Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford founded Aston Martin in 1913. The two had joined forces as Bamford & Martin the previous year to sell cars made by Singer from premises in Callow Street, London where they also serviced GWK and Calthorpe vehicles. Martin raced specials at Aston Hill near Aston Clinton, and the pair decided to make their own vehicles. The first car to be named Aston Martin was created by Martin by fitting a four-cylinder Coventry-Simplex engine to the chassis of a 1908 Isotta Fraschini.
After the First World War, Martin and Bamford found new premises at Abingdon Road, Kensington, and designed a new car. Bamford left in 1920, and Bamford & Martin was revitalised with funding from Louis Zborowski. In 1922, they produced cars to compete in the French Grand Prix, which went on to set world speed and endurance records at Brooklands. Approximately 55 cars were built for sale in two configurations: long chassis and short chassis. Bamford & Martin went bankrupt in 1924 and was bought by Dorothea, Lady Charnwood.
Later that year, Bill Renwick, Augustus (Bert) Bertelli and investors including Lady Charnwood took control of the business, renaming it Aston Martin Motors and moving it to the former Whitehead Aircraft Limited Hanworth works in Feltham. Between 1926 and 1937 Bertelli was both technical director and designer of all new Aston Martins, since known as "Bertelli cars". These included the 1½-litre "T-type", "International", "Le Mans", "MKII" and its racing derivative, the "Ulster", and the 2-litre 15/98 and its racing derivative, the "Speed Model".
Financial problems reappeared in 1932. Aston Martin was rescued for a year before passing to Sir Arthur Sutherland. In 1936, Aston Martin decided to concentrate on road cars, producing just 700 until World War II halted work, with production shifting to aircraft components during the war. The company has survived seven bankruptcies throughout its history.
In 1947, David Brown Limited bought Aston Martin, also acquiring Lagonda for its engine. Aston Martin began to build the "DB" series of cars, including the DB2, DB2/4, DB2/4 MkII, DB Mark III, DB4, DB5, DB6, and DBS. These models helped establish a good racing pedigree.
Aston Martin has been involved in motorsport at various points in its history, mainly in sports car racing, and also in Formula One.
In January 2020, it was announced that the Racing Point F1 Team would be rebranded as Aston Martin for the 2021 season, as a result of a funding investment led by Racing Point owner Lawrence Stroll. The Aston Martin AMR21 was unveiled in March 2021, marking Aston Martin's return to Formula One after a 61-year absence. Aston Martin participated as a constructor in 1959 and 1960, entering six races over the two years but failing to score any points.
Aston Martin has a long history in sports car racing, particularly at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The "LM" team cars were very successful in national and international motor racing including at Le Mans. Aston Martin has also been involved in more recent sports car racing, with Aston Martin Racing competing in the FIA World Endurance Championship.
Aston Martin's headquarters and main production facility are located on a 55-acre site in Gaydon, Warwickshire, England, on the former site of RAF Gaydon. The old 3.6-acre facility in Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire, is now the home of the Aston Martin Works classic car department, which focuses on heritage sales, service, spares and restoration operations. The 90-acre factory in St Athan, Wales, features three converted 'super-hangars' and serves as the production site of Aston Martin's SUV, the DBX. Aston Martin has held a royal warrant as purveyor of motorcars to Charles III (as Prince of Wales and later as King) since 1982, and has over 160 car dealerships in 53 countries. The company is traded on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.