THE TALE OF ASTON MARTIN

Founded in 1913 by Robert Bramford and Lionel Martin as Bamford & Martin Ltd the company quickly changed its name to Aston Martin following Martin's successful run at the Aston Hill Climb in Buckinhamshire, England in their first model dubbed the "Aston Martin". The company entered its first race at the 1922 French GP followed by Le Mans and the Mille Miglia until the company went bankrupt in 1924 after their long-time patron and financial supporter Count Louis Zborowski died in a car accident while competing in the Italian GP at Monza. Luckily a highly experienced engineer W.S. Renwick bought the company and would bring it to its peak, winning Le Mans and taking a clean sweep of the podium in his 1.5L creation. When WWII broke out, hindering the sales of all auto manufacturers brought the company back into bankruptcy until 1947 when the companies changed hands again in 1947 by Sir David Brown. It is believed he made the decision to buy the company after driving the 1939 Atom that featured unitary construction and transmission with advanced gear shifting technology and would become the basis for the first Aston Martin DB model.

In 1950 the DB-2 made its first appearance powered by a 2.6L engine that would bring yet another era of Le Mans winning cars in 1959 and their first (and short-lived) shot at the world of F1. That same year, the DB-4 was introduced powered by a 3.7L, double overhead cam straight-6, with an aluminum head and engine block the car could reach a top speed of 150mph. They offered every modification to the DB series, one being the DB4 GT Zagato that was a lightened sports version. With only 19 being produced it is one of the most collectable and influential Aston Martin's ever produced, laying a foundation for theiconic design cues still used in by Aston Martin today.

Fast forward 40 years and 4 more changes in ownership (including Ford Motor Co for $925M) Aston Martin would make a return to GP racing with the launch of the DBR9, based on the DB9 road car in 2005. Just one year later their most iconic partnership with the 007 franchise was brought back to reveal the DBS in Daniel Craig's first appearance as James Bond in Casino Royale.

In todays video, go behind the scenes with Aston Martin as they compete in the most brutal and iconic races, the 24hrs of Le Mans.