Aston Martin: First profit in 90 years !!!

Decolliber · 06-07-2004, 07:13 AM

USA: Ford-owned sports car maker expects to make first-ever operating profit this year
07 Jun 2004
Source: just-auto.com editorial team

Aston Martin, Ford’s UK-based luxury sports car maker, is expected this year to make an operating profit for the first time in its 90-year history.

Hugh R · 06-08-2004, 03:04 PM

Being that I own one, I'll be the first to respond. There's a story that David Brown, the one time owner of Aston Martin (as in DB4, DB9), was asked by a friend to sell him a new car at cost. Brown said sure and when the guy got the car there was a second invoice for an additional couple of thousand bucks. He (Brown) was a huge British industrialist and he reportedly subsidized the building of these cars for decades.

304065 · 06-08-2004, 03:16 PM

I'll second that Hugh. The story I heard was that DB was HAPPY to sell him the car at cost, because that would be significantly higher than the retail price!

Are there any parts for the DBs? Someone, you perhaps, once said that if you want an engine rebuild for your 911 there are dozens of places to get parts, but for a DB, you have to make the parts?

Hugh R · 06-09-2004, 08:15 AM

Engine, trannie and body trim are hard to get, they're specific to Aston Martin. Electrical is Lucas and most is common to some Jag or Healy. When I rebuilt it, I had pistons and valves made locally. Main and rod bearings, and head gaskets are very expensive. Mains and rod bearings were $1,500!! Before I bought the pcar, I looked at engine part prices on Pelican and decided that it was cheaper than Astons to rebuild. I spent over $8,000 on the rebuild, with me doing the wrenching.