The hand over of the new Aston Martin Site has taken place ready for redevelopment work to commence for the DBX.

• Ministry of Defence (MOD) formally hands over St Athan site to Aston Martin
• Work underway on redeveloping site into a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility
• 750 direct new jobs created in South Wales; on target to commence DBX production in 2019

Aston Martin today hosted a special ceremony that launched Phase II of the redevelopment of MOD St Athan. The site in South Wales will become the British luxury carmaker’s second UK manufacturing plant.

The former military site was formally handed over from the Ministry of Defence to Aston Martin by Secretary of State Sir Michael Fallon at a ceremony including Aston Martin President and CEO Dr. Andy Palmer, and Secretary of State for Wales, Alun Cairns and Welsh First Minister, Carwyn Jones. 

With the commencement of these works, Aston Martin St Athan is on target to commence production of the company’s new SUV, the Aston Martin DBX, in 2019.

Dr. Palmer commented: “Due to its sheer size and scale, the St Athan Super Hangars represented an excellent opportunity for us to build our second manufacturing facility, within the envelope of an existing structure. 

It is perhaps fitting that St Athan is, like our headquarters and sports car factory at Gaydon, a former Royal Air Force base.

Today I am pleased to welcome Secretary of State for Defence, Sir Michael Fallon and Secretary of State for Wales, Alun Cairns, both of whom have been instrumental in helping us secure this facility. I am also especially pleased to welcome back the First Minister, who has worked side-by-side with us on this programme from inception to completion.

Now we have commenced Phase II, these hangars will be redeveloped to become the home of our newest manufacturing facility.”

Just over one year ago, Aston Martin announced that St Athan had been chosen as the site for its second UK manufacturing plant from 20 potential global locations as part of the growth strategy under the companies Second Century Plan. The investment into St Athan is part of Aston Martins wider industrial expansion plans which will see 1,000 new jobs created across its two manufacturing sites by 2020, with a likely further 3,000 across the supply chain and local businesses in Wales.

Phase I commenced in late 2016 when Aston Martin was first given access to part of the site and began to create the customer and staff reception areas, administration and management offices and the employee restaurant.

Phase II marks the beginning of the project that will see the three super hangars redeveloped into a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility. The new plant brings employment opportunities to South Wales; a recruitment event last year attracted 3,000 applications and already the first technicians are working on the DB11 at Gaydon, training for the highly-skilled roles they will take up at St Athan in 2020.

Secretary of State for Defence, Sir Michael Fallon commented: “This investment is great news for Wales. Aston Martin’s decision to build a new facility on MOD land we no longer need will also bring high skilled jobs to Wales. Releasing this site, and others, will enable us to invest in a better defence estate for the Armed Forces and their families.”

Secretary of State for Wales, Alun Cairns added: "Thanks to the close partnership between the UK and Welsh Governments and the prestigious Aston Martin brand, the St Athan site is springing back to life as a significant centre of employment, bringing with it valuable skills and a lasting legacy for the entire region.

"As the UK exits the EU, we are determined that our country remains a great place to invest and to do business. Aston Martin's decision to invest in Wales shows that we are creating and supporting the right conditions for industry investment. The UK Government’s comprehensive industrial strategy will build on that success, ensuring that we have the right infrastructure, skills and support in place for our world-leading industries as well as support for new emerging sectors to flourish."

First Minister of Wales, Carwyn Jones said: “Aston Martin’s positive influence on the local community and the economy of Wales is already being felt. More than 40 Welsh workers are now employed at Aston Martin Gaydon preparing for the start of production at St Athan, and many more job opportunities will follow before 2020. As Phase II of redevelopment commences at St Athan, supply chain companies throughout Wales will also have the opportunity to bid for contracts worth over £60m through the Welsh Government’s own Sell to Wales procurement site, extending the benefits of this massive investment throughout Wales.

“Aston Martin is a major success story for Wales and I look forward to further building on our working partnership to bring maximum benefits for the economy and the reputation of Wales worldwide.”

Aston Martin to develop new AMR branded products with the first two already signed off.

• New AMR brand strengthens the connection between road and race cars
• AMR derivatives planned for every core model in the Aston Martin range
• AMR Pro models to have increased power, sharper dynamics and unique exterior and interior treatment
• Rapide AMR and Vantage AMR Pro concepts confirmed for production

Aston Martin has chosen the 2017 Geneva Motor Show to launch AMR - an exciting new brand that brings a new dimension of race inspired dynamism and performance.

Reflecting Aston Martin’s racing pedigree, AMR takes technology and inspiration from motorsport to amplify the sporting prowess present across the model range. With enhanced performance, sharper dynamics and more powerful design language, AMR takes Aston Martin’s road cars to new and exciting extremes.

The AMR brand follows in the wheeltracks of successive iconic Aston Martin road cars which boasted top-level racing pedigree. In the mid-1930s the success of Aston Martin’s Team Cars in the Ulster TT road race led the marque to build further examples of the lightweight two-seater for sale to the public. 

In 1951, Sir David Brown introduced uprated and highly desirable ‘Vantage’ specification models, and steered the marque to an historic outright win at Le Mans with the iconic DBR1 in 1959.

Since the formation of Aston Martin Racing (AMR) in 2004 Aston Martin has enjoyed success in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), winning the 2016 FIA WEC GT Drivers Championship, while also securing three class victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans over this period. Similarly, Aston Martin Racing’s GT3 and GT4 racers have secured countless victories and championship titles around the world.

Two AMR concepts have been unveiled in Geneva: The Rapide AMR and Vantage AMR Pro. The Rapide represents the first tier of AMR, enhancing the four-door sports car with a comprehensive suite of power, chassis and styling upgrades, plus a spectacular new interior treatment. The Vantage AMR Pro - heavily influenced by Aston Martin Racing’s WEC winning V8 Vantage GTE - is the pinnacle; an uncompromising demonstration of AMR’s ‘Track to Tarmac’ philosophy whereby race technology is transferred to road cars.

While future development of the core AMR models will be part of Aston Martin’s central vehicle engineering teams, development of all AMR Pro models will be led by Q by Aston Martin Advanced Operations. This highly-skilled department - managed by Aston Martin’s VP and Chief Special Operations Officer, David King - already has extensive experience of creating extreme Aston Martins, with recent projects including the Vantage GT12, Vantage GT8 and Aston Martin Vulcan.

Underlining Aston Martin’s commitment to its new high-performance brand, AMR’s European development and brand centre will be based at Aston Martin’s state-of-the-art Nürburgring Test Centre, which is situated within sight of the legendary Nürburgring Nordschleife race track.  

Marek Reichman, Aston Martin EVP and Chief Creative Officer, says that the AMR brand was a logical next step after the ’sold-out’ success of limited edition sporting versions like the Vantage GT8 and Vantage GT12: “Each time we have pushed the boundaries and done something extreme, the customers have loved the cars. AMR enables us to take Aston Martin into a new dimension. One where we can turn-up the sporting DNA present in all of our models and make a true statement. An AMR model will have an instantly recognisable design language. One that accentuates and amplifies, together with the latest GT race car technology for the road. They will be special and rare cars that are credible, thrilling to drive and hugely desirable to own.”

Rapide AMR

A striking presence on the Aston Martin stand, the Rapide AMR provides a dynamic and visual blueprint for future AMR models. Featuring a 600PS version of Aston Martin’s celebrated 6.0-litre naturally aspirated V12 breathing through a new quad exhaust system, it is the world’s fastest and most thrilling four-door, capable of 210MPH. Resplendent in AMR’s signature Stirling Green with vibrant lime green accents, riding on new 21in alloy wheels and featuring a dramatic new full height signature grille, front splitter, side sills, rear diffuser and aero flip on the rear decklid, the Rapide AMR makes a striking statement.

Extensive use of carbon fibre detailing on the exterior provide the perfect finishing touches. The interior is equally breathtaking. Lightweight carbon fibre front seats, trimmed throughout in Dark Knight Alcantara with Lime Green accents and carbon fibre waterfall, centre console and door casings, ensure the Rapide AMR is a fabulous fusion of race car attitude with a luxurious crafted twist.

Vantage AMR Pro

The Vantage AMR Pro is an extreme, track-only expression of performance and the ultimate iteration of the Vantage. Powered by a 507PS development of Aston Martin Racing’s GT4 race engine, the Vantage AMR Pro is the most powerful V8 Vantage ever. 

Race-spec adjustable suspension, competition engine and transmission mounts and new 19in x 9.5in front and 19in x 11.5in rear centre lock wheels shod with Michelin Pilot Cup 2 tyres, the Vantage AMR Pro promises inspirational handling precision and exceptional levels of grip and traction.

This race car performance is matched by authentic motorsport styling. Once again painted in Stirling Green with lime green accents, the Vantage AMR Pro not only takes its colour scheme from Aston Martin Racing’s V8 Vantage GTE racer, but uses the same bonnet and rear wing as the World Endurance Championship winner.

To compliment these authentic motorsport parts, Aston Martin’s design team has designed a new front bumper that incorporates a new bold full-height front grille, a new front valance and splitter, front fenders, sill appliques and a revised rear diffuser.

The racing theme continues inside, with extensive use of carbon fibre, lavish Dark Knight Alcantara upholstery with lime green accents and a custom roll cage designed by Q by Aston Martin. The result is a Vantage that looks as spectacular as it drives.       

Aston Martin’s President and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Andy Palmer, was quick to confirm that both the Rapide AMR and Vantage AMR Pro concepts are set for production: “As passionate enthusiasts of Aston Martin’s competition pedigree, AMR is something we have wanted to bring to fruition for some time. Cars such as the Vantage GT8 and Vantage GT12 confirmed that our customers love raw, race-bred models, but we also knew there was an opportunity to create cars that offer a sharper performance focus but stop short of those truly hardcore, special series models. With the AMR brand we have the perfect platform to deliver both.

As proof of that intent I’m incredibly excited to announce that we will be putting both the Vantage AMR Pro and Rapide AMR into production: the Vantage in an extremely limited series of no more than 7 cars; the Rapide as a run of only 210 cars. 

They are the start of something very exciting - a programme that will eventually see an AMR version of every model in the Aston Martin range”.

Red Bull and Aston Martin collaborate once again to bring a V8 or V12 Vantage S Red Bull Racing Editions

• Global special edition created to celebrate Aston Martin and Red Bull Racing’s Innovation Partnership
• Models given seal of approval from Red Bull Racing drivers Daniel Ricciardo & Max Verstappen
• Unique Red Bull Racing specification brought to life through Q by Aston Martin
• Available for both V8 and V12 Vantage S derivatives

With the 2017 FIA Formula 1 World Championship^® set to kick off on 26 March, Aston Martin has unveiled its latest additions to the Vantage range; the V8 and V12 Vantage S Red Bull Racing Editions.

These true collectibles have been created by the marque’s in-house personalisation service; Q by Aston Martin. Celebrating the two brands’ unique ‘Innovation Partnership’, Aston Martin’s latest global offering takes approval from Red Bull Racing drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen, with their signatures adorning both sill and inspection plaques.

Available with Aston Martin’s characterful V8 and V12 naturally aspirated power units, both Vantage Red Bull Racing Editions are equipped with a range of distinguishing features for the most devoted Formula 1^®enthusiast.

Building on the appeal of the sports-focused Vantage range, the models deliver a blend of eye-catching looks and an engaging and visceral experience for the perfect cruise along the Great Ocean Road, Adelaide Hills or even Melbourne’s Albert Park.

Taking inspiration from Red Bull Racing’s distinctive race livery, owners will be treated to a deep Mariana Blue paint finish as standard. For those wanting a slight twist, gloss Tungsten Silver or satin Mariana Blue exteriors are also optional. 

Complementing Aston Martin’s signature paint finish is a race-inspired carbon fibre splitter, diffuser, grille and side strakes. Red infills on the carbon fibre grille and yellow calipers complete the iconic colour scheme.

Inside, customers can expect further sporting features, including Red Bull Racing headrest embroidery, carbon fibre trim inlays, diamond-quilting and an alcantara steering wheel complete with 12 o’clock accent stripe.

Customers may opt for their sill and final inspection plaques to be signed by either Daniel Ricciardo or Max Verstappen, providing the ultimate seal of approval and cementing their exclusivity.

Aston Martin President & CEO, Dr. Andy Palmer said, “Motorsport is and will always be a key part of Aston Martin’s DNA and both the V8 and V12 Vantage S Red Bull Racing Editions bring that ethos straight to our customers. With the 2017 FIA Formula 1 World Championship^® set to begin soon, I hope that the purchase of these models will bring the racing season that little bit closer for those lucky few customers who can’t wait for it to begin”.

Deliveries are set to take place from Q2 2017. For further information including RRP, customers should enquire directly with their local dealership.