I think looking into the history of Aston Martin would be a good place to start. I looked at the heritage section of their website, you're greeted with a slideshow, showing some amazing photographs taken throughout the early days of AML. I saved some of them, to mirror here.
As shot of one of the first Aston's doing a hill climb, whilst a crowd watches. Company history 1913 - 1920 - an icon is born. A rich and prestigious heritage defines aston martin as something truly unique within automotive history. Founded in 1913 by robert bamford and lionel martin as 'bamford & martin ltd', the company has developed into an iconic brand synonymous with luxury and elegance. 1914 saw the birth of the name ‘aston martin’ following one of lionel martin's successful runs at the aston hill climb in buckinghamshire, england. Within a year the first aston martin had been built and registered with the name and by 1920 the business had relocated to kensington.
Company history 1922 - 1928 Racing debut. Competing in the 1922 french grand prix saw aston martin take its first historic steps in overseas competition with two cars completing the race. Financial problems plagued the company over the next decade with the business forced to close in 1925 only to be rescued by a group of investors in 1926, forming 'aston martin motors ltd'. The business was soon on a sound footing, with a competitive range of sports cars and an increasing reputation for engineering and design. This progress lead to the first entry of an aston martin in the le mans 24-hr race in 1928.
Company history 1930 - 1939 Production increases. Aston martin won great acclaim at le mans, when the 1.5l model took a clean sweep of the podium places within its class at the 1933 race. Road car production numbers continued to increase throughout the 1930s with 140 cars being built in 1937, the highest pre-war figure. 1939 saw the production of the aston martin atom, an avant-garde prototype developed using an early form of space-frame chassis and independent suspension - a further development of aston martin's engineering excellence.
Company history 1963 The aston martin db5. Frequently acclaimed as the most beautiful car in the world, the aston martin db5 entered production in 1963. The following year saw the birth of a relationship that has left an indelible mark on popular culture, as the db5 was chosen to be james bond’s car of choice in the classic film ‘goldfinger’.
Company history 1988 - 1991 A new model. 1988 saw the introduction of the virage at the nec international motor show, ensuring the company moved into the 1990's with a new sportscar at the heart of its revised model range. Aston martin also returned to the track as the works supported 'amr1' came sixth in the world sportscar championship. In 1991 walter hayes was appointed chairman and work began on a new model.
Company history 2008 Race success. 2008 saw the dbr9 take gt1 class victory at the le mans 24-hr race for the second consecutive year. The same year saw the marque's love affair with james bond continue as dbs made a second james bond appearance by featuring in 'quantum of solace'.
Company history 2013 Into a second century. 2013 sees aston martin celebrate its centenary and 100 years of creating the most beautiful cars in the world. A global set of celebratory events is planned to celebrate with the owners, supporters and partners of aston martin, including a special centenary week in july 2013 where the largest gathering of aston martins in history will take place in central london. With an unrivalled history and heritage, aston martin strides forward into a second century with new investment and the strongest model line-up ever created.
I also looked at all the past models AML has produced over their 101 years of production.
And the current models, which you can purchase today.
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