peter livanos aston martin

But Gauntlett could see that what Aston Martin needed most was not just money but the technology, facilities and buying power of a huge automotive parent and duly arranged the sale of the company to Ford in 1987. Aston Martin Lagonda Group Limited is . Companies House does not verify the accuracy of the information filed, ASTON MARTIN LAGONDA GROUP LIMITED (01559668). 1987 Ford Motor Company takes a 75% shareholding. Enjoy Shootout qualifying and more with nothing but the sounds of the world's best cars 2023 The Goodwood Estate Company Limited. Ultimate Gentlemans Sports Car: 1959 Aston Martin DB Mk III Factory Left-Hand Drive with Matching Numbers: One of Only 551 Produced Launched at the 1958 London Motor Show, the DB4 offered outstanding performance against its peers, with a 140mph top speed and 0-60 in 9 seconds. Peter instead used the money to buy luxury car manufacturer Aston Martin, of . "Aston Martin in America - Operating Adaptations for the Colonies", 180 pages of service tips, 99 articles of which I wrote 1/3, Vintage Motorpress, 1983 . . The Aston Martin DB4GT joined by Stephen Archer as co-author, 544 pages. To accept or reject analytics cookies, turn on JavaScript in your browser settings and reload this page. As well as general opening there is also the option for private dining events and Aubrey Peck have recently teamed up with PLU to arrange monthly automotive dinners with a special menu, providing a great opportunity to network within the classic car industry. He is seen as one of the most successful Businessperson of all times. A complete transformation was seen in the Aston Martin team, and performances at the Nurburgring, Donington and Spa have shown that this wasnt a one-off improvement. Get closer to motorsport at Goodwood! Since then, I have been an active participant in the Section's events and enjoyed the good company and camaraderie of its Members. Retaining its original color combination of Desert White A copy of the original build record for the car shows that Aston martin Agents, Tice & Sons Ltd, sold AM300/1109 to a Miss H Stokes of Severn Stoke near Worcester in June 1956. The track was wet but the car was very controllable. AII then bought out CHI and Papanicolaou. Many consider the resulting DB4 GT Zagato to be the most attractive Zagato body ever. It won't be long until we find out All the new 2023 F1 helmet designs ahead of the season opener in Bahrain. Victor Gauntlett and Peter LIvanos, at the time joint chairmen at Aston . That one.". Gauntleft and Livanos were side-by-side for an hour as they leaned over the pit rails at Donington in September, putting up with the thunderous noise in a way that some other motor magnates might avoid. He had his big transporter at the circuit with mechanics playing around with a remote-control car, and there were some cars parked out front. This car is very well known in Aston circles as it is extremely close in specification to the Aston Martin Team cars that competed at Le Mans in the 1950s. degree in 1981. Development of the chassis has been far more intensive than that of the 6-litre, four-cam Virage engine which has been the responsibility of Reeves Callaway in Connecticut. Currently, I am a non-executive director in banks in Germany, Greece and The Netherlands. 1970 Ferrari 365 GT 2+2, s/n 13565 : . Most of my career has been spent in the investment management sector with large and small businesses in Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer roles. The news on Wednesday that at least some of Aston Martin was to be floated on the London Stock Exchange is one of the more exciting chapters in the always engrossing story of how Aston Martin has survived from 1913 to the present day. After spells with Citigroup Asset Management, Cambridge Place Group a credit-specialist hedge fund and First Avenue Partners Group, a global institutional capital placement business, I founded Global Investment Management Services to recycle my experience by offering consultancy services to small and medium sized financial services business. Which was 1926. Since 1992 the DB2 X4 has been registered in Elliots name, but in recent years was on static display at the British Motor Industry Heritage. These highly exclusive, beautifully elegant hand-built cars were a must-have for the rich and famous and were bought by the likes of racing driver John von Neumann, Price Aga Khan in Geneva, Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands, The Shah of Iran, British actor Peter Sellers, future Aston Martin company owner Peter Livanos in Greece, playboy Gunter Sachs and Woolworths heiress Barbara Hutton! What are we doing messing about actually building cars when you can sell people bits of paper promising to build them!' [4], According to the Bloomberg Billionaire Index, his net worth is estimated at $1.7 billion in 2015 and he has been ranked among the wealthiest Greeks.[5][6]. A frangipane base wrapped in delicate pastry with poached and roasted cherries and Madagascan vanilla, served with a twill. My stand-out dish from the night would have to be the PLU-Meria a great take on the classic Cherry Bakewell. In 2019 the Aston was imported into Switzerland and carefully recommissioned with a new fuel pump, the brakes disassembled, cleaned and adjusted and new ignition wires installed. Generally the development work has concentrated on increasing the suspension travel (Nissan has had to work on similar lines with the R89C), front and rear suspension geometries which have secured huge improvements, a rear anti-roll bar has been added, and the entire spring rate/roll stiffness ratio has been developed. Elliot recalls how nervous he was watching the first few lots sell; My friend said, "You're a mess. In 1984 this left three quarters of Aston Martin owned by AII, the remainder by Gauntlett. So eventful indeed that as much for my own edification as yours, I thought I might try to trot through the major changes in ownership that brought Aston Martin to this place. My first Aston came in 1976, since then I have had numerous Astons covering all eras. And if you feel the need to lie down after that, the good news is that, for at least a few decades, the clouds cleared and it became far easier to work out who owned the company. After a crash in 1963, it didn't return to racing until the early Eighties, enjoying success in the hands of veteran Mike Salmon. Would that be fine? Certainly not Victor Gauntlett or Peter Livanos or Peter Sprague or George Minden or tractor magnate David Brown (though he went closest). He owns the Greek shipping company Ceres Hellenic, and was involved in the restructuring of the shipping company into the group Ceres Hellenic. Details. Malcolm Victor Gauntlett, businessman: born 20 May 1942; chairman, Pace Petroleum 1972-83; chairman, Aston Martin Lagonda 1981-91; chairman, Proteus Petroleum 1988-98; married 1966 Jean . History: The Greek business man, Peter Livanos, came in to save Aston Martin in the mid eighties when he bought the company. Chassis number '0198/R' was first owned by Tony Smith, manager of singer Phil Collins and an historic racer, who over the years has owned some of the world's greatest cars. Peter Livanos is Chair of Gaslog Ltd, Ceres Shipping Ltd and DryLog Ltd. Arriving at DM Historics in Orient Blue with Beige interior. "Angus Phillips - "A Yacht Race With Everything but Smooth Sailing" Washington Post, Sep 28, 2008, "Columbia Engineering Magazine | Spring 2011", "These are all the people who have owned Aston Martin", "The men that Forbes forgot? Livanos family members in legal battle over historic FFA deals. As Aston Martin required greater investment, he also agreed to sell his share holding to American importer and Greek shipping tycoon Peter Livanos, who invested via his joint venture with Nick and John Papanicolaou, ALL Inc. Gauntlett remained chairman of AML, 55% of the stake was owned by ALL, with Tickford a 50/50 venture between ALL and CHI. Given how the company has fared of late and that theres no suggestion any of the key players responsible for its revival are going anywhere, wed understand if you were more than a little tempted. Appointments. When the Milton Keynes factory closed it was possible to devote the required attention to the four cars, which after completion were shipped to Italy to be fitted with Zagato's stunningly beautiful, hand crafted body. The current color is classic British Racing Green with the lovely patinated brown leather, probably fitted in the early Eighties. Role: . The car in question was a beautiful 1952 Aston Martin DB2. But fourth! For a better experience, keep your browser up to date. But by the early '80s, it was owned by Pace Petroleum and CH Industries. Our friends at Oldtimer Galerie Toffen currently have Elliot's old Aston Martin DB2 for sale in the Classic Driver Market. Having achieved a lifelong ambition of purchasing my first Aston Martin, a DB9 in 2017, I subsequently joined the Aston Martin Owners Club, Area 14 in July of that year. The project was instigated in 1987 by the company's then joint chairmen, Victor Gauntlett and Peter Livanos, who commissioned the renowned Aston Martin specialist Richard Williams to up-rate four DB4 rolling chassis to DB4GT specification. To do otherwise would be to pervert a glorious history," wrote the signatories, who included Ralph Lauren, Lord Bamford, Peter Livanos, Evert Louwman and William 'Chip' Connor. There was too much kickback through the steering and the road holding was poor; we realised that the suspension travel was far too limited as the car had been designed for the perfect race circuit, which doesnt exist of course, which has no bumps! 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 . - SPANISH REGISTRATION PLATES. A few years later, during a chance meeting at the Monterey Historics, Livanos, in his typical generous fashion gifted the car to Stirlings son Elliot. A stunning car seen racing Around the Houses in 1963 happened to be the ex-Stirling Moss1956 Le Mans DB3S-9. It was followed by a DB4GT, a DB2 DHC, a pair of DB2 coupes, a DB5 project, a DB4 race car, an early wedge Lagonda Engine Number: VB6J/299 In the mid-Eighties the car was bought by non other than Peter Livanos, Aston Martin Ltd owner at the time and a dyed-in-the-wool Aston collector and aficionado. Aston Martin was then acquired by a Kuwaiti consortium including major investors Investment Dar and Adeem International, with additional holdings being sold to Italian private equity fund InvestIndustrial in 2012 and a five per cent stake being acquired by Daimler in 2013. Green with tan leather interior A rare opportunity to restore a 1954 Aston Martin DB 2/4 Mark I 3-litre sports saloon to your exact specification. It is not until the mid 1980s, when it was acquired by Peter Livanos, that life became interesting! Factory records for the early years of chassis DB4/501/R read as almost every other DB Aston Martin of the period service work, tuning and parts replaced under guarantee. - BROWN LEATHER INTERIOR. It is not until the mid 1980s, when it was acquired by Peter Livanos, that life became interesting! He's soon a shareholder again when shipping magnate Peter Livanos takes a 75% share and Gauntlett the remaining 25% . - "ASTON MARTIN" ORIGINAL BOOKS. Peter Livanos is the son of George P. Livanos, who built up Greece's largest merchant fleet in the 1980s and 1990s. The Club gave me the opportunity to attend race meetings and I quickly realised that the racing was more interesting and exciting when you know the competitors, and that the competitors welcomed spectators who showed an interest in their cars; many good and lasting friendships were formed in the paddock. I had fun, and never crashed (though Bambi hit me in Turn 7 at Bridgehampton in 1993). Ford placed Aston Martin in its Premier Automotive Group subsidiary in 1999 with Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo but, facing record losses, broke it up in 2006. Canada. For information and estimates on domestic and international shipping as well as export licences please contact Bonhams Shipping Department. But Renwick left in 1930 (only after the company had been saved again in 1929 by funds from one Sidney Whitehouse) and in 1932 the company was brought back from brink, albeit briefly by the improbably named Lance Prideaux-Brune. Livanos lives with his family at Lake Geneva, Athens and London. not registered with DVLA Chassis no. Maybe he is the second keenest supporter, because the title should go to Peter Livanos, a director of Aston Martin Lagonda Limited, who pledged 26 million to Astons World Championship programme over a period of five years longer in fact, than any other manufacturer has committed itself. It is also important that Zagato have wholeheartedly approved the project. Peter G. Livanos (born 1958), is a Greek shipping tycoon. Bertelli left the company in 1937 but the Sutherland family held onto it through the Second World War until finally putting it up for sale in 1947. We lived a busy life in both London and in Yorkshire after he inherited the title of Viscount Downe. J. Woodgate, president, AML, Inc. who kept Chevy engines from being stuffed into American Astons. When Im afraid things start to get murky all over again. Competition and Social Committee are committed to jointly promoting racing and social events as a joint Member benefit. Although the placing of the water radiator across the tail, underneath the wing, is judged to be an interesting idea, its likely to be located at the front of the car in 1990, in the interests of better weight distribution. Mille Miglia Eligible. You've accepted analytics cookies. The 16-valve engine had developed a claimed 580 bhp when prepared by Tickford (though Chuck Graemiger doubted that figure, when he started his own preparation) but the 32-valve produces over 650 bhp with credibility, and rivals on the track now find the AMR-1 fully competitive in all departments. He controls 100 of Ceres Helleni In fact, Id hate it if someone was there before me. I was six years old at the time, and he said, "There you go. He said, "Oh, no, not that one. I thought he was talking about the remote control. Livanos was, at the time, the owner of Aston Martin and it was the factory that restored the car for him. It is an indication of the affection felt for these beautiful cars is that all 19 are still in existence, many in the UK. We know who could win the F1 championship in 2023, but who will have the car to maximise their talent? In the 859th position we find Philip Niarchos, a Greek . [7] His maternal grandfather is the Greek businessman Yiannis Carras, and he is a distant relative of Stavros G. Livanos by his father's side. Two months later two DB4GT Zagatos, registered '1 VEV' and '2 VEV' and destined to become the most famous of them all, were entered at Le Mans by John Ogier's Essex Racing Stable. They stripped the car back to component form, going so far as to remove the Superleggera body from the frame. I would ask that Members support the Competition and Social programme planned. Peter G. Livanos (born 1958), is a Greek shipping tycoon. When it became clear that development of the Aston Martin would be a full-time job, and then some, there was really no choice. Both Williams and Ray Mallock closed their own businesses to work with Aston Martin, but for Boxstrom, Dymag was his first priority. This was Mr. Livanos's first Aston Martin, introducing the 22-year-old, already a keen automobile enthusiast, to a brand with which he would become intimately involved. The last was a GT4 that I raced at Le Mans, the current car is a 1932 International which I am rebuilding myself. All Rights Reserved. They saved the company from insolvency in October 1984, no question; I don't think the company would have survived a second receivership. Mr. Livanos founded our subsidiary GasLog LNG Services in 2001 and has been a director of GasLog Partners LP since the closing of its initial public offering in May 2014. 'Specification highlights of the Sanction II cars include an engine built to 4.2-litre specification (the originals used 3.7-litre units); four-speed David Brown gearbox; limited-slip differential with 3.07:1 final drive ratio; all-disc, dual circuit braking; wishbone independent front suspension with co-axial spring/damper units and anti-roll bar; live rear axle with coil springs and double-acting telescopic dampers, located by parallel trailing links and a Watts linkage; rack-and-pinion steering; and a 35-gallon (159-litre) fuel tank. That pedigree embedded the marque Aston Martin on my teenage brain. We have incorporated literally hundreds of modifications into the original design, some quite major.. .such as fabricating new front uprights, because we suspected that the magnesium castings werent stiff enough. Available in either a two seat Coupe or Convertible form. Regrettably this attempt at a second Le Mans victory for Aston Martin ended in less than three hours, both cars retiring with gasket trouble. Quoting Dr Welch: I came for the cars. Peter G. Livanos (born 1958), is a Greek shipping tycoon. He controls 100% of Ceres Hellenic Shipping, the largest Greek fleet, in terms of tonnage, and a smaller ferry line of Russian-made hydrofoils that serve the Greek Islands. The Viscountess Downe The engine is currently mid-build and will be able Aston Workshop is delighted to offer this incredibly rare 1954 Aston Martin DB2/4 Vignale for sale, a historically significant vehicle distinguished by its bespoke body styling and unique interior specification. It has an early type of spaceframe chassis, independent front suspension, an aerodynamic shape and four-speed Cotal electric gearbox Morale got very low, Williams admits. The need to widen the appeal of the already-successful DB2 resulted in the launch of the 2+2 DB2/4 in October 1953. The future for Aston Martins Protech team seems a lot brighter now than it did in the early months of 1989, when the euphoria of forming the team was soon replaced by a realisation of the task ahead. Professional Director and multiple Aston Owner, Racer and Petrol driven person. George Minden. 1954 Aston Martin DB 2/4 original works Mille Miglia - For Sale, 1957 Aston Martin DB2/4 LHD #20198 - For Sale, #23533 1959 Aston Martin DB2/4 Mk III - For Sale, 1956 Aston Martin DB2/4 MKII Saloon - For Sale, #23663 1958 Aston Martin DB2/4 MKIII - For Sale, 1954 Aston Martin DB 2/4 M1 Restoration - For Sale, #23787 1953 ASTON MARTIN DB2 SALOON - For Sale, 1954 Aston Martin DB2/4 Left Hand Drive Manual Coupe - For Sale, 1954 Aston Martin DB2/4 Vignale Chassis no. The DB4 was also the first production car capable of 0 to 100 to 0 mph in less than 30 seconds, a remarkable feat for a road car at the time. The Aston passed to the current owner in Germany via Michael Brinkert and David Clark of Taylor & Crawley some 17 years ago. General Information: . Peter Livanos goes into partnership with Victor Gauntlett. And, Peter Livanos was the first owner of this particular Aston Martin V8 Vantage X Pack from 1988. The 2018 event enticing 25 Astons to drive across Australia and attracting notable visitors from the UK and Portugal. The location is no stranger to the most esteemed of vehicles, and Aston Martin Wilmslow is a proud addition to the community. Speaking in this month's. The Tourist Trophy at Goodwood in September of that year proved far more successful when the two cars, driven by Roy Salvadori, one Aston Martin's Le Mans-winning drivers of 1959, and the legendary Jim Clark came home third and fourth, scooping the Team Prize. It was founded in 1913 by Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford. I soon found myself involved in his racing mainly doing the time keeping at many international races including Le Mans and the Nurburgring. recall seeing DB4s being built in 1963 and I have met most of the owners of AML including Bertelli. For Automobilia the Buyer's Premium is 27.5% on the first 20,000 of the hammer price; 26% of the hammer price of amounts in excess of 20,001 up to and including 700,000; 20% of the hammer price of amounts in excess of 700,001 up to and including 4,000,000 and 13.9% of the hammer price of any amounts in excess of 4,000,001. It's for this reason. Today we are sat in the dining room at PLU about to embark on an epic 14 course tasting menu. Up to Le Mans we wanted reliability more than anything, but since then Reeves has been concentrating on a Series 2 which well run in Mexico; well need it, at that altitude. The S2 will have more power, lower frictional losses and better economy, work having concentrated also on the cylinder heads, porting and camshaft timing, and on new mapping for the Zytek engine management system. VAT at the standard rate is payable on the Buyers Premium by all Buyers, unless otherwise stated. The most remarkable progression was seen on the AMR-1 between the Brands Hatch test days on July 5/6 and the race on July 23. Members are the backbone of any club, and I will listen with an open mind and do my utmost to ensure they get both value and pleasure from their membership. THIS AFFECTS THE BIDDERS LEGAL RIGHTS. Other 1. Victor Gauntlett said: 'The quality and authenticity are outstanding and each of these four cars will bear the most detailed comparison with the first 19 built. Aston Martin wanted a series of DB4 GT's that would be lighter and more competetive racing against the Ferrari 250 GT's, so in 1960 it contracted Zagato to build bodies for 19 chassis. I have been a car enthusiast for as long as I can remember, and an Aston Martin enthusiast since watching the Persuaders on TV in the 1970s and seeing a similar V8 in Windsor Great Park in the same period. Their interest is all the more surprising, perhaps, since they are minority shareholders in AML, with 12 % per cent apiece. We use cookies to make our services work and collect analytics information. this soon to be stunning example was one of the first 451 DB 2/4 Mark off the production line. I was warmly welcomed to the AMOC by Chuck and Joyce Nixon at 1973 Mount Equinox Hillclimb, Vermont, an AMOC/VSCCA event, driving my DB5 1,000 miles East. 200 pounds." I have very much enjoyed the years I have spent with the club. Until this week. Ray Mallock denies that everything was done in a fortnight. Registration: VL86A (Austrian) 435UYL (UK) In 1987, the owners of Aston Martin, Peter Livanos and Victor Gauntlett decided to build four more cars using up the chassis numbers left unused from the original series of cars (0192, 0196, 0197 and 0198). According to the build-sheet the Aston was originally painted in deep black with contrasting red leather interior. During the Covid epidemic, I decided to participate in the 2021 AMOC Virtual Concours and to my surprise, came out on top in the Bloxham class with a 2003 DB7 GTA. My (Austrian) wife and I have lived and worked in 7 countries, but we settled down in The Netherlands in 2006 to allow for a stable school and university environment for our three kids. Eventually the car sold for just over 200k with fees; enough for Elliot to pursue his dream. Each of the more than fifty models constructed since the 1987 Ford acquisition are. I was very fortunate to be able to buy my DBS in 1995 having seen it advertised in the Sunday Times newspaper of all places. Elliot and Helen have created a fantastic environment in which to enjoy some of the finest food you will ever eat. Find Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Youtube profiles, images and more on IDCrawl - free people search website. Knowing full well that his father would not accept the extravagant gift, Livanos cleverly decided to gift Elliot the car instead. (subject to VAT). Taking over as chairman of the famous but troubled car company Aston Martin Lagonda in 1981, Victor Gauntlett oversaw a mini-renaissance in its . Son of Stirling, Elliot chose to focus his attentions on fine dining, but first he had to sell an Aston Martin to fund his plans. I stayed for the people.. In addition, the front steering knuckles have been overhauled and new Avon Turbosteel tyres have been fitted. Like the vast majority of auctioneers Bonhams charge a Buyer's Premium on the Hammer Price of each Lot purchased and this is subject to VAT. Our chairman and a member of our board of directors. We had a suspension failure on one car during qualifying which was cured by a small modification, but there was a different failure on Brians car on Sunday morning which involved more development work. Sounds great, so I come downstairs by the time we got outside the car was gone, it had been stolen, in less than two minutes!. [1], Livanos is a graduate of The Buckley School in New York, Le Rosey in Switzerland and Columbia University in New York, from which he graduated with a B.S. The Aston Martin DB2 Sports Car debuted at the April 1950 New York motor show and remained in production until 1953 with 411 cars being produced. In May that year, back to 3 litres, it was joined by DBR1/2 at Spa, the Aston's potential amply demonstrated by Tony Brooks's easy win in DBR1/2 with Roy Salvadori second . I joined the Club in 1990 when I realised that I did not have to own an Aston Martin in order to be a Member. The Lagonda V8 continued to keep their heads above water and they also gave support to a number of private racing teams, such as Nimrod, EMKA and . Oldtimer Galerie International GmbH That changed everything overnight. Total 3. In fact the Ecurie Ecosse connection has been very strong throughout, through drivers Ray Mallock and David Leslie, and manager Richard Williams. He owns the Greek shipping company Ceres Hellenic, and was involved in the restructuring of the shipping company into the group Ceres Hellenic. You've rejected analytics cookies. ALL BIDDERS MUST AGREE THAT THEY HAVE READ AND UNDERSTOOD BONHAMS' CONDITIONS OF SALE AND AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THEM, AND AGREE TO PAY THE BUYER'S PREMIUM AND ANY OTHER CHARGES MENTIONED IN THE NOTICE TO BIDDERS. As Aston Martin required greater investment, he also agreed to sell his share holding to American importer and Greek shipping tycoon Peter Livanos, who invested via his joint venture company with Nick and John Papanicalou, ALL Inc. Gauntlett remained chairman of the AML company 55% owned by ALL, with Tickford a 50/50 venture between ALL and CHI. [3] He was also a majority shareholder of the car manufacturer Aston Martin. 'I remember contemporary photographs of the original cars at the circuit and everything seemed in place, even in 1991. Elliot, like his father, is full of personality and will happily talk for hours. Peter Livanos is the son of George P. Livanos, who built up Greece's largest merchant fleet in the 1980s and 1990s. John soon found that a better way to travel was by helicopter and having bought one we both got our licences on the same day and used it frequently. Come with me." cars with a celebrity ownership history such as the 1953 Aston Martin DB2 Vantage X formerly owned by none other than Peter Livanos, Aston Martin Ltd. owner at that time. This stunning left hand drive DB2/4 was subject to a meticulous complete restoration in 2009. They are all at university now. Registered at Goodwood House, Chichester, West Sussex, PO18 0PX. 1953 Aston Martin DB2 Vantage X. The club and Astons have been a life long passions and the opportunity to help steer the club towards a growing, friendly and enjoyable future is a great honour. My experience with large and small organisations enables me to build and manage efficient financial and control processes in small to medium-sized businesses. - TOTALLY RESTORED VEHICLE. Guerbestrasse 1, CH-3125 Toffen, This advert has now been removed through sale or otherwise. Many needed the tender hand of restoration, which is my weekend therapy. Having trained at the legendary restaurant, Elliots passion for food had reached a point where he wanted to open a restaurant and serve his own expression of fine dining. Just 52 Coups and 37 Volantes . Soon, Automotive Investments also bought out CH Industrials but in 1984 shipping magnate Peter Livanos took a 75% stake and Gauntlett bought up the remaining 25%. Diese Webseite verwendet Cookies. Livanos lives with his family at Lake Geneva, Athens and London. I think it would be a rather mean (not to mention singularly inaccurate) commentator who did not think Aston Martin was in better shape today than ever before, but it has been a somewhat eventful ride. - METALLIC GREY. He controls 100% of Ceres Hellenic Shipping, the largest Greek fleet, in . No reserve. Gauntlett sold his share of the business in 1983 to the US Aston Martin agents Automotive Investments, but remained Chairman. OVERVIEW COMPANIES TIMELINE. They felt it would only be good business to get a piece of the action. We were right, because for the first time the Craner Curves at Donington were flat, which they certainly hadnt been before. Like Victor Gauntlett, Williams thrives on hard work. Aston Martin has just got round to finishing off its 1963 build schedule, so add "Sanction 2 Production" to your jargon : Tony Dron tells the amazing story . I was involved in organising three Australian National Meetings. My first concours entry was in 1975 with fathers Volante and some years later I rebuilt the Brabazon DB2, I was also a concours judge for many years. On behalf of Ecurie Ecosse, McCaig approached Aston Martin straight after his team had won the C2 Championship and a year later he was awarded the contract, and a budget, to design and develop the AMR-1.