In 1913 Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford formed Aston Martin. They had worked together under the name Bamford and Martin to sell vehicles in London where they also serviced vehicles. Martin raced at Aston Hill. Together they decided to build their own vehicles. Martin fitted a four-cylinder Coventry-Simplex engine to the chassis of a 1908 Isotta-Fraschini. This was the first automobile to carry the name Aston Martin. They bought property in Kensington so that they could produce their cars. But at the outset of World War I both men went off to serve their country.
Fast forward to 2008, and the Aston Martin One-77 is unveiled at the Paris Motor Show. It was a work of art.
The Aston Martin One-77 is a two-door coupé built that has its beauty and power all in one, but only 77 were made. Each model is different due to a unique customization system. That’s perfectly understandable since the Aston Martin One-77 carries a convenient price tag of about $1,850,000. But seriously, if you’re looking for a one of a kind luxury automobile, why quibble about price? Unfortunately, in April, 2012, the last one was reportedly sold. Aston Martin isn’t really in a hurry to produce more; after all it took 70 years for the British firm to sell its first 10,000 vehicles.
Read more in the book “Aston Martin: Power, Beauty and Soul“
When the Aston Martin One-77 was commissioned the goal was to build the best, most technically advanced and, of course, fastest car Aston could create as well as to advance new technology for future models.
Director of Design Marek Reichman said that the goal was “To create a car closer to art than the automobile. That was the aim.”
The Aston Martin One-77 features hand crafted aluminum paneling and a carbon fiber monocoque chassis. Under the hood of an Aston Martin One-77 is a 7.3 liter V12 engine that can travel from 0 to 60 in 3.4 seconds and reach a maximum speed of 220 mph. Because of the amazing performance and because the brakes have less time to cool between bursts of acceleration, Aston Martin paid close attention to the brake cooling. At speeds like that, you need sophisticated braking. With the Carbon Ceramic Matrix, the calipers are made so that minimal heat will come from the brake pads to the brake fluid.
The length of the Aston Martin One-77 is similar to that of the DBS and DB9. But you’ll find that the whole car is lower and the wheelbase is almost two inches longer. The doors to the One-77 open out and slightly up. Inside you’ll find low seats and double-stitched leather. The seat is low and deep.
The Aston Martin One-77 has received several internationally design awards including “Best Design” from the UK Auto Express magazine, the “Good Design” award by the Chicago Athenauem: Museum of Architecture and Design in North America, and the Concorso d’Eleganza Design Award for Concept Cars and Prototypes.
If you can’t afford the actual car, you can “drive” in several different video games including Forza Motorsport 3 and Forza Motorsport 4, Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit and others.
When describing the car, Aston Martin CEO Ulrich Bez says, “One-77 expresses all the ingenuity that Aston Martin has acquired in recent years. It is the culmination of all the beauty and emotion that we can bring into the car and by this, it is an expression of what Aston Martin stands for.”
Aston Martin is one of the world’s best producers of sophisticated and luxury automobiles. Their Vienna showroom is the largest Aston Martin dealership in Europe. And for the lucky owners of the One-77, Aston Martin keeps in constant contact.
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