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Sunday, August 30, 2009
Robert Bamford and Lionel Martin created the Aston Martin Company in 1913 for the sole purpose of racing. They built a car which sat atop an Isotta-Fraschini chassis. The name of the company was in honor to the Aston Clinton Hillclimb race combined with Lionel Martin's surname. After World War One they created their own cars which quickly gained a reputation for reliability and speed by setting many speed records. In 1924 the company was taken over by new ownership, which began a series of ownership changes for the company that lasted for many years. After World War Two, the company was in financial distress and production was slow to resume. David Brown purchased the company in 1947, also purchased the Lagonda automobile company. Though his financial support brought the company back into existence, it was his charismatic designs that are responsible for its longevity and success. The DB series, David Browns initials, first appearing in 1957 are some of the most memorable and skillfully crafted designs of all time. They offered superior handling and power than most of their competitors. The aluminum body panels of the DB4 were part of the reason they were given the 'supperleggera' name, meaning superlight. The DB6 was produced for a short period of time, lasting from 1965 through 1970 with only 1327 examples being created. They are the climax of David Brown's expression of a gentleman's ultimate touring motor car.