The world will be pleased to see the back of 2020, but nonetheless, it was a very significant year for Aston Martin, marking two important launches for the British brand: DBX, the marque’s first luxury Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV); and the raw, instinctive Vantage Roadster, dubbed the Archetypal Hunter, which took the roof off its most dynamic series production car. The year also saw the arrival of new executive chairman, Lawrence Stroll, and CEO, Tobias Moers.
DBX takes Aston Martin into the highly competitive luxury SUV segment, where it has already been recognised with international awards for its engineering and bold, beautiful designs. DBX, sitting on a brand-new platform and manufactured in a purpose-built facility in St Athan, Wales, represents the pinnacle of the luxury SUV segment.
Aston Martin works constantly on innovative ways to enhance and expand its brand in the luxury car market. This year, it began a limited production run of the DB5, the most famous car in the world, in the Goldfinger Continuation. Limited to just 25 customer orders, the meticulous construction process, completed by highly skilled specialists at the brand’s Heritage Division HQ in Newport Pagnell, takes around 4,500 hours per car.
Collaboration with other brands also offers Aston Martin the opportunity to innovate and extend its expertise in design and craftsmanship. In 2020 Aston Martin partnered with Brough Superior to develop the AMB-001, a track-only, limited-edition motorcycle; and with Curv Racing Simulators to produce the company’s first home racing simulator, the AMR-C01. Outside the automotive sphere, the brand also collaborated with architect Sir David Adjaye on the design of 130 William, his new Manhattan penthouse apartments. Partnership with Bowmore Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky produced an exceptional Single Malt, ‘Black Bowmore DB5 1964’, featuring a bottle made from a genuine DB5 piston, as well as the most recent DBX Bowmore Edition.
Covid-19 brought unexpected challenges for all in 2020. It also highlighted the versatility of the Aston Martin team, which supported Britain’s key-workers and establishments providing essential services by designing and manufacturing key items of PPE.
Aston Martin is renowned worldwide for its high-profile success in sports-car racing, but is perhaps less well-known for its Formula 1 exploits. However, from the founding of the business by Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford in a small London workshop in 1913, top-flight motorsport has been integral to the company’s ethos and identity. In a momentous move, this British luxury brand prepares to return in 2021 to the Formula 1 grid for the first time in more than 60 years, as the Aston Martin F1 TM Team.
Passion and dedication shine in the vehicles produced by the brand and the team behind it. British to its very core, Aston Martin takes pride in being one of the world’s pre-eminent luxury car brands, synonymous with beautiful design and exceptional performance. ‘Aston Martins are about authenticity,’ says Marek Reichman, chief creative officer. ‘They are made with passion and love.’ This will only continue into 2021 and beyond.
