Aston Martin is a name revered around the world as representing the pinnacle in automotive sophistication, luxury and outright performance. The cars, and the accompanying mystique and charisma, are still produced simply because the good name of Aston Martin means so much to so many.
Following The Ford Motor Company's purchase in 1987 of a majority shareholding in Aston Martin, grave fears were held for the sports car company's future, indeed, for its very 'Britishness'. But these fears were unfounded: it went from strength to strength, rising to an enviable position of financial security, a position that it had never held over its long history.
In Aston Martin: Power, Beauty and Soul author David Dowsey examines 64 unique Aston Martin cars that were produced in the exciting and productive period following the Ford majority acquisition. Some are well-known production models. Others are after-market conversions carried out by Aston Martin or by outside styling houses and engineering companies. Aston Martin's forays into motorsport during this period are also examined.
Dowsey was granted unprecedented access to photos and details of some of the most extraordinary custom-'made vehicles made by Aston Martin for some very special customers. Never-seen-before details of these ultra-expensive hand-built, cars are included, along with behind-the-scenes commentary from those closest to these sometimes top-secret projects.
Interwoven throughout the book are the stories of the people who brought the cars to life and who were responsible for making this tiny company in the middle of the English countryside a world-class manufacturer of the most envied luxury vehicles available today.
Comprehensive technical specifications accompany each vehicle; automotive illustrator Mike Harbar's delightful renderings add a charming bespoke dimension, befitting their subject.
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