Welcome back Aston Martin!
03/06/2019
Back then, two guys met, one of whom was technically gifted. His name was Robert Bamford, born in 1883 and an engineer by profession. The other was five years older, his name was Lionel Martin and he had wealthy parents behind him, as well as an Eaton College education.
Both were brought together by their enthusiasm for motorsport. So the idea of a joint car company was not far away. This was founded in 1913 under the surnames of the two in west London. Initially, the company sold Singer automobiles, but this went quite well. There was enough time to modify the cars and enter them in races. Their own cars were then already called Aston Martin instead of Bamford & Martin.
In 1947, the British entrepreneur David Brown took over the company and his initials "DB" have remained in the model names to this day (with interruptions).
The DB4 to DB6 models in the late 1950s and 1960s are particularly well remembered. And the Zagato-bodied DB4 GT, which was pitted against the Ferrari 250 GTO, is known to be one of the most beautiful Astons.
However, Aston Martin celebrated its greatest successes in motor racing between 1957 and 1959, when it even won the one-make world championship.
Another major success came in 1963, in Italy of all places, with a victory over Ferrari. Then motorsport successes came to an end for the time being. David Brown had turned his attention to the American market and therefore needed cars with automatic transmission and comfort. In addition, Aston's competitors Ferrari and Porsche had become practically overpowering.
It was not until 2012 that the brand re-entered the WEC (World Endurance Championship) and thus GT racing with the Vantage GTE. And now the next chapter begins with the DTM.
HWA, the most successful team in the history of the touring car series to date, is responsible for the development, construction and deployment of the DTM racing cars in a joint venture with AF Racing.
HWA board member Uli Fritz: "After the successful years with Mercedes-AMG, the entire team is eager to write a new chapter in the DTM with R-Motorsport and Aston Martin. The task will certainly be a big challenge for all of us, but we will do everything we can to bring a competitive package to the start of the DTM season."
One of the drivers is 21-year-old Habsburg, the great-grandson of Emperor Charles I of Austria.
Like most people, the blue blood made his first few meters in motorsport in karting. This was followed by formula racing, where he competed in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship until last year.
The DTM now marks the start of a new chapter for the ambitious racing driver and, together with Aston Martin, he is looking forward to the upcoming season and his first outing in the Vantage DTM.
"I'm really looking forward to my DTM debut," explains Ferdinand Habsburg. "Starting in the super professional top championship is a big challenge for me. Competing as a newcomer in a field with the world's best touring car drivers will not be easy. My goal is therefore to learn as much and as quickly as possible in order to improve my performance from race to race."
