Licence to Thrill: Paul Hollywood Meets Aston Martin

ENGINE REVS

Every single time you hear that "waaah" is fantastic!

I'm mainly known for my love of baking,

but I have another big passion...

..Aston Martins.

ENGINE REVS

PAUL LAUGHS

For over 100 years, this most British of companies

has been making bespoke motors for the rich and famous.

The pinnacle of what you can achieve, if you have an Aston -

it's the height of where you can be.

Aston Martin cars remind me of a time

when British design and craftsmanship were the envy of the world.

This is the prettiest thing I've seen in my life.

Aston Martin have always built

amazingly beautiful and fast racing cars.

So, to get to grips with them,

I'm training up to see if I can make the grade in their race team.

It was exhilarating, it was scary, it was unbelievable.

It's something else.

TYRES SCREECH

These fine-looking and powerful sports cars

haven't always made money.

'The business model is broken.'

To my knowledge, it's been bankrupt at least seven times.

However, the company has a secret weapon up its sleeve

they hope will get them back on track.

This is going to be the iconic Bond car, that every kid will go,

"I love that car."

TYRES SCREECH

As a working-class lad growing up on the Wirral, I always aspired

to one day owning an Aston Martin.

I still pinch myself that I now actually have

a second-hand Aston Martin DBS Volante.

It's the convertible model of James Bond's car

from Quantum Of Solace and Casino Royale,

with a six-litre engine

and a maximum speed of 191mph.

It is the huge sense of theatre that you get in these cars.

And you do get it in other cars but, for me, it is...

It has to be Aston Martin.

MUSIC: Ride A White Swan by T.Rex

# Ride it on out Like a bird in the sky ways

# Ride it on out like you were a... #

I first fell in love with Aston Martin when I was five.

I was given a Corgi DB5 from the James Bond film Goldfinger,

and pretty soon it became my favourite toy.

I remember having this car, and I would sit back in my bed

and, you know you make mountains with your knees, sitting in bed?

And I was driving up and down the hill in this.

And, actually, you could actually park this outside your house as well,

because all you have to do is close one eye...

and then do that and then sit it outside your house.

And you have a DB5 sitting outside the house.

That's how you do it!

All I ever wanted was a real Aston Martin, just like 007.

Now I've finally got one,

I wonder if maybe I love it a little bit too much.

When I got my first Aston, I used to clean it every couple of days.

To be brutally honest, every couple of hours.

I think you look for little nicks as well,

and if I see one, my heart misses a beat.

In fact, I've found one.

There it is, there. See?

It's just sitting there, you know, winding me up.

I know it's there now when I'm driving.

Because I know it is there, it just ruins the car. That's bad, isn't it?

-INTERVIEWER:

-It is slightly OCD.

-It IS OCD. I've definitely got OCD.

I've got it in the bakery, and now I've got it with a car.

I'm obsessed with my Aston, but I'm not the only one.

'A 1962 DB4 Series IV Vantage Convertible...'

Every year, Aston Martin hold an auction,

where fans spend millions on vintage classics.

I'm already going to start the bidding at £700,000.

It is a bit like a fine-cut suit from Savile Row,

it's a bit like a very, very intricate and beautiful

sort of designed Swiss watch.

Royalty has it as well, it's all part of our heritage.

I've never owned anything like it in my life,

that has given me such pleasure.

Are we all done

at £1,350,000 only?

-Congratulations. 1,350,000...

-APPLAUSE

I want to understand why so many people, including me,

are so in love with this most quintessentially British of cars.

It's been around for 102 years,

but the brand itself, what does it stand for?

Is it a supercar, is it a race car, is it only for people...

celebrities, aristocracy, that buy Aston Martins?

I want to find out from people in the know

what they think of Aston Martin,

and where the future of Aston Martin lies.

The ultramodern facility Gaydon, in Warwickshire,

is the new flashy headquarters of Aston Martin.

However, they do still use some old-fashioned techniques.

A bog-standard Aston is around £90,000,

while a top-of-the-range model will set you back a cool 250,000.

Really, what we do at Aston Martin is we make a hi-tech car

but with hand-finished leather and paintwork.

Wow, I mean, this is futuristic, to say the least.

This is where your car was born, in this area.

Aston Martin are notorious for taking their time when building their cars.

They only make around 4,000 cars here a year,

a far cry from the Nissan factory in Sunderland

that makes about 500,000 in the same time.

How long does it normally take to finish one car?

To build a whole car is over 200 man hours.

Normally it's about four months from the day of placing the order,

before we start building the car.

And then add on another month to build the car,

-and then the shipping time on top of that.

-Five months.

-Five months.

-Six months with travel.

-Call it six months, yeah, exactly.

Nissan can produce a new car in around 14 hours.

Aston can spend 50 just painting theirs.

And are even more OCD than me checking for nicks.

They employee paint inspectors like Manjit.

As you can see, in the paint, you've got a little defect there.

-Yeah.

-Yeah, I can see it.

-Above the tape.

-I've found another one round here that you've missed.

-Did I?

-Yes.

Oh, thanks for showing me that. I'll have a look.

-There.

-That's the one.

-Did I get one? Did you miss it?

-I did.

THEY LAUGH

-Very good.

-Cheers, buddy.

Honorary paint inspector.

Over a million stitches

can go into making the leather seats for some Astons.

HE INHALES

SHE LAUGHS

-Lots of lovely leather.

-It's the smell of the leather - I love that smell in a car.

-How long have you actually been doing this?

-Ten years.

-Ten years.

-But altogether, about 40 years.

-40 years.

Yes, since I was an apprentice.

-I've actually got a DBS Volante.

-Oh, yeah, I would have done...

-You would have done that?

-Oh, yes, definitely.

-Do you know what, the stitching...is perfect.

-Oh, thank you very much.

-There's not a mark on it.

-It's not ripped, it still looks good.

-Oh, good.

-You certainly would have done it.

-Oh, definitely.

-Good job, thank you.

-Thank you very much.

-PAUL LAUGHS

Sales of Aston Martins have gone down,

from over 7,000 eight years ago

to roughly 4,000 last year.

They made a loss of around 25 million two years ago.

In fact, over the course of their long history,

Aston Martin of are renowned for constantly being broke.

The company first went bust in 1924.

And later, in the '70s, the company was on the brink of total collapse.

'All the firm's departmental managers

'were called into the headquarters building late today

'to be told that, despite yesterday's voluntary liquidation,

'there's still a possibility of an 11th-hour rescue bid.'

I mean, one little chap sent us his pocket money...to help.

Luckily, the company survived,

and last year they hired a new CEO, Andy Palmer,

poaching him from the mass car producer Nissan.

I mean, it is a challenge,

it's a big challenge for you to take this on board.

How did that sit with you?

In 102 years of the company history,

I think there are probably two years

in which the company has actually made any money.

To my knowledge, it's been bankrupt at least seven times,

and the model, the business model of the company, is challenging, broken.

And we've got to change it.

So my mandate is essentially to turn this into a proper business.

A company that is sustainable, profitable

and something that the Great British public

can be really, really proud of.

Andy's plan to boost sales is to widen the customer base

with new types of car, such as the first-ever crossover,

called the DBX, aimed at the family market.

This is the concept car, and it's expected to be on the road in 2020.

-It's a DB9, it's been raised two foot.

-Yes, exactly.

-That's what it looks like.

In its final interpretation, it'll be a four-door, to make sure you've got space.

People do need to put their family in the back,

so there needs to be space in the rear, space in the trunk.

But that's exactly what I'm trying to create.

It's a raised-up sports car, four-by-four capability.

-It is four-by-four?

-Yes.

In this interpretation, it's also electric,

just to show that we can do that as well.

-So these wheels are massive, these are colossal.

-They are, they are.

22 inches.

'The DBX has caused uproar amongst some fans and critics,

"who say it's selling out Aston Martin's sports-car principles.'

-Has this caused any backlash when this was released?

-Yes, it has.

But, you know, for those die-hard Aston fans - and I love them -

this car, if you will, is basically funding the development

of those beautiful sports cars.

'Andy Palmer is the latest in a long line of Aston Martin bosses

'who've struggled to square their passion for fast cars

'with the need to balance the books.'

The original founders of the company struggled in the same way.

Back in 1913, car fanatic Lionel Martin

joined forces with engineer Robert Bamford.

The company was named by putting Lionel's surname together

with a famous racing site called Aston Hill.

Here, wealthy young men would compete in hill-climb races,

all the rage at the time.

This happy-go-lucky age of the company's first owners

has been documented

at the Aston Martin Heritage Trust Museum in Oxfordshire.

What have we got here, then?

This is A3, this is the oldest existing Aston in the world.

This is the third prototype

that was built by Bamford and Martin.

And the first two, Coal Scuttle and Bunny,

we know have long been broken up and sold for scrap.

I think one of them sold for £50 in scrap.

-You're kidding me! When was that?

-In the '60s.

'A trustee spotted the A3 in an auction ten years ago

'and kindly donated it to the museum.'

-How much did he pay for it in the end?

-15,000.

PAUL LAUGHS

What's that worth now?

It was insured for 25 million.

Uh!

25 million quid.

'Donna takes me upstairs to the archive library

'to meet a serious Aston fan, Mark,

'and show off another prize treasure, Lionel Martin's very own scrapbook.'

'He met Robert Bamford in 1912 at their local cycle club in Bath,

'where they decided to put engines on wheels and become gentlemen racers.'

So to start this business, who had the money in these two?

Lionel brought the money, Bamford brought the brains,

he was very much the engineer of the business.

-So this was like a rich man's toy, really?

-Yeah.

These cars were maybe £8000 or £800 in the 1920s.

Today, equivalent - close to £1 million.

The only people I could see buying them would have been...

gentlemen, money...

Extremely wealthy gentleman at the time.

The cars were so expensive

that Bamford and Martin only ever made 61 of them

and, sliding into bankruptcy,

they were forced to sell the company in 1924.

And it wasn't about making money,

it was about the passion for winning

and the competitive nature of Lionel Martin.

It really wasn't about making money.

In fact, Aston Martin really hasn't been about making money for many years,

because they haven't made any money.

The first in a long line of bosses lasted a decade in charge

and gave birth to a brand name that has stood the test of time.

What has made Aston Martin last 102 years?

I think it's because of the exclusivity of the brand.

You very rarely see Aston Martins on the road,

and when you do, everybody looks, and looks with respect.

If you've got an Aston Martin, the chances are your house is going to be quite nice as well.

You're going to have nice things, everything top of the line.

-Wouldn't you?

-Do you think that makes us snobs?

-It does.

-Yeah. I think, unfortunately, it does.

-I don't think I can be.

-I don't think I can class myself as a snob.

-No.

Because I'm so common.

-Because you're from up north.

-Yes!

-THEY LAUGH

-No offence.

-None taken.

-Sorry.

THEY LAUGH

Mark wants me to experience what being a gentleman racer

from the first era of Aston Martin was all about,

so he takes me to the place where it all began.

This is Aston Hill, where it all started in 1914,

where Lionel Martin raced a Singer car up here that he'd modified.

Thousands of people would line the side of this track

and come from miles away to see this new event called motorsport.

And these cars would scream up the hill

and drift off the gravel track, killing many people sometimes.

It was a very dangerous game. But it was the Formula 1 of the day.

Mark is the proud owner of an original Bamford and Martin car

that actually raced up Aston Hill. It's called Cloverleaf.

This little beauty was built in 1923...

had a top speed of 77mph...

and is the second-oldest production Aston in existence in the world.

-Come on, then.

-Right, how do you start this?

-There's a foot pedal.

ENGINE STARTS

He's offered to let me drive it up the famous hill.

-No indicators.

-Of course not.

No seat belts. No nothing.

'I'm getting a real sense of why Lionel Martin fell in love

'with hill-climb racing. I'm hooked.'

-Oh, that's marvellous.

-It's got a bit of character to it, hasn't it?

-Hasn't it? Yeah.

-These aren't the best brakes in the world!

-Yeah, they're useless.

-PAUL LAUGHS

-What are you in?

-You might want to go straight into first, if you want to.

-I've got it.

-Oh!

-You've stalled it.

Good luck. Start it.

ENGINE STARTS

-Come on, baby.

-Oh, yeah, yeah.

-Come on.

-Nice one!

-There's the fella.

-Well done! That's brilliant!

I now know what it feels like,

how the gentleman racers actually drove this car up the hill. Loved it.

-Thank you.

-My pleasure.

-Thank you.

Cloverleaf was a cracking racing car, but I tell you what,

it wasn't designed as a comfortable road car.

It wasn't until decades later that speed and luxury came together

to make Aston Martin the brand we know today.

'What makes a man part with £7,000,

'the price of a small family house or a medium-sized yacht,

'on a mere motorcar?

'Mainly it's a question of luxury, of prestige, of comfort,

'of owning one of the best cars in the world, regardless of price.'

In 1947, David Brown, a wealthy engineer and entrepreneur,

bought the company for £20,500,

and soon started producing grand tourers,

road cars that can travel long distances at high speed

but in comfort and style.

I am trying to produce the best and safest

high-speed, luxury carriage in the world, I suppose.

Using his initials, DB, to name them,

David Brown produced a string of iconic cars.

Aston Martin like to see what their road cars are capable of

by entering them in a type of racing called grand tourer, or GT racing,

where, unlike Formula 1, the cars competing are mostly road-legal.

For a couple of months now, I've been driving simulators

and getting taught how to race by the Beechdean Aston Martin race team.

'I've really got a bug for it.

'I love my motorbikes, I love going fast on bikes, cars.'

And for me, I'm on the bottom rung of a massive ladder, but I love it.

I want to understand just what these cars can do,

by pushing them to the max.

'It is scary, racing -

'the speed you can go round some of these corners...'

It's about pushing it and seeing how fast the car can do

and how fast you're prepared to go.

The aim for me is to get my National A competition licence

by completing six GT races without a hitch.

This would allow me to compete in the big competitions

and head to the most famous race venue in the world,

Le Mans in France.

All right, Andrew?

'I've been taken under the wing

'of the team's owner, and racing driver, Andrew Howard.'

It's a massive challenge,

if anyone thinks they can just jump in a race car and do it.

But it is massively physically hard.

I mean, we're doing 1,000 calories an hour.

Average heartbeat 175 for an hour.

You know, it's not something you can just turn up, have a go and go home,

it's something that you have to train for

and it's something that you have to practise for.

'After months of practice, today is my first-ever race,

'and it couldn't be harder.'

'I'm at the famous Silverstone circuit,

'and the conditions are atrocious.'

'Before the main race, all drivers do a qualifying race,

'but disaster strikes.'

'There's an horrific crash and the driver is airlifted to hospital.'

Yeah, that's quite worrying, there. I hope he's all right.

I mean, racing is dangerous, you know.

When you see that, it does make you gulp.

'The boys from my team prepare me for my first-ever race.'

Nervous.

And excited.

I just want to get in the car now and...crack on with it.

Wish me luck.

'I'm sharing the race with Andrew,

'who pulls in halfway through and lets me take over.'

'My car is a V8 Vantage.'

'It can go nought to 60 in just over four seconds.'

'The aim of the race is to complete the most laps in 45 minutes.'

'I'm going over 160mph.'

'I start overtaking other cars.'

To get points towards my licence, I just need to finish,

'but my aim is to be in the top ten.'

How's he doing, guys?

-Yeah, it's looking good.

-Good lap.

-Yep, last lap.

'This is our chequered flag.'

-That's a brilliant class.

-Yeah. Brilliant. Absolutely excellent.

That was really tricky.

The conditions were greasy, then wet,

then greasy, then wet.

It was really tricky, but I did enjoy it. I did enjoy it.

Having a bit of a battle with a couple of cars, but it's great fun.

Cup of tea, I think.

Good effort. That is bloody brilliant! That is bloody brilliant.

'One race down, five to go.'

'GT Racing is helping me understand what a grand tourer really is -

'power and beauty combined.'

'This idea is encapsulated in one car more than any other.'

'A James Bond Aston Martin DB5.

'Equipped for the amazing exploits of Secret Service agent 007,

'the car features the radiotelephone,

'an electrically operated radar scanner,

'here on the rear-vision mirror. Safety devices include

'extendable overriders, for ramming purposes,

'and an ejector seat for unwanted passengers.'

'As a child, I was swept up by the Goldfinger Aston Martin phenomenon.'

'I never imagined a car could do such amazing tricks as this one.'

VILLAIN YELLS

'For me, like millions of other kids,

'Goldfinger was all about Sean Connery - and his DB5.'

'The Corgi model of the Goldfinger DB5

'went on to become one of the bestselling toy cars of all time,

'selling an estimated 4 million models.

'This incredible connection between Aston Martin and James Bond

'carried on after Goldfinger, with different models of Aston

'appearing in 11 Bond films.'

'I want to find out more

'about this relationship between Aston Martin and Bond,

'so I'm off to see a 007 car exhibition.'

-Michael.

-Paul.

-Absolute pleasure to meet you.

'I'm meeting a real movie legend -

'the producer and screenwriter of many James Bond films.'

So, this is the Aston Martin DBS,

which we used in the Quantum Of Solace, in the opening sequence.

'An unprecedented five Astons were destroyed

'in this incredible high-speed car chase around Lake Garda in Italy.'

-So, Paul, you have one of these, is that right?

-I do have one of these.

-I have a DBS soft top. I have the convertible version.

-Yeah.

-Same colour.

-And is it a little better-looking than this?

To be honest, it is a little bit better-looking than this!

But you've been driving in London traffic.

I imagine you'll have a few bangs.

It feels like that, the way I was driving here today.

The traffic was a nightmare.

Now, this, obviously, is such a fantastic car.

This is iconic. Die Another Day, the Vanquish on the ice.

But those missiles - oh, come on!

This was the most exotic car we ever had.

'Bond's Aston was converted to a four-wheel drive

'for this thrilling car chase against the fully tooled-up Jaguar XKR

'across a frozen lake in Iceland.'

So, this is the Casino Royale DBS.

-It is.

-This is the famous crash.

'Many consider this the greatest Aston Martin stunt of all.

'The car turned over seven times,

'creating a new world record for flips.'

There's been so many different cars

throughout the whole of the Bond series.

This inextricable link between...

Bond and Aston Martin, where did that come about?

It was a Fleming...car.

In the Fleming books, Fleming always wanted, you know, British things

that were handmade, that were reliable,

that Bond would bet his life on.

'I love all these Astons,

'but there's one car here that holds a special place in my heart.'

So, this is the DB5.

This is the classic one.

Do you think this car has become almost as famous as Bond himself?

I think so. People say it's the most famous car in the world.

Is this the original one from Goldfinger, then?

-This is original from GoldenEye.

-GoldenEye. Oh, right.

Which is...a few years later!

So, the car that I have, with all the gadgets,

with the bulletproof at the back, the ejector seat - this is not the car.

What happened to that car?

The car that was used in Goldfinger has disappeared.

-The one with all the gadgets was stolen.

-Is gone?

-Gone.

-It's disappeared. We don't know where it is.

-That's so sad.

It must be somewhere. Someone must know where this car is.

Well, I hope so. Hopefully find it one day.

'It's such a shame that the most famous car in the world

'may never be seen again.'

'The Goldfinger DB5 was made at the old Aston Martin factory

'based in Newport Pagnell.

'All the cars here were handmade.'

'Aston Martins have an enormous labour force

'compared with the number of cars they produce.

'Since they're nearly all skilled craftsmen, the wages bill is high.'

'I'm heading there to see

'if some of these traditional skills are still there.'

It's where, basically, the heart of Aston lies.

This is the place where, really, it all started for Aston.

Ah-ha. Aston Martin.

Ooh, look at those toys! Beautiful.

'In 2007, the Newport Pagnell factory stopped making cars.'

'And now they just service them and restore vintage ones.'

And this just looks like something out of the '50s and '60s.

Absolutely right. I mean, this is very much

what Aston Martin would have looked like in 1964.

'The aluminium panels are carefully shaped

'by methods which put cost and speed

'a long way down the list of priorities.'

'They don't make DB5s here any more,

'but they still use the old-fashioned tools to restore vintage ones.'

-So, the technique hasn't changed.

-No, the exact same techniques.

In fact, yeah, most of the equipment in here is as it would have been

-50, 60 years ago.

-So what would that be used for?

This is going to be the front section of a DB5.

This is why they cost what they do, because they're handmade cars.

And there's a bit of someone's character in every panel.

So, if you have two guys working on each side of the car,

each side will be always slightly different.

How long would you take doing this?

A complete front end for a DB5 is around 150 hours.

-And the whole process is...?

-18 months to two years.

I couldn't be without the car for that long.

I'd have to be in here every day.

'In its entire 52-year history,

'Newport Pagnell made only 13,300 cars.

'A modern assembly line like Ford's

'can make that number in a single week.'

'To finish my tour, Paul takes me to the heritage centre.

'This is where the finest selection of vintage Astons from each decade

'are kept on display.'

It's strange seeing them away from mechanics' side of things.

Now it's in a proper show room

-and you start to get a feel for what the car is, you know?

-Yup.

Now, that is just...

DBC, it's a DB6 Mark II, Vantage.

Only 425 were made.

So, how much is this?

-This one is £750,000.

-750?

-Why have you got this one covered up?

-Let me reveal this to you.

HE CHUCKLES

My mouth's gone dry.

That's just the prettiest thing I've seen in my whole life.

'As there were only 1,023 DB5s ever made,

'each one now commands a hefty price tag.

'This restored model has now been updated

'with air conditioning, and even has a SatNav.'

So, this is a fully restored Aston Martin DB5 in silver birch.

-This is the same as my model.

-This is the same as your model.

Oh, my word.

It's quite an emotional moment...for me!

How much is this one?

You'd have to spend just a shade over £1 million to own this car.

I would sell... How many kidneys have I got?

Would you like to take the car for a spin?

Uh...

Uh, yes. I would love that.

The keys, sir.

PAUL CHUCKLES

Thank you!

'I can't quite believe

'I'm actually driving my childhood hero.'

This is incredible.

I feel like a king.

I feel like a little boy, to be honest.

You can feel the car through the steering wheel.

The seats are really comfortable.

You can feel the gearbox,

and that little vibration that comes through

to tell you that the engine's running.

And it drives beautifully.

And it hasn't let me down.

You're always worried about meeting your heroes, you know?

It just doesn't let you down.

I feel a little bit like Bond now, in the DB5.

Sean Connery - eat your heart out.

'I find it hard to believe the DB5

'will ever be usurped as the ultimate Bond car.'

'But back at Aston Martin headquarters,

'there's a man who's going to try.'

'Design director Marek Reichman

'is designing the new car for the latest Bond film, Spectre.'

Nice to meet you. Wow. This is your home.

Looking round here, for me, is like a toy shop.

'And I've been invited in

'to have a look at the designs of the new DB10.'

That there, now that looks like a Bond car.

You can almost see Daniel's face sitting in there.

That is a beautiful car.

Is this the future of Aston? Is this the way you're thinking now?

Because these aren't going to be sold on the road, are they?

Only ten cars, purely for Bond.

And it is... Yeah, it's an indication

of where we're going to start to push things

in terms of the feel of a hunter, a predator.

Something which is prowling, is powerful.

And you start to see the predatory nature of the car through here,

it's a proper shark.

And you want this car to take over

from the Goldfinger DB5?

Absolutely. So...

the last century, you know, that was all about DB5.

As we move forward, the next century -

so our second-century plan, this is the icon.

-The DB10.

-DB10.

Well, if you're going up in fives,

I'm really looking forward to the DB15.

'All of the DB10S are currently being used

'by a certain James Bond on the set of the new film.

'But Marek's promised me I can have a go when filming ends.

'I can't wait!'

'Two months on, and I've now successfully completed

'five races for the GT4 race team.'

'Today, I'm hoping to get my upgraded racecar licence

'by completing the sixth.'

'My last race is at Brands Hatch.'

'And halfway round, I get sideswiped - at around 100mph.'

'I carry on to the end, though, and end up sixth in class.'

Whoops!

Yeah, I think we can polish that out.

That'll pop right out! Bang it out...

This is Aston Martin, mate. We don't do "pop right out."

'Despite the collision,

'I finally get my Race National A competition licence.'

From the race organisers, your fully completed signature card.

-Fantastic.

-So, race upgrade - sorted.

-Fantastic. Excellent.

'I even get a cup for coming first in the Pro-Am race the day before.

'And now I'm a real bona fide racing driver

'I can fulfil a lifetime's ambition

'and compete at the most famous race of all, Le Mans.'

'For 92 years, the world's best drivers

'have converged on this French city

'to compete in what is acknowledged to be

'the ultimate endurance test of all -

'Le Mans 24 Hours.'

Le Mans is one of those races which, historically,

it's probably one of the biggest races in the world.

The people that have won it, the cars that have been there,

the history behind it. I've been to lots of Formula 1 races -

never been to Le Mans.

Aston Martin have a rich and glorious racing history,

winning competitions around the world for over 100 years.

'300,000 people and more than 100 of Europe's best drivers

'were at Le Mans.'

'However, they've only once won the biggest competition of all,

'at Le Mans in 1959.'

'..Aston Martins and Ferraris were strongly represented.

'length of the course - about 8.5 miles.'

'The most significant moment in their long racing history.'

'At Le Mans, the French crowds watch the British cars

'match the might of Porsche and Ferrari,

'and chalk up another decisive victory

'in a year that looked like becoming an Aston Martin benefit.'

'For the Aston Martin owner David Brown,

'it was a lifetime's ambition to win this race.'

'He had designed a race car specifically for this purpose.

'It was called the DBR1,

'and is the most famous and valuable race car

'Aston Martin has ever made.'

'Only five DBR1s were ever produced.

'Despite a relatively small three-litre engine,

'it has a top speed of around 180mph.'

-That looks amazing.

-I'm Gillian.

-Hello, Gillian. Nice to meet you.

-Hello.

-And you.

-This is just one of my favourite cars. It's just amazing.

So, so pretty.

There is something about it. I mean, when it's parked like that,

it has a sort of beauty and serenity

-that wouldn't look out of place in an art gallery.

-No.

But once you fire it up,

it's transformed into a raucous, willing

and really, really capable racing car of the '50s,

and it's fantastic.

The drivers loved it - it was a favourite.

And, of course, it came second -

this particular car came second at Le Mans

behind Salvadori and Shelby when they won it.

So, it's a huge piece of motoring history.

This is probably one of the most,

if not THE, most iconic car that was ever made.

Don't treat it like a show pony - it's a racehorse.

-OK?

-Right, OK.

-Don't be in awe of its value, it's a car.

'Just in case you were wondering, this car is valued at 20 million,

'and I'm actually being allowed to drive it.'

'A car that took part in the greatest race in Aston Martin's history.

'No pressure, then.'

'Number five, Aston Martin driven by Roy Salvadori.

'All set a cracking pace right from the start.'

'Hey! A lucky escape.'

'They had to drive all through the night. No slackening of speed.'

'12 Ferraris are racing but, of the four Aston Martins,

'Salvadori, number five, is driving a perfect race.

'By afternoon, a long lead was established by two Aston Martins -

'Salvadori's number five and Trintignant's number six.

'Sure enough, that was the order after 24 hours.

'Salvadori's co-driver, Shelby, was flagged home the winner.'

They'd driven 2,700 miles.

With them on the lap of honour rode Stirling Moss and David Brown.

Good for Aston Martins.

-Well?

-PAUL EXHALES

-How was that?

-That was amazing. That was just...

You can fall in love with it so easily.

Already you're in love with it?

And you're getting better, every gear change is getting better.

Can I just do one more lap before I go?

Or ten, or 20, or...?

-I think driving into the distance...

-There is an exit gate over there?

-Is there?

-We could just slip away and go. We'd probably get away with it.

ENGINE STARTS UP

LOUD REVVING

There's only one person still alive

from the Aston Martin team that drove to victory that day,

and that's the greatest Aston Martin driver of them all,

Sir Stirling Moss.

-Hello! Sir Stirling.

-Nice to meet you. Come in.

Wow, you can tell you're in the home of a racing driver straightaway -

cars, racing cars.

Of course, the Aston Martin DBR1,

which is what I'd like to talk to you about.

Four DBR1s competed at Le Mans that day,

but Sir Stirling's car didn't finish the race...

..because he was told to be the pacesetter

to exhaust the competition.

Your job was to tire out the Ferraris,

am I correct in saying that?

Well, that's what they always say, it sounds good.

I was the hare, so that gave me the opportunity to drive harder,

because the Astons, really,

are not nearly as reliable as a Ferrari, really, as a vehicle,

but they did the job and won, you know?

-NEWSREEL ANNOUNCER:

-'44 laps of corner after corner.

'Steady, not too wide...he's over!'

SCREAMING

-It was obviously a dangerous time for racing.

-Yes, it was.

Every week, someone was injured or killed

and I think when you look at the racing that I watched you do,

going round a corner, sideways sliding, drifting -

I mean, the handling was...

Your handling in a car was incredible.

You see, the DBR1, particularly,

was a beautiful handling car, it really was.

The balance of this machine was really very, very good.

-Very good.

-I've been asked to race an Aston Martin GT4

at the Aston Martin Festival at Les Mans.

Do you have any tips for me, taking an Aston Martin round Le Mans?

I would suggest, the same as I would with any other car,

if you drive a little bit slower than you think you could do,

you're going to be a lot better.

That's interesting. So overdriving it,

and I have been guilty of that before...

Egg on your face is difficult to get off,

if you make a mistake - that's the point.

There's nowhere to hide with all those people watching!

THEY CHUCKLE

Le Mans Festival is under way.

Over a quarter of a million people flock here every year

to watch some of the world's fastest cars

and greatest drivers compete in an orgy of speed.

MUSIC: Commando Spatial by Virginie Rodin

This is Aston Martin's spiritual homeland.

I've been waiting my whole life to come to this racetrack.

It's a big place.

The circuit's eight and half miles long,

so outside of that, the circumference is rather large.

-It's like Glastonbury.

-It is like Glastonbury.

Now we've got the weather, it's certainly like Glastonbury.

It's like a mud bath.

Thank goodness we're not driving today, but tomorrow should be drier.

MUSIC: Pourquoi Pas Moi by Stella

It seems like most of the UK have actually already turned up.

HE REVS ENGINE

Many of them are Aston Martin fanatics.

Listen to that.

It's terrific, isn't it?

There's not another race, I don't think, in the world,

that can replicate what you get at Le Mans.

It has the atmosphere, it has the excitement,

it has the different categories,

and always something happening throughout the 24 hours.

It's great fun, lots of beer,

lots of cars, lots of like-minded people. It's really good fun.

I'm not experienced enough yet to compete in the main 24-hour race,

so I'm racing in the Aston Martin Festival Race.

Gentleman and gentlelady drivers come from all around the world

to see who's the fastest Aston Martin driver of them all.

Before the Festival Race begins,

all the drivers have to compete in an hour-long qualifying race.

The track is so fast cars are reaching speeds of over 180mph.

And some are spinning off...

..including team-owner Andrew's new Aston Martin GTE.

TYRES SCREECH

The heat in the car is around 40 degrees.

It's like being in an oven.

-Stuey!

-I've finished sixth in class and qualified for the main race,

but the heat takes it out of me.

I feel sick.

I feel drained.

I just feel drained and sick.

In the evening, the whole town of Le Mans comes out to celebrate

at the fantastic Drivers' Parade.

-THEY SING:

-# Aston Martin train

# Aston Martin train

# Aston Martin, Aston Martin Aston Martin train! #

Wahay!

ENGINE REVS

'Aston Martin boss Andy Palmer

'asks if I want to drive through the parade with him.

ENGINE REVS

It's going well - we're making a lot of noise, which is the main thing.

The crowd seem to be happy with it.

Here we go.

ENGINE REVS LOUDLY

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

It's the morning of the Aston Martin Festival Race.

-54 seconds.

-Yeah.

The lads are up early, tuning the cars.

ENGINE REVS REPEATEDLY

I'm excited about the biggest race of my life.

How many people can say they've raced round Le Mans?

All my wing mirrors will be full of Aston Martins.

It's going to be... It's going to be a special day.

I'm lining up next to two gentleman racers that I know well -

Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer and design director Marek Reichman.

A little bit nervous, but there you go.

There's about 200,000 people watching

and I'm an amateur racing driver, so it's a little bit nerve-racking.

Do you think you can beat Paul?

HE CHUCKLES

Let's see, shall we?

I'd like to think so.

It's good to have rivalry on the track

and it's great to be friends off the track

and that's the way that, frankly, gentleman racing should be.

It may be called gentleman racing,

but I'm determined those two won't get past me!

TENSE MUSIC

-They've changed the starting procedure.

-Oh, no.

No-one is to drive around...

'I'm trying hard to control my nerves.'

-COMMENTATOR:

-We see car number one there

with the Union Flag on its roof,

shared by a P Hollywood and a D Richards.

Paul has spent this season getting his licences,

and he's done a fantastic job of getting himself up to speed.

I think Paul will be starting that number one car

that we just saw on screen there.

The race is 45 minutes long

and I'm about to compete on the same track

as some of the most famous racing drivers that have ever lived.

-COMMENTATOR:

-The green flag drops. Jon is away, leading the pack away.

Good start there from Andrew Howard,

pulling over to the inside to go around that DBRS9.

I'm doing well and I'm ahead of Marek,

but then, a third of the way through the race, disaster.

Oh, we've got two wheels over.

Four wheels over in the end.

-The number 12.

-That's a big crash.

That's actually done some barrier damage. We may see a stoppage.

Red flag, yes.

They may just have deemed the barrier damage too great

to fix in this session, which would be a real shame.

-What's going on?

-Nobody really knows.

It's a red flag cos of the damage.

-Red flag?

-Red flag, so the race is finished.

Nobody... Race is finished, yeah.

So I think we are just going to see this being the end of the race

and these cars heading up to parc ferme.

That is unfortunately all we're going to see

of these beautiful Aston Martins here today.

'I'm totally gutted.

'This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity is cut short

'and that's the end of the race.'

There's been a big crash down the road,

which is quite a sobering thought.

There was bits of Aston everywhere.

-Was it a big one?

-Yeah, he spun it and hit the wall

and there's just bits of car.

I managed to tiptoe my way through it.

'Back at the hospitality tent,

'I go through the results of the race with my two rivals.'

Let's have a look at it here.

You got eighth.

-I got eighth?

-I got 11th.

Although...

..how the hell that happened...

If you were following me, you must have just overtaken in the pits.

-Yeah.

-That's... You can't do that!

That is a joke!

'Hmm, that doesn't sound like a very gentlemanly tactic to me.'

I think it was quite...

It was quite an inauspicious sort of ending,

so I think what we have to do is put this down as a practice...

-We'll do it all again.

-We'll do it all again.

THEY LAUGH

'Aside from being a gentleman driver,

'designer Marek's been busy at work.'

That's interesting.

JAMES BOND THEME PLAYS

A while ago, I saw his sketches for the new James Bond car,

the DB10, at the Aston Martin headquarters in Gaydon.

Now I've been told I can have a go in the real thing.

It's just finished filming for the new Bond film Spectre.

I've seen all the pictures, I've seen all the 3-D models,

I've seen how it's roughly going to look,

but I've never actually seen the real thing.

This is the first time I'm going to see a DB10.

Is this going to be the new iconic Bond car?

Is this going to replace Goldfinger's DB5?

There's only ten DB10s in the world and none of them are for sale.

This is in the middle of nowhere! This is bizarre.

Marek arranges to meet me in a secret location

with the stunt driver Mark Higgins, who's been working on the new movie.

-Hi, Paul, you all right?

-Hello, Mark.

So you know this car intimately, then?

This one was part of me for quite a while, to be honest, yeah.

We had it for three weeks in Rome,

did the car chase there, which was pretty awesome.

I mean, seeing the pictures

and then the 3-D model, and then seeing this...

..I think it's beautiful.

It looks like that shark.

You mentioned the shark, cos when you look at the lines here...

We wanted to get as close to the sketch as possible,

and those shark features - the undercuts,

the menacing nose, the predatory feel -

it's all there in the car.

You said you took this car to Rome -

what sort of things did it get into?

A lot of drifting. We had the Vatican closed off,

probably did 100mph sideways past that, on cobbles,

-which was pretty amazing.

-Wow.

The Pope was in there at the time, apparently, but he didn't wake up.

-Everything was done through the night.

-Now...

I've seen the car. Would you mind taking me for a spin in this?

-I don't need much encouragement - of course, I can.

-Right, OK.

-Don't break it.

-OK.

-THEY CHUCKLE

ENGINE ROARS

TYRES SCREECH

Mark is a three-times British Rally champion

and, boy, does he know how to drift a car.

TYRES SCREECH

PAUL CHUCKLES

-BLEEP

-hell!

TYRES SCREECH

Look at the smoke!

'This is like the best fairground ride in the world.'

-It's a horrible job, isn't it, but someone's got to do it!

-Isn't it?

PAUL CHUCKLES

'Marek is waiting for me to give my verdict

'on whether the DB10 can rival the DB5

'as the iconic Bond car.'

So what do you think?

PAUL SIGHS

I love it, I really do.

It feels like you're in something really powerful.

Is that a Bond car? Is it an iconic...?

Do you know what? I think it is, I think it will be, for sure.

-That's a very special thing.

-Yeah, it is.

It's a special moment, to see it moving.

'However, usurping the DB5 as THE Aston Martin is a big ask.'

I think to rival the DB5, I don't think you can do that.

I think the DB5 at its time was an icon,

-I think as much as this will be an icon of its time.

-In its time.

I think it's going to take a while

for people to get around the fact that Aston have moved so much.

It's great for me to see and hear your reaction.

Q, I think you've done it again.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you very much indeed!

Even though the DB10 is not for sale,

it's likely to be the blueprint for the next generation of Astons

that are being released next year.

I head back to the Aston Martin headquarters in Gaydon

to meet the CEO Andy Palmer...

..to find out how important these new cars are

to the future of the company.

I've had a fascinating journey and, actually,

I've driven iconic cars from Aston Martin.

I've driven the DB5, I've driven the DBR1,

I've driven the Cloverleaf, the first production car,

and went up Aston Hill in it.

When I was with Marek, we were looking at the DB10

and I got a glimpse of the future as well.

You're confident, and this pretty much starts next year,

-that all these new models coming out will do well?

-Yes.

This...

new generation of car,

one every year for basically the next six years...

..we don't have room for a miss-step

in the launch of those cars,

because each one is funding the next.

We can no longer be in business and for it to be a plaything.

If we stay in the plaything area,

there won't be an Aston Martin in the future.

'I wonder if Aston Martin have always struggled to make much money

'because, in the past, they've only sold to the British aristocracy.'

Because the older people - Robert Bamford, Lionel Martin,

straight from the oldest part of Aston Martin -

-they were gentry...

-Mm-hm.

..I think that stigma has always been attached, then, to Aston Martin.

Do you think that's still around today,

or is that beginning to break down now, the class system with Aston?

Well, I do think in general it's breaking down,

so I think that the people purchasing these kind of luxury cars

-are different from the ones in the past.

-Including myself!

Including you and me.

I don't think either of us can claim to come from landed gentry.

It's a different kind of a customer.

They can be landed gentry that have done very well

but, likewise, they can be a baker or an apprentice

that started their jobs when they were 16 years old, right?

Your shareholders, if they make a pound,

I'm sure they'll be happy. As long as they're not losing anything.

I'm sure they'd be... Well, if they don't lose anything,

they'll be the first shareholders of the company not to lose anything,

so this'll already be a success.

I wish Andy luck trying to turn the company around,

but for me, Aston Martin has never really been about business.

From a little kid who played with a toy car

to now owning one,

it's all about passion, beauty and speed.

MUSIC: Commando Spatial by Virginie Rodin