Although it’s one of the smaller parts of the United Kingdom, Wales has bequeathed many gifts to the world, including singer Tom Jones, actor Richard Burton, and a language once likened to a typing accident. But now, along with a list of engineering accomplishments that includes being the location for the modern world’s first suspension bridge, Wales has also become the site of Aston Martin’s new factory.
The quintessentially English carmaker has crossed the border, thanks in part to some generous subsidies, to open its second production facility in Saint Athan, a former Royal Air Force base located near the splendidly named villages of Llanmihangel, Llanbethery, and Llantwit Major and about 15 miles west of Cardiff, the Welsh capital. To mark the occasion in a suitably Aston fashion, the company has released this video of three of its most talented drivers being allowed to—with apologies—whale on some of its greatest hits.
Works drivers Darren Turner and Nicki Thiim are joined by chief engineer Matt Becker, formerly Lotus’s chassis development boss, the trio hooning a variety of classic and recent Astons around the vast hangars that will shortly be fitted out to start producing the new DBX crossover ahead of its launch in 2019.
Highlights include a variety of race cars, a Bond-spec DB5 facing off with one of the DB10s built for 007’s last outing, and the unlikely sight of an Aston Vulcan and a One-77 performing donuts around one of the Toyota iQ–based Cygnets the company normally tries to forget. Pay attention, and you’ll also see the 1980 Aston V8 that we got the chance to drive last year. It’s the personal property of company CEO Andy Palmer, who also gets a cameo—full credit to him for letting his pride and joy get treated with such an entertaining lack of respect.
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