Categories: uncategorized
Date: 14 March 2007 10:09:52
Last night was one of restrained celebration in my home away from home. My weekday house is owned by a great guy who works for Aston Martin. You may have heard of them from the news this week.
Every Tuesday is communal food night. One of his colleagues comes over and cooks for us and some of their friends. Its great as I get to meet new people, eat good healthy food (really!), talk of things totally divorced from my work and learn about the automotive industry. These people love what they do. Everyone I meet who works for AM seems to share a love of cars and car related activities but retain a total grounding in real life.
The restrained celebration was to celebrate the new beginning that they are about to undergo. Aston Martin are now owned by 2 Kuwaiti investment trusts and are fronted by a Welshman - David "don't call him Dave" Richards chairman of Prodrive, the motor racing company.
I feel that I need to make this distinction. Contrary to press reports its the Kuwaitis who will own AM. Mr Richards is their representative (figurehead) on the board. He does not control AM. The majority of decisions will be carried out by the existing management team, an excellent one at that. David will report back to his backers and they'll say yay or nay.
I just feel that the press have made too much of AM returning to British ownership. Its a good selling point but not really true.
AM have the opportunity and the drive, excuse my pun, to move forward. They have a solid footing to work from and they are being backed with their plans for the future. All they need to do is carry on making a profit - something AM, like most other British car makers, have failed to do. The Kuwaitis are definitely there for the long run so the brand will love on, unlike TVR.