Aston Martin Aston Martin Aston Martin
DB2 - DB2/4 - DBR2 - DB3S - DB4 - GT Zagato - DB5 - DB6 - Lagonda - V8 Virage - Vantage - Volante- Zagato - Vanquish - DB Zagato
ASTON MARTIN (GB) 1922 to date
(1) Bamford and Martin Ltd, London, W.8 1922-1925
(2) Aston Martin Motors Ltd, Feltham Middlesex 1926-1929 (3) Aston Martin Ltd, Feltham, Middlesex 1929-1957
(4) Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd, Newport Pagnell, Bucks 1958 to date
The Aston Martin's reputation has always far transcended its small-scale production. The first prototype was evolved by Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford in 1914, the Aston part of the name deriving from the Aston Clinton hill-climb. It used a 1.4-litre side-valve Coventry-Simplex engine in an Isotta-Fraschini voiturette chassis, and was followed by a second prototype in 1919. Production started in 1922 with a larger 1.5-litre side-valve engine in a chassis with 4-speed gearbox and semi-elliptic springs all round. A complete car cost £850, and about 60 were made up to 1925. Successes included 2nd place in the 1922 200-Mile Race at Brooklands, and the collection of a number of world records in the same year. Front-wheel brakes were standard from 1923, and several overhead-camshaft engines were evolved for racing, initially of single-cam type, but later in 16-valve (1922) and 8-valve (1924) twin-cam forms, the former developing 54bhp. These were generally less successful than the production side-valvers. The company exhibited at Olympia in 1925, but was wound up a few weeks later.
A comeback was staged in 1926, the new machine being an ohc 1?-litre designed by A.C. Bertelli. This was tested in an Enfield-Allday racing chassis and went into production at Feltham in 1927 in 50bhp form, with 4-speed separate gearbox, dash-mounted steering box, and David Brown worm final drive. Bodies were the work of Bertelli's brother Enrico, and early sports models weighed only 2,1281b complete. A 63bhp dry-sump competition engine was made in 1928, and two dozen cars had been delivered by 1929. The dry-sump engine was standardized in 1930 and the model had a long and distinguished competition history: 6th in the 'Double-12' at Brooklands in 1931, the award of the Biennial Cup at Le Mansin 1932, 5th at Le Mans in 1933 and 3rd in 1935, in which year a class win was recorded in the Mille Miglia. In 1938, two years after the 1.5-litre had gone out of production, Polledry took 2nd place in the Bol d'Or 24-Hour Race, and a similar car was actually 5th as late as 1951.
Finance was always a problem; there was a brief marketing link with Frazer Nash in 1931 and in 1933 the firm came under the direction of R.G. Sutherland, who retained control until after World War 2. In 1932 the 12-litre acquired bevel drive and a unit gearbox of Moss make, being sold in 55bhp touring and 70bhp sports versions, while the handsome MkII of 1934-36, though it now weighed 2,5761b, was capable of 85mph and sold for £610. Aston Martin's best sales year was 1933 with 105 cars delivered. The 80bhp Ulster model of 1935 could exceed 100mph. A 2-litre model, still with ohc was prepared for the cancelled 1936 Le Mans race and replaced the 1.5-litre the following season, with wet-sump lubrication, synchro-mesh gearbox and Girling brakes at £575; a dry-sump Speed Model version was still available for £200 more. Prices were slashed to £495 in 1939, in which vear the Speed Model was sold with aerodynamic bodywork and the Cross rotary-valve engine was tried, but not adopted. There were also wartime experiments with the Atom saloon with tubular chassis-body structure and Cotal gearbox, but the first post-war Aston Martin, a Claude Hill design, featured a short-stroke push-rod 2-litre engine, independent front suspension, a hypoid back axle, hydraulic brakes and, for the first time, coil ignition. One of these cars won at Spa in 1948, but very few were made, even after the acquisition of the company by David Brown group in 1947.
In 1949 the 2.6-litre twin ohc 6-cylinder engine designed by W.O. Bentley for Lagonda (also part of the David Brown empire) was installed in an aerodynamic coupe using a space-frame with square-section tubes. It ran at Le Mans, reaching production status in 1950 as the DB2 available in 107bhp and 123bhp Vantage forms at a price of £1,915. These cars did well at L.e Mans in 1950 and 1951, as well as winning their class in the 1951 Mille Miglia: they led to some out-and-out sports-racing machines, the DB3 (1952), with Eberhorst-designed structure and 5-speed gearbox, and the 2.9-litre DB3S (1953), which developed 2106hp and reverted to four forward speeds. Three wins in the Goodwood 9-Hour Sports-Car Race, 2nd place at Sebring and 5th in the Mille Miglia in 1953, and two successive 2nd places at Le Mans (1955 and 1956) made the David Brown Astons a powerful force in international racing. The touring DB2 acquired rather occasional rear seats in 1954 and a 140bhp 2.9-litre engine in 1955.
1956 saw the first of two unsuccessful forays into Formula 1 (the second was in 1959), and the debut of the DBR series of sports-racers with space frames and De Dion rear axles, the first Aston Martins to have disc brakes. These were raced in 2.5-, 2.9- and 3.7-litre forms and scored three successive wins in the Nurburgring 1,000-Kilometre race, a win at Spa in 1957, a 1-2-3 victory in the 1958 T.T., and finished lst and 2nd at Le Mans in 1959. Also in 1959 Aston Martin became the first and only British makers to win the,Sports Car Constructors' Championship. The MkIII version of the DB2/4 (1957) had front disc brakes, and could be had with overdrive or automatic gearbox - factory options which are found on all later Aston Martins. Manufacture was transferred to the former Tickford body works (which had made the N.P. car in the 1920s) at Newport Pagnell in 1958. 1959 saw a detuned 240bhp version of the 3.7-litre DBR engine installed in the DB4, an Italian-styled sports saloon with platform frame, trailing-link and coil rear suspension and all-round disc brakes. A 302bhp short-chassis GT version w.; abie of 170mph followed in 1960. A 255bhp Vantage engine was an option on the standard chassis in 1962, and the 4-litre DBg of 1964 had alternator ignition, a diaphragm clutch and the new transmission option of five forward speeds. The 5-speed box was standard in the 282bhp DB6 which sold in 1966 for £5,084. A 325bhp Vantage version was also available. An additional 1967 model had coupé bodywork by Superleggera Touring of Italy - a return to two-seaters after a lapse ofseveral years. In December 1966 it was announced that the company was developing a 5-litre V-8 racing engine to be installed in a Lola chassis. New for 1968 was the DBS coupe with four headlamps and De Dion rear axle.