Aston Martin: Power, Beauty and Soul
Product ID: 43743837
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For a century now the Aston Martin name has been synonymous with performance, style and sophistication. Perhaps more than any other luxury car it possesses a mystique and charisma that have established it as a cultural icon and the pinnacle of automotive ingenuity. Yet the brand's survival has not always been assured. That Aston Martins are still being produced today is testament to the power of the name and what it represents to car lovers worldwide. In Aston Martin: Power, Beauty and Soul , author David Dowsey explores the colorful history of Aston Martin, from its humble beginnings in a London garage in 1913, to its takeover by the Ford Motor Company in 1987 and sale in 2007. Many of those intimately involved at the various stages of the car's history offer fascinating insights into the development of the Aston Martin and amusing behind-the-scenes anecdotes. Mike Harbar s delightful renderings add a charming bespoke dimension to the book. With lush full-color photography, comprehensive specifications of every model from the early DB right up to the V8 Vantage Roadster, and production statistics and racing results Aston Martin: Power, Beauty and Soul is an indispensable reference for motor enthusiasts and a book that truly does justice to the Aston Martin name. Review: End of an era ... start of a new one - This book chronicles all models produced from about 1986 to 2006, with the greatest focus on the hand crafted V-series cars of 1990-2000 (Virage and all its decedents). In many ways the book shows how the company has made the transition from a ultra-low volume maker of coach built cars into a maker of expensive semi-mass produced sports cars (like an English Ferrari). Personally I have mixed feelings about this transformation, but the book does a magnificent job paying homage to both eras. Each chapter details one model, or one special run of cars. In some cases the "run" describes production quantities in single digits...in a few cases it even represents a single unique car. The book itself contains amazing photographers, and was obviously produced with great attention to detail and love of the cars/company. One funny aspect of the book... Many places in the text "well known far east customer" is mentioned, but his name is never actually given. This is obviously the Sultan of Brunei. It is well known he was a major Aston Martin customer during this period, and commissioned many of the highly custom cars in the book. Since these cars are locked far away, this book is the only way to experience these works of art. I only have one minor complaint. I really wish they included more photos inside of the Newport-Pagnell factory itself. Since this book chronicles the last chapter of hand-made cars, it would have been nice to see more details of this lost art. Worth every penny. Review: Excellent Book - A lot of info and great pics worth owning if u love these autos
| Best Sellers Rank | #140,708 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #39 in Classic Cars (Books) #44 in Automotive Pictorial Books #58 in Automotive History (Books) |
| Customer Reviews | 4.8 out of 5 stars 136 Reviews |
B**D
End of an era ... start of a new one
This book chronicles all models produced from about 1986 to 2006, with the greatest focus on the hand crafted V-series cars of 1990-2000 (Virage and all its decedents). In many ways the book shows how the company has made the transition from a ultra-low volume maker of coach built cars into a maker of expensive semi-mass produced sports cars (like an English Ferrari). Personally I have mixed feelings about this transformation, but the book does a magnificent job paying homage to both eras. Each chapter details one model, or one special run of cars. In some cases the "run" describes production quantities in single digits...in a few cases it even represents a single unique car. The book itself contains amazing photographers, and was obviously produced with great attention to detail and love of the cars/company. One funny aspect of the book... Many places in the text "well known far east customer" is mentioned, but his name is never actually given. This is obviously the Sultan of Brunei. It is well known he was a major Aston Martin customer during this period, and commissioned many of the highly custom cars in the book. Since these cars are locked far away, this book is the only way to experience these works of art. I only have one minor complaint. I really wish they included more photos inside of the Newport-Pagnell factory itself. Since this book chronicles the last chapter of hand-made cars, it would have been nice to see more details of this lost art. Worth every penny.
J**S
Excellent Book
A lot of info and great pics worth owning if u love these autos
A**Y
Great book
Awesome book that details more than the well known production models to describe the concepts, one offs and limited production runs that make Aston Martin what it is. Doesn’t cover the latest “Mercedes” era vehicles but is good through the DB9 and Casino Royale DBS.
R**L
Big, beautiful volume full of information
This is a gorgeous, massive tome. Very good addition to one's Aston library, as it gives some personal anecdotes about various, often very rare, cars-- their inception and production. If you're a real expert, there may not be enough depth for you, but I learned quite a bit, for example, about the famous Pricnce of Wales V8's--I knew of their existence, and desirability, but this book gave me a bit of "color" regarding their 'back story." If you want to know a bit about more models and versions than you knew existed, like cars of which one were produced, this is a luxe way to learn about them.
R**E
Very nice book
One of the best books in print on this fabled marque. Good writing, great photos. Book is highly rated for good reason.
N**N
Four Stars
Fairly well written, but repeated the same pattern for each design.
B**R
Beautifully designed book with a great history lesson
Beautifully designed book with a great history lesson
K**S
A fabulous Aston Martin book.
A fabulous Aston Martin book.
R**S
History and plenty of photos
Very good history as I collect AM's 1:18 apart from other models - DB2, DB4 (Zagarto), DB5, DB6, DB7 (Vantage) and Vanquish.
A**E
Die Geschichte von Aston Martin,,
Jeder, der schöne und starkeAutos liebt, sollte dieses Buch haben Mein Favorit: der DB 9 aus Casino Royale von 2006
H**N
Livre parfait
Document exceptionnel de qualité, de précision, avec tous les modèles réunis de façon chronologique, méthodique. Seul ivre présentant des modèles rarissimes
G**A
Aston Martin Power Beauty and Soul
I bought this as a Christmas gift for my 18 year old son who has been mad about Astons since he discovered the Bond films when he was 6. Sadly we could not afford an actual Aston Martin so the book would have to do this year! I looked through the book before wrapping it and although I know nothing about Astons or cars in general, I thought this was beautifully presented and really interesting. Even I loved the excellent photos, the history and the info which was included. Definitely worth the money, actually, I would say underpriced! Would be great for any Aston fan.
L**Y
Good
Good
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