Aston Martin remains British!

I couldn't believe the news when I heard one of the best loved cars in the world was going to be sold to an egyption consortium

After TVR going only a short time ago, was the last significant remaining part of British motoring heritage about to go too? thankfully, no!

Don't know about you, but cost no object, I'd rather have an Aston Martin aside from any other super car in the world. Before they moved from Newport Pagnell, I was lucky enough to have a guided tour around the Aston Martin factory and it's one of the most heart warming sights I have ever seen.

The ONLY piece of modern technology in the whole factory was a laser jig which ensured the chassis was straight bafore the body was assembled around it. I watched guys, the youngest (apart from one apprentice) had to in his late 40's, hand craft each individual body panel. First pressing the steel from a large press then it went onto have the rough edges cut away and then pain stakingly knocked into the final shape over the course of the next few hours and that was just one wing. After that, the body panel will be closely scrutinised by a quality control chappie who could see imperfections that no-one else could, and this guy had to be at least 60. The panel was marked with chalk at about 7 or 8 parts and sent back to have the microscopic pits smoothed out.

As for the engines, each one is hand built from start to finish by one person. Taking the freshly machined block and smoothing it off taking several days just to smooth the cylinder bores etc then slowly and carefully piecing the whole lump together. No wonder the engine had a gold plate on it with the assembly persons name carved out!

I witnessed something which I will always remember and the car, hand assembled by master craftsmen, that I always loved as a kid became the single most thing in the world I'd love to own, knowing how it had been not built, but hand crafted just for me (I can dream!)

I was even told a story while I was there of a guy in the USA who paid for his whole car to be shipped to Aston Martin just to have a minor body repair done as he would only trust them to do it. The shipping alone cost the guy �4000. That tell you how special this car is. Staying British is the best news the company could have had.

You may not all share my fondness of astons, but you must agree it's one of the most iconic cars in the world and it's still british which can only be a good thing!        HIP..HIP...HOORAY!!

 

Mike

I understand that the consortium includes some chap from prodrive..

540 V8 wrote: ....Before they moved from Newport Pagnell, I was lucky enough to have a guided tour around the Aston Martin factory and it's one of the most heart warming sights I have ever seen. The ONLY piece of modern technology in the whole factory was a laser jig which ensured the chassis was straight bafore the body was assembled around it. I watched guys, the youngest (apart from one apprentice) had to in his late 40's, hand craft each individual body panel. First pressing the steel from a large press then it went onto have the rough edges cut away and then pain stakingly knocked into the final shape over the course of the next few hours and that was just one wing. After that, the body panel will be closely scrutinised by a quality control chappie who could see imperfections that no-one else could, and this guy had to be at least 60. The panel was marked with chalk at about 7 or 8 parts and sent back to have the microscopic pits smoothed out. As for the engines, each one is hand built from start to finish by one person. Taking the freshly machined block and smoothing it off taking several days just to smooth the cylinder bores etc then slowly and carefully piecing the whole lump together. No wonder the engine had a gold plate on it with the assembly persons name carved out! I witnessed something which I will always remember and the car, hand assembled by master craftsmen, that I always loved as a kid became the single most thing in the world I'd love to own, knowing how it had been not built, but hand crafted just for me....

You can still get something akin to this at Morgan.

There's nothing quite like nostalgia to make you go soggy.

Horsetan wrote: 540 V8 wrote: ....Before they moved from Newport Pagnell, I was lucky enough to have a guided tour around the Aston Martin factory and it's one of the most heart warming sights I have ever seen. The ONLY piece of modern technology in the whole factory was a laser jig which ensured the chassis was straight bafore the body was assembled around it. I watched guys, the youngest (apart from one apprentice) had to in his late 40's, hand craft each individual body panel. First pressing the steel from a large press then it went onto have the rough edges cut away and then pain stakingly knocked into the final shape over the course of the next few hours and that was just one wing. After that, the body panel will be closely scrutinised by a quality control chappie who could see imperfections that no-one else could, and this guy had to be at least 60. The panel was marked with chalk at about 7 or 8 parts and sent back to have the microscopic pits smoothed out. As for the engines, each one is hand built from start to finish by one person. Taking the freshly machined block and smoothing it off taking several days just to smooth the cylinder bores etc then slowly and carefully piecing the whole lump together. No wonder the engine had a gold plate on it with the assembly persons name carved out! I witnessed something which I will always remember and the car, hand assembled by master craftsmen, that I always loved as a kid became the single most thing in the world I'd love to own, knowing how it had been not built, but hand crafted just for me.... You can still get something akin to this at Morgan. There's nothing quite like nostalgia to make you go soggy.

jensen is the same hand built, no dealer only direct to public.

other great British car firms - noble, Invicta, Lister, caterham, Ariel (not a joke), Ascari, Farboud, Ginetta to name a few. british owned car manufacturing is really alive and kicking. but the car for me would be a silver DB5 as in goldfinger.

dryle wrote: jensen is the same hand built, no dealer only direct to public. other great British car firms - noble, Invicta, Lister, caterham, Ariel (not a joke), Ascari, Farboud, Ginetta to name a few. british owned car manufacturing is really alive and kicking. but the car for me would be a silver DB5 as in goldfinger.

I'm afraid the Noble is only part British the body and chassis are made in South Africa, with just final assembly in the UK

Rhys wrote: (or did you mean the Atom? )

 

Jensen did fold whilst assembling the new SV-8 cars. There were a handful of them (up to 12, I read somewhere, or was it 20?) and they were almost complete. They were sold on in the state that they had reached.

News article HERE

Buy your SV-8 HERE

You could also buy a 1989 Jensen Interceptor on an F-plate!

Edited by Horsetan

540 V8 wrote: First pressing the steel from a large press then it went onto have the rough edges cut away and then pain stakingly knocked into the final shape over the course of the next few hours and that was just one wing. After that, the body panel will be closely scrutinised by a quality control chappie who could see imperfections that no-one else could, and this guy had to be at least 60. The panel was marked with chalk at about 7 or 8 parts and sent back to have the microscopic pits smoothed out.

I think you'll find those panels were aluminium.

Nostalgia indeed. I remember when the Goldfinger film came out & the desperate search for the new Corgi model. Take a look at the Aston Workshop. It's enough to have you foaming at the mouth!

Apart from the obvious DB5 the early V8 with the 4 headlamp grille is my favourite. Time has moved on & the dodgy Bosch fuel injection can be sorted now. With around 360bhp it was one fast motor. If I could afford one I'd happily sell the 635 to make way for it.

Dave Richards used to write a column for Cars & Car Conversions in between co-driving for Harri Vatanen. They won the world title in the early '80's.

I agree with you Rhys that the older models do have that certain flare and muscular look but I still love the DB9 and the 1990 Vantage. To be fair, I'm not really fussed, if someone said 'do you want an aston' I'd simply say YES very loudly!!

And yes you are correct Andys, it is Aluminuim not steel, schoolboy error clouded by drink lol!   Steel! PAH!

Mike