AM V8 Vantage by Prodrive
Prodrive has bought Aston Martin -- it just hasn't been announced yet.
Industry veteran Dave Richards, in concord with a consortium of businesses from the USA and Middle East, is just hours away from tying up the loose ends of the purchase of the iconic British marque from Ford, according to Autocar.
A number of bidders were in the ring to win the hand of Aston Martin, figuring it would add a halo effect to their merchandise, the Louis Vuitton group among them. But according to the report, Ford wanted AM to stay with a carmaker.
And Prodrive has previous with AM, not least its recent execution of Aston Martin's GT racing programme, and its development of a tauter V8 Vantage (see link below). This all made sense to Ford, according to the report.
Those close to the sale said that Prodrive's inside knowledge was the deal clincher.
One source within AM is said to have commented: "It's a done deal. All that remains is to cross the t's and dot the i's." Officially, Aston Martin is saying only that a deal will be sooner rather than later.
Related stories