posted Mar 13, 2007

I agree and think that Aston Martin should not be involved in racing. The car is more of a grand tourer and should focus on that market. High profile visibility in films, the right people seen driving them in the limelight etc is far more important. Some classy badish boy/girl stuff would be ok with the likes of Gumball. If the product is good it will leave Ferrari etc standing for class and usability.
I hope the brand is entering its most stable years and lives on forever, only concentrating on a good product will secure their future not racing.
It will be interesting to see what Ford now does with Jaguar, they may be Aston's biggest competitor in the future.

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posted Mar 13, 2007

Interesting point britishcars. Yes it seems that Jags have competed with Astons for the last 40-50 years, offering a similar, if more ubiquitous competitor for less.

Do they need Gumball type exposure given the number of Premiership footballers and celebrities that buy Astons?

But with the X Type selling in tiny numbers, I wonder if Jaguar can survive by being a one model manufacturer? Can Jaguar survive by only making and selling the XK sports cars?

Who would like to be a car maker now, with China making cars, and the British government intent on taking ever increasing amounts of wealth out of individuals pockets before it gets anywhere near the High Street?

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posted Mar 13, 2007

They were in grand Prix racing, in 1960, I believe. They were rubbish, there is a famous picture of one of their GP cars at Silverstone and, no kidding, you can SEE all four wheels pointing in different dicections!
I think John Surtees was the driver.
They race well in ALMS (Sebring 12 hrs, this Saturday) against Corvettes. It often provides the most exciting class, well worth watching. (MotorsTV)
When they raced as Nimrod Aston-Martin they were quite successful (first non-Porsche Le Mans 1982) and I think, properly funded, they would do themselves no harm there.
I don't think they are meant for F1, these days though.
BTW if you ever want to see a DBR1 driven on the limit, go to the Goodwood Revival, stand on the outside of Woodcote, and wait for Peter Hardman.... WOW!!

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posted Mar 13, 2007

Thank you Sloop John B.

4 wheels all pointing in different directions? Even my Triumph Spitfire wasn't that bad!

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posted Mar 13, 2007

Here is a man with common sense, Aston were in F1 in the '60s, they were a flop.
Astons are sports cars, Le Mans is their battle ground.
Let's hope they beat the Corvettes this time.

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posted Mar 13, 2007

The reason all four wheels appeared to be out of kilter with each other could have been the wire wheels being used at that time.They were flexible compared to the alloy ones used today.
If you cast your mind back to Le Mans in the 50's Jaguar used Dunlop alloys on their race winning D types, 55-56-57 for reasons of rigidity.
Also chassis of that era were not as rigid as they are today.

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posted Mar 13, 2007

Damn BBC! Richards is sitting on a DBR9LM and they don't even mention Le Mans! Typical! Hello BBC, there is other motorsport!!!

And shut up about Aston doing F1. Stoopid. They're a sports car marque. As are Jag. Why on earth were they playing around in F1?

Yes, I know its all about branding. But think about it, and look at Audi.

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posted Mar 14, 2007

nice one tjw_78. Why do "they" always think F1 is the top of motorsport. I've sat at Le Mans and watched the Astons (until they broke)and it blows the socks off those F1 guys any day of the week. Saying that, I will be tuning in this weekend if only to get out of jobs round the house!!!

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posted Mar 15, 2007

Very wise. A small British manufacturer has an almost impossible job without the money pit of F1.

Aston Martin have to make sure that every single product they sell is the pinnacle of desire, engineering excellence, and has a working electrical system! (almost impossible for British manufacturers, hence their rarity)

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posted Mar 17, 2007

I Think That Dave Richards is an Idiot for Not Going in with aston martin to F1. It would be a better known brand then prodrive and he would be using the team which he owns and the car company-which he owns. Prodrive can just be used as an controlling company for Dave Richards but to use the Prodrive name isnt a good idea. He could also save money on not having to buy everything of manufacturers when he could be independant. And it would be british

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