Aston Martin Lagonda Limited is a British manufacturer of luxury sports cars, based in Gaydon, Warwickshire, England.

The company name is derived from the name of one of the company's founders, Lionel Martin, and from the Aston Clinton Hillclimb near Aston Clinton in Buckinghamshire.

From 1994 until 2007, Aston Martin was part of the Ford Motor Company, becoming part of the company's Premier Automotive Group in 2000.

Ford retained a US $ 77 million ( or 12. 1 %) stake in Aston Martin, valuing the company at $ 925 million.

Aston Martin 2-Litre 2 / 4-Seater Sports 1937

Aston Martin was founded in 1913 by Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford.

Martin raced specials at Aston Hill near Aston Clinton, and the pair decided to make their own vehicles.

The first car to be named Aston Martin was created by Martin by fitting a four-cylinder Coventry-Simplex engine to the chassis of a 1908 Isotta-Fraschini.

Later that year, Bill Renwick, Augustus ( Bert ) Bertelli and a number of rich investors, including Lady Charnwood, took control of the company and renamed it Aston Martin Motors, and moved it to the former Whitehead Aircraft Limited works in Feltham.

They had planned to sell this engine to motor manufacturers, but having heard that the Aston Martin car was no longer in production they realised that they could capitalise on the reputation of the Aston Martin name ( what we would now call the brand ) to give themselves a head start in the production of a completely new car.

Between the years 1926 and 1937 Bertelli was the technical director of Aston Martin, and the designer of all subsequent Aston Martin cars during this period, these being known as the " Bertelli cars ".

1958 Aston Martin DB Mark III

The company was badly hit by the economic contraction of the early 1980s as worldwide sales of Aston Martin shrank to three per week and chairman Alan Curtis together with fellow shareholders American Peter Sprague and Canadian George Minden came close to shutting down the production side of the business, to concentrate on service and restoration.

Gauntlett bought a 12. 5 % stake in Aston Martin for £ 500, 000 via Pace Petroleum in 1980, with Tim Hearley of CH Industrials taking a similar share.

Gauntlett also led the sales team, and after some development and a lot of publicity when it became the world ’ s fastest 4-seater production car, was able to sell the Aston Martin Lagonda in Oman, Kuwait, and Qatar.

A new division was created, called Aston Martin Racing, which became responsible, together with Prodrive, for the design, development, and management of the DBR9 program.

Part of Aston Martin's current racing program, Charouz Racing System competes with sports prototype powered by an Aston Martin V12

: See also: Aston Martin Racing, List of Formula One constructors

* Chris Nixon, " Racing With The David Brown Aston Martins ", 2 vols.

* John Horsman, " Racing In The Rain ", an account of his engineering career with Aston Martin, John Wyer and Mirage.

His professional driving career spans four decades, in 2000 chalking up his 600th win in a race at Snetterton Motor Racing Circuit, Norfolk in an Aston Martin DB4.

The paint scheme also found its way on a Nimrod Racing Aston Martin Waltrip drove in the 1983 24 Hours of Daytona. Waltrip's success driving the Junior Johnson prepared cars came immediately and even surpassed the highly successful years he had with DiGard.

Nimrod Racing Automobiles ( sometimes referred to as Aston Martin Nimrod ) was a partnership founded in 1981 between racing driver and car dealer Robin Hamilton and chairman of Aston Martin Lagonda, Victor Gauntlett.

For 1982, with the evolved NRA / C2, Nimrod Racing would turn to the IMSA GT Championship in North America due to EMKA Racing taking over Aston Martin's factory-backed efforts in Europe with their own car.

* Nimrod Racing Automobiles, a British racing constructor and team formed through a partnership with Aston Martin

The DB7 was engineered in Kidlington, Oxfordshire, by Tom Walkinshaw Racing on behalf of Aston Martin.

According to the SS Racing Website, " 22-Year-Old Andrew Weldon is a budding race car driver from Aston Township, Pennsylvania.

Instead, Lamy remained with the Aston Martin Racing squad, taking part in the American Le Mans Series and 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The most prominent DB4 GT Zagatos, affectionately known by the registration plates they share, of ' 1 VEV ' and ' 2 VEV ' which were both raced under the John Ogier's Essex Racing Stable with assistance from the Aston Martin factory.

In late 2003, Richards announced that Prodrive had signed an agreement with Aston Martin to take the British sports car manufacturer back into motor racing with the formation of a new team called Aston Martin Racing.

He finished ninth overall and third in the GT1 Class for Aston Martin Racing.

Brabham won the GT1 class of the 2007 24 Hours of Le Mans and again in the 2008 24 Hours of Le Mans driving a for Aston Martin Racing.

The team is currently competing in the FIA GT Championship with a pair of Ferrari F430s, while their Brixia Racing arm competes in the FIA GT3 European Championship and Italian GT Championship with Aston Martin DBRS9s.

In 2006 he was driver of the # 007 Aston Martin Racing entry in the American Le Mans Series, but for 2007 will switch to the Petersen / White Lightning Ferrari F430.

In 2009 he drove for Aston Martin Racing in the Le Mans Series and won the championship alongside Stefan Mücke and Jan Charouz.

As Aston Martin required greater investment, he also agreed to sell his share holding to American importer and Greek shipping tycoon Peter Livanos, who invested via his joint venture company with Nick and John Papanicalou, ALL Inc. Gauntlett remained chairman of the AML company 55 % owned by ALL, with Tickford a 50 / 50 venture between ALL and CHI.

He was then replaced in 1988 by the former manager of German computer company Nixdorf Computer AG, Arno Bohn, who made some costly miscalculations that led to his dismissal soon after, along with that of the development director, Dr. Ulrich Bez, who was formerly responsible for BMW's Z1 model, and today is CEO of Aston Martin.

The petition cites one Piers Venables of Aston, Derbyshire, " who having no liflode, ne sufficeante of goodes, gadered and assembled unto him many misdoers, beynge of his clothynge, and, in manere of insurrection, wente into the wodes in that countrie, like as it hadde be Robyn Hude and his meyne.

The movie included a tribute to Ian Fleming via a cameo appearance by an unidentified secret agent with the initials " J. B ." The part was played by one-time James Bond George Lazenby who was shown driving Bond's trademark vehicle, an Aston Martin DB5.

Arbuthnot, Hill, Halley, Jones, Machin, Burnet, Robarts, Bonet, Aston and Taylor to review the claims of Newton and Leibniz as to who discovered calculus.

Produced by Taylor, Time Signs had featured Aston and Harding, who both went on to appear on Time Team.

* Actors Sam Aston and Emily Aston who gained acclaim in Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit prior to joining Coronation Street as Becky Palmer in 1996.

* English footballer Dion Dublin, who has played for Manchester United, Aston Villa, and Coventry City, as well as the national team, lives with his wife and family in Stratford.

A new veterans memorial, dedicated to all veterans who lived in the township ( and present-day Chester Heights prior to 1948 ) from the American Revolution to the present-day Operation Iraqi Freedom, along with Aston Township EMTs, Police, and Firefighters killed in the line of duty, has been built at the same intersection, opposite the former inn site.

When the Hurlock family finally sold up in 1986 Angliss fully acquired the AC trademark rights and set up a new AC company as a joint venture with Ford, who had also recently bought Aston Martin.

* Mark Delaney, a footballer who played for Cardiff City, Aston Villa, and Wales, was also born in Haverfordwest.

Following the loss of so many players in the crash, United were desperate to find replacements with experience, so Murphy turned to players like Ernie Taylor ( signed for £ 8, 000 from Blackpool ) and Stan Crowther, the Aston Villa wing half who had played against United in the 1957 FA Cup Final.

In the autumn of 2004, he spurned an opportunity to return to football with League One side, Walsall, who were then managed by Paul Merson, who had played alongside Bosnich in his final season at Aston Villa.

Alliance with Aguta Emishi, Tsugaru Emishi and Watarishima Emishi is formed by Abe who then storms a settlement of Mishihase ( Su-shen in the Aston translation of the Nihongi ) a people of unknown origin, who are defeated.

It also featured cameo appearances by Hazel O ' Connor, Bananarama ( including Stewart's future wife, Siobhan Fahey ), Kate Garner of Haysi Fantayzee, Thereza Bazar of Dollar, Jay Aston and Cheryl Baker of Bucks Fizz, Kiki Dee, Jacquie O ' Sullivan and the gender-bending pop singer Marilyn, who would go on to musical success of his own that same year.

ABC's Aston studios were sold to ATV, who already owned half of the studio complex and who now took full control, and who sold the site a few years later to an independent local radio station.

Leslie's reputation, guile and discretion were frequently noted by contemporary observers including the English officer John Aston and intellectual, Sir Cheney Culpeper who both commented on his qualities in their writings.

In 1972, league champions Derby County and FA Cup winners Leeds United both declined to take part in the Charity Shield, so Manchester City, who had finished in fourth in the First Division, and Third Division champions Aston Villa were invited to take part ; Manchester City won 1 – 0.