The past, present and future of Aston Martin are to be honoured through a year-long celebration of the iconic British brand’s 110th anniversary. For the start, the 1923 racer Razor Blade one of the brand’s oldest surviving racing cars, is pictured alongside the uncompromising Aston Martin Valkyrie hypercar.
Sunday 15 January is exactly 110 years since founders Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford officially formed the partnership that went on to create the first Aston Martin car, igniting more than a century of automotive intensity, cutting-edge British innovation, and high-octane racing success.
Born on the track and inspired by its founders’ passion for racing, Aston Martin has risen from humble beginnings in a small workshop on Henniker Mews, London to become one of the world’s most renowned automotive marques, synonymous with inventive design, luxurious craftsmanship, thrilling performance and scarce exclusivity.
In photographs released to mark the anniversary, Aston Martin has brought together two of the most iconic and innovative models from its 110-year bloodline, highlighting the brand’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of performance and applying engineering from Grand Prix racing to the road.
One of the brand’s oldest surviving racing cars, the record-breaking 1923 racer Razor Blade is pictured alongside the uncompromising Aston Martin Valkyrie hypercar.
One of the earliest cars to be specifically designed with aerodynamics in mind, and propelled by an Aston Martin Grand Prix specification engine, the trailblazing Razor Blade took numerous class records at Brooklands in 1923, a year on from Aston Martin’s Grand Prix debut with TT1 – the car nicknamed ‘Green Pea’. A century later, Aston Martin continues to innovate with its thrilling high-performance models, bringing modern Formula One™ engineering to the road through its era-defining Aston Martin Valkyrie.
The brand’s historic 110th anniversary is to be celebrated through the launch of a new, strictly limited, exclusive Aston Martin model, to be unveiled later this year. The milestone will also take centre stage of this year’s British Grand Prix at Silverstone, Goodwood Festival of Speed, Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance and other major events across Aston Martin’s key regions, as part of a global marketing campaign entitled ‘Intensity: 110 Years in the Making’.
2023 promises to be a monumental year, as Aston Martin prepares to unleash the first of its highly anticipated next generation of sports cars, which will further enhance Aston Martin’s focus on ultra-luxury, high-performance and driving intensity.
Amedeo Felisa, Chief Executive Officer of Aston Martin Lagonda, said: “In 1913 Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford came together with a shared vision of racing cars and using learnings from the racetrack to push the boundaries of automotive innovation.“
“110 years and little over 110,000 cars later, that spirit continues. Our 110th year promises to be just as exciting as our first, as we turn a new chapter in Aston Martin history with the launch of our next generation of sports cars and the reveal of an extraordinary special model later this year that will celebrate this unique milestone.” The 110th anniversary is one of several notable landmarks for Aston Martin in 2023, with the year also marking 75 years of the DB bloodline, 60 years of the iconic DB5 model and 20 years of Aston Martin’s Gaydon headquarters, the purpose-built facility serving as a centre of excellence for world-class sports car design and engineering.
About Aston Martin Lagonda
Aston Martin’s vision is to be the world’s most desirable, ultra-luxury British brand, creating the most exquisitely addictive performance cars.
Founded in 1913 by Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford, Aston Martin is acknowledged as an iconic global brand synonymous with style, luxury, performance, and exclusivity. Aston Martin fuses the latest technology, time honoured craftsmanship and beautiful styling to produce a range of critically acclaimed luxury models including the Vantage, DB11, DBS, DBX and its first hypercar, the Aston Martin Valkyrie.
Based in Gaydon, England, Aston Martin Lagonda designs, creates and exports cars which are sold in 56 countries around the world. Its sports cars are manufactured in Gaydon with its luxury DBX SUV range proudly manufactured in St Athan, Wales.
Lagonda was founded in 1899 and Aston Martin in 1913. The two brands came together in 1947 when both were purchased by the late Sir David Brown, and the company is now listed on the London Stock Exchange as Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings plc.
2020 saw Lawrence Stroll become the company’s Executive Chairman, alongside significant new investment, a move that led to Aston Martin’s return to the pinnacle of motorsport with the Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One™ Team and commenced new era for the iconic British marque.