Aston Martin: Made in Britain

Description

From bestselling author, racer and stunt driver Ben Collins - the man who was The Stig - comes a story of spies, speed and hard-driving genius: a driver's love letter to one of the world's best-loved machines. Aston Martin's first, wickedly fast models were forged at a time when Ferrari's premises at Maranello was nothing but a ploughed field. This book celebrates a century of innovators who kept the fire burning brightly for over a century, from the visionary pioneers Martin and Bamford to modern-day design guru Adrian Newey; from a glamorous web of pre- and post-war spies and racing drivers, to David Brown and the achingly beautiful DB models beloved of Bonds past and present. Ben Collins explores the car with the double-o prefix from a unique perspective behind the wheel, carving through country lanes in his father's V8 Vantage, driving Aston Martins in four James Bond movies and competing against them in the legendary Le Mans 24-hour race. Ultimately, this is a very British success story: of a triumph of engineering that has burned brightly from the Roaring 20s to the 2020s, and an iconic car that never says die.

Ben Collins, formerly The Stig from the BBC's internationally acclaimed Top Gear, was the benchmark of speed against which hundreds of celebrities set themselves,: the man that everyone - including Formula One stars Nigel Mansell and Lewis Hamilton - tried and failed to beat. He is also the go-to guy for Hollywood car chases (he was Bond's stunt driver in every film since Quantum of Solace) and has raced successfully in almost every class imaginable, from Touring Cars and Le Mans 24 Hour to the American Stock Car circuit.

This pacy history of a legendary brand is a love letter to an era of gears and gasoline now accelerating towards its twilight * Financial Times * A must-read for any Aston Martin aficionado * Aston Martin newsletter * The 100-year story of the fast and fabulous motors in this super book, in which [Ben] also reveals his own first-hand experiences with the greatest of Britain's iconic cars * Weekend Sport * This bold novelisation could have turned out neither fish nor fowl, but instead has invented a new style of motoring book * Octane * A great read, covering the marque chronologically, from its creator's early days right up to the latest models. It's the story of a brand that refuses to die, despite the challenges it's faced over more than a century * Auto Express * This personal connection, delivered via Collins's own insight and light-hearted tone, helps Aston Martin: Made in Britain in its mission to stand apart from its competitors * Auto Sport magazine * Ben ('The Stig') Collins, racer and Bond stunt driver, is behind the wheel as we belt through a century of innovation from the pioneering 1920s to the David Brown model loved by 007 * Saga Magazine * Ben brilliantly writes about the roaring '20s to the present, enlightens us about the charismatic character of the marque and shares a multitude of interesting and humorous facts * Aston Martin magazine * [The perfect gift] for the petrolhead in your life * The Scotman * [Told] with a genuine affection ... a glorious tale of British seat-of-the-pants invention * Mail on Sunday *