510 Nm and, driving the rear wheels through the new Sportshift™III AMT (automated manual transmission) ensures the car boasts true sporting driveability.

Race car technology runs right through the DNA of the V12 Vantage S with, for instance, CNC machined combustion chambers and hollow cam shafts just two examples of track technology feeding through to the road.

Another clear example is the new gearbox. The Sportshift™III AMT (automated manual transmission) is a major development of the automated manual gearbox that appears in the current V8 Vantage S.

Designed and engineered to exploit the full sporting potential of the V12 engine, the new Sportshift™III hydraulically actuated automated manual transmission provides motorsport-style paddle shift changes for optimum performance delivery and efficiency. The unit is also appreciably lighter than the outgoing six-speed manual gearbox – saving 25 kg.

This race-derived and motorsport proven technology – used routinely in Aston Martin Racing’s race-winning Vantage GT4, GT3 and GTE competition cars – provides for great driver control with only milliseconds of torque interruption and delivers precise and swift gear changes.

Meanwhile the debut of three-stage adaptive damping – another ‘first’ for the Vantage family – allows the driver to more precisely tailor the car’s dynamic character. ‘Normal’, ‘Sport’ and ‘Track’ modes provide a broad swathe of dynamic performance that can be tuned to better suit the driver’s requirements. The system also governs the level of power steering assistance offered.

Working alongside the extended adaptive damping system is a ‘Sport’ mode, controlled via a button on the centre console that alters throttle response, gearshift speed and timing, and exhaust note to, once again, tune the character of the car to the driver’s requirements.

A new exhaust system – derived from that of the One-77 hypercar – is lighter, smaller and even more spine-tingling than that of the outgoing car.

The ZF Servotronic power assisted steering is new, too. With a quicker 15:1 ratio it is linked to the adaptive damping button and offers two-mode steering assistance designed to best match the ‘Sport’ or ‘Normal’ settings generated by the Adaptive Damping System.

Dr Bez said: “V12 Vantage S may be our most extreme new sports car, but it is also a tribute to our engineering excellence. To master such formidable power, to make it usable and controllable, these are skills that are not commonly available. The engineering team at Gaydon have executed the installation of our most powerful engine in our smallest sports car with real skill.

“We have created an extreme sports car, for sure; but we have ensured that it stays true to the luxurious ethos of the brand.”

Vanquish Volante

Aston Martin’s other newcomer at Frankfurt is the Vanquish Volante – a stunning new luxury sports car that brings the thrill of open top motoring to the super GT class.

Alongside its coupe sibling the Vanquish Volante sits at the pinnacle of the luxury British car maker’s sports car line-up. It, too, will be arriving in Aston Martin showrooms around the globe over the coming weeks, with customers in the UK and Europe set to receive the first cars before the year’s end.

Benefiting from all of the technical, engineering and design advances present in the Vanquish coupe, the new Volante enhances the driving experience still further.

Vanquish Volante boasts the same new AM11 6.0-litre V12 engine as the coupe and the same blistering performance figures, meaning the 0-60 mph sprint is despatched in just 4.1 seconds (0-62 mph in 4.3 seconds) while the top speed stands at 183 mph.

It is the first fully carbon fibre-skinned Volante in the brand’s 100-year history, while also being the stiffest Volante body structure yet created by the engineering team at Gaydon in Warwickshire, England.

Welcoming the car’s Frankfurt appearance Dr Ulrich Bez said: “This car is what luxury super GT driving is all about. Great performance, fantastic style and exhilarating Volante motoring in one superb package.

“Maintaining the super GT performance for which Vanquish Coupe is renowned, while also ensuring we exceed our previous best in terms of luxury, refinement and driving composure has been the designers’ challenge. With this car, they have excelled at their task.”

The design of Vanquish Volante represents the latest take on Aston Martin’s iconic visual language. Styling cues such as the elegant waist, elongated side strakes and LED rear light blades are derived from the One-77 supercar while the folding fabric roof sits beneath a tonneau and decklid that have been aerodynamically tuned for optimum performance.

The Vanquish Volante’s ‘suit’ of carbon fibre panels cloaks a cabin that is both sophisticated and comfortable. The 2+2 cabin is elegantly attired in authentic and luxurious materials: full grain Luxmil leather with optional quilting, metal controls and satin chrome trim underscore the car’s well-appointed nature.

Each body panel on the car is constructed from carbon fibre not just because of its high strength-to-weight ratio, but also for its flexibility of form.

As practical as it is well-dressed, the Vanquish Volante boasts a boot that’s fully 50% larger than that of the previous DBS Volante. It measures 279 litres – roof up or down – and makes the new Aston Martin the perfect choice for continent-crossing grand tours as well as daily drives.

Perhaps one of the most striking interior design elements is the centre stack with refinements providing a more elegant form that is also more intuitive and accessible for both driver and front seat passenger.

A direct descendent of the One-77 centre stack, the Vanquish and Vanquish Volante’s set-up retains familiar elements such as the ECU engine start button and glass gear selection buttons while featuring a new infotainment system and a significantly more user-friendly design.

Aston Martin Design Director Marek Reichman explained: “Vanquish Volante is a sports car, of course, but more even than that it is the ultimate Volante. A car which follows a long line of elegant Aston Martin convertibles, this super GT is sculpted to convey sophistication as much as raw power.

“The aerodynamically shaped tonneau, the proportions of the folding fabric roof, the luxurious nature of the cabin – these elements have been pored over by the Design team, working with our Engineering colleagues, to ensure we deliver the aesthetic appeal for which Aston Martin is renowned around the world.”

Q by Aston Martin

‘Q by Aston Martin’ is a bespoke personalisation service that goes far beyond the options list to offer demanding clients the very broadest choice and, as such, truly bespoke sports cars.

Q allows customers to enhance and personalise their cars with meticulous attention to detail. The service can be extended to interior and exterior styling, offering almost endless opportunity for expression.

In Frankfurt the company is showing a Vanquish Volante that has received unique Q personalisation to demonstrate more powerfully than ever the tailored nature of the service.

Additions to this already exclusive sports car include a unique Red Ember paint finish; bronze metallic leather; Gulf Orange painted front and rear splitters and gloss black waist rail finisher.

Aston Martin Director of Design Marek Reichman said of the car on show in Germany: “The beauty of Q by Aston Martin is the service’s near-infinite flexibility. I believe the Vanquish Volante we are showing here can demonstrate better than ever just how flexible we can be as we strive to create bespoke new cars.”