Details

Get to Know Aston Martin

Aston Martin was founded in London in 1913 by Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford. With eras of financial trouble and enormous success, one thing has remained the same: Aston Martin is the archetypal British car.

The company’s history is effectively divided into two periods: pre-war and post-war. Shortly after the company was founded, the First World War broke out, halting production; after the war, the company was focused on racing cars. In 1936, its new owner shifted the company’s focus to road cars, just in time for World War II to start. 1948 began its post-war period, when the company focused on sports and grand touring cars.

For over 70 years, we’ve seen new Aston Martin models (or updates to current models) come out every few years, making their model line-up one for other companies to envy.

One of the most famous cars, the Aston Martin DB5, was James Bond’s car in 1964’s Goldfinger, making it a household name in homes around the world. The DB5 was just one generation of the DB cars, which began in 1948 with the DB1.

Nearly 30 years later, the company presented the Aston Martin DB7, the DB7 Vantage, and the DB7 Zagato. The original DB7 and the DB7 Vantage remained in production for 10 years, before being replaced by 2003’s DB9. In 2004, the company introduced the Aston Martin DB9 Volante—Volante is their name for the convertible version of a coupe car. Finally, 2016 brought us the Aston Martin DB11 V12, marking the latest evolution of the DB set.

Not one to stay static for long, Aston Martin has developed other body types in the past 70 years. The V8 has been a mainstay for the brand, like the original Aston Martin V8, which was in production from 1969 to 1989. The Aston Martin V8 Vantage GT roadster, which was introduced in 1977, is sometimes called Britain’s first supercar.

The Vantage name has been used on other Aston Martins, including the 1993-2000 and 2018-present Aston Martin Vantage. When added to another model name, Vantage refers to a higher-powered version of a car (such as the Aston Martin V12 Vantage).

In a name that some might consider rather on the nose, they debuted their Aston Martin Rapide and Rapide S in 2010. The car, which is still in production today, is a 4-door luxury sports saloon vehicle.

The Aston Martin Vanquish body style is another popular choice, including the 2001-2007 V12 Vanquish and Vanquish S and the 2012 Aston Martin Vanquish and Vanquish Volante. Don’t get these V’s confused with the Aston Martin Virage, though, which was manufactured as the automotive group’s hand-built flagship model from 1989 to 2000.

The Aston Martin DBX was introduced here in the United States in 2021 and is currently being produce. It’s a AWD SUV Aston Martin introduced to compete with the like of the Lamborghini Urus, Bentley Bentayga, Porsche Cayenne Turbo, etc.

Aston Martin has a long, storied history of success and failure, but ultimately remains a symbol of classic British culture. As you prepare to sell your Aston Martin, you should be proud to have been a part of their long history.

If you’d like more information before making a decision, be sure to check out our Complete How-To Sell Your Exotic Car Guide and our in-depth research piece Leasing vs Owning.