The major British independent auto-manufacturer started life in a workshop, originally known as “Martin & Bamford Ltd”, ran by the two co-founders, Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford. It was Bamford’s driving success in the Aston Clinton Hill Climb, that prompted them to rename the business to Aston Martin.
Since then, Aston Martin has gone through Grand Prix success, and has even gone into receivership after decades of financial ups and downs. These days though the manufacturer is one of the most recognised producers of luxury sports cars in the world. We wanted to go through 10 of the best classic cars that Aston Martin have produced throughout the years, starting all the way back in 1915…
Aston Martin Coal Scuttle
The curiously named Coal Scuttle, was the first car that Aston Martin ever produced. It was given the name because of its supposed resemblance to a fireplace coal bucket, the type that would have been widely used in many houses at the time of the car’s production, in 1915.
The car was actually the only model the manufacturer produced between 1915 and 1920. Only two Coal Scuttle’s were ever made and the model is now extinct, but the car did have some track success in its day, even winning Gold in the 1919 London-Edinburgh run.
Aston Martin Ulster
The Ulster was produced between 1934 and 1935, and is still recognised by many as one of the best examples of Aston Martin’s earlier era. It’s still highly sort after, thanks to it being an exceptionally rare model, with one actually selling for £3 million at Bonhams in 2015.
50 of the cars were made, and they perfectly characterised the manufacturers early days of producing sportier models, with a tougher, louder and no compromise approach to the open road. A far cry from the long-distance focused touring cars the manufacturer starting making a few decades later.
Aston Martin Atom
The Atom is a pretty rare model from Aston Martin, and the reason for that is because only one was ever built. It is a prototype car from 1939, with an aluminium body that sits over a tubular steel frame.
It was after test driving the fully functional concept car, that David Brown made the decision to buy the Aston Martin company in 1947. The unique 2-litre Atom has been owned by Tom Rollason, an Aston Martin enthusiast and collector, for over three decades. It’s kept on display at the British Motor Museum, in Gaydon.
Aston Martin DBR1
The Aston Martin DBR1 was essentially designed and built so that David Brown could fulfill his ambition of winning the 24-hour Le Mans race. In 1959 the sports car model did just that, coming in first at the renowned endurance classic.
During that same year the DBR1 also managed to achieve victory in the World Sportscar Championship, a feat that only two other cars managed to accomplish in the 1950s. The actual model that managed to win Le Mans was considered to be one of, if not the most expensive British sports cars in history.
Aston Martin DB5
This silver sleek version of the DB5 became famous when it featured in the James Bond film, Goldfinger, in 1964. Since then the model has managed to remain one of the most widely recognised cars around the world.
DB5’s were pretty expensive even back in the 60s, now though they are amongst some of the most sought after classic cars for collectors. The actual Bond model was sold at auction this year for £1.9 million.
Aston Martin DB7
This was the highest production Aston Martin ever built, with around 7,000 models being produced between 1994 and 2004.
Today certain second-hand DB7 models can be picked up for a relatively low price when compared to other classics. Of course they often come with a substantial caveat in the form of often high maintenance costs.
