Aston Martin and Lagonda

Seldom has there been a more emotive motor car than the Aston Martin. Since Lionel Martin's first hill climber of 1914, only about 9000 have been built yet their following is one of the biggest and most dedicated in the world. Whilst other motor manufacturers measure their output in thousands, Aston Martin produce just six cars a week. Each car is an exotic machine, tailored to the desires of the individual. There has never been an ordinary nor a compromise car and every proud owner knows that his car is synonymous with quality, speed, and beauty. It is an irresistible combination. That this exclusive breed has survived at all when other exotic thoroughbreds have fallen is because of the efforts of the enthusiasts and more particularly because of certain individuals. David Brown bought first Aston Martin and then the Lagonda company; he took the best of both cars and produced the singular DB range. He struggled to win Le Mans for ten years and only finally sold out when his losses mounted to an unacceptable degree. Company Developments bought the company and poured more than a million pounds into it before selling out to an Anglo-American consortium. Today, under the leadership of Alan Curtis, Aston Martins, and Lagondas are sold for a true profit and there is an order book stretching into the next decade. In Aston Martin and Lagonda, the three generations and thirty models of these peculiarly English cars made since the war are examined in great detail. Their charismatic competition history is discussed together with the people who made them, still make them and those who run them; the pleasures and pitfalls of owning such a rare machine and above all the mystique that has won them such a following. In company with other books in this series, the majority of pictures and illustrations have been drawn from some of the best collections in the world and some have been taken specifically for this book; hardly any of them have been seen before. Picture Research by Paul Skilleter. ISBN 0 902280 68 6