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| Just before the outbreak of the First World War, two men
successfully competed in hill climbs in a modified Singer. But for engineer, Robert Bamford and
sporting motorist, Lionel Martin building their own car was the goal. The company to build the
car was formed (Bamford and Martin Ltd) and in 1914 the name for the marque was
announced to be Aston-Martin. 'Aston' was chosen as Aston Clinton was a famous hill
climb venue where Bamford had
much success and as suggested by Kate Martin, Lionel's wife, the car would appear high on an alphabetical listing of car
makers. The first car, Coal Scuttle, was registered in 1915, a second car was not
finished until 1920.
Initially, AM built successful race cars in the 1500cc light car category but despite their success, production and sales were slow and Bamford and Martin
went into receivership in 1925.
A new era began in 1926 when the new company of Aston Martin Motors Ltd. was incorporated with A.C. (Bert) Bertelli as one of the new directors. Considered as the father of Aston Martin, A.C. Bertelli took the company through turbulent times with various financial backers. Outstanding and exclusive cars were produced such as the International, Le Mans and the Ulster and the company shared many successes on the Race Track with the 1½ litre cars including at the 24 hours of Le Mans.. Soon after a new 2 litre car was introduced in 1937, A.C. Bertelli left the company. The 2 litre was intended to be a little less sporty, a little more mainstream to attract more discerning customers. They became a very successful range of cars despite to uncertainty in the years which lead up to the start of World War 2. During the war years a revolutionary four door saloon was developed called the Atom. It looked very odd from the outside but had many features that were incorporated into the post war Feltham cars right up until 1959. The pre-war years were turbulent for the small company producing small and wonderfully engineered lightweight sports cars with a large price tag. During this time, only about 680 cars were built, many of which still survive; a testament to their fine design and engineering integrity. Most visitors to this website never visit this section which is a shame as the pre-war cars are very interesting indeed. I think many are put off by difficulties in identifying the many different models, a significant number have been re-bodied and that there are so few of each.Indeed, without using the AMOC register, I would find it difficult too. The AMOC has made classification of pre-war cars just a little easier by breaking the 1.5 litre cars into four distinct subsections
If you are considering the purchase of a Pre-War Aston Martin or need servicing, restoration or parts, then I can highly recommend the website of Ecurie Bertelli |
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| Page Updated Sunday March 18, 2007 |
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