RE: Aston Martin and AMG: PH Blog
Discussion
Aston used to be about making their own engines. That's what made them bespoke compared to any of the wannabe companies (ISO, Jensen, DeTomaso, all the other US V8 power companies). The same with Ferrari, Maserati, Lamborghini. Aston Martin is totally unlikely to have become famous for winning the 1959 Sports Car World Championship had it used a Mercedes, a Ford or any other manufacturer's engine.
The world has changed though, and today's products are so much about design, brand management, heritage, history, advantages of scale, cost of development etc. So Aston is now an engine cover manufacturer, wrapped in history and brand mystique, and I'm still glad they're around. The alternative to not hooking up with a large manufacturer would be to not be around.
The world has changed though, and today's products are so much about design, brand management, heritage, history, advantages of scale, cost of development etc. So Aston is now an engine cover manufacturer, wrapped in history and brand mystique, and I'm still glad they're around. The alternative to not hooking up with a large manufacturer would be to not be around.
These three...
"It's had a bit of a cash injection but nothing like enough to develop a cutting edge powerplant that can play against the big boys yet meet all the latest emissions standards."
Not true at all...and this line basically encompasses several things that are actually going on right now.
"But turbos? In an Aston? Isn't that a bit, well, vulgar?"
This one is actually more an opinion than fact...but still going down the wrong road.
"Unlike the, er, Cologne-built V12s used currently of course."
The engine built in Cologne IS a Ford engine, with design help from Cosworth.
"It's had a bit of a cash injection but nothing like enough to develop a cutting edge powerplant that can play against the big boys yet meet all the latest emissions standards."
Not true at all...and this line basically encompasses several things that are actually going on right now.
"But turbos? In an Aston? Isn't that a bit, well, vulgar?"
This one is actually more an opinion than fact...but still going down the wrong road.
"Unlike the, er, Cologne-built V12s used currently of course."
The engine built in Cologne IS a Ford engine, with design help from Cosworth.
JMC1 said:
Seen the strings comments do not surprise me at all. But in some ways I am surprised that Bez wss not very welcome at Aston with his attitude. As an ex customer / owner the attitude that I always received by Aston Works Service (AMWS) was incredibly awful.
Aston totally believe that they are always right and the fact that your car is back with them for the umpteenth time in 3 months for warranty work well it must be the customers fault. Every time my car was back with them for warranty work it usually came away with another fault to add to the list and usually the original problem was either not fixed at all or would reoccur. I think if I kept taking the car back AMWS eventually it would only have been fit for scrap. After 5 months with the car spending nearly 3 months of that time at AMWS he only way I could get all the work completed successfully was to give up on them and gave the car to Grange the Aston dealer in Exeter who managed to fix absolutely everything within 3 days.
When I was purchasing my Aston my father warned me because in 1973 he had purchased a brand new Aston V8 injection and as we lived only 40 miles away he used to take the car to Aston to service it. Within 18 months he hated the car due to impolite and cavalier attitude of the factory service department. The car broke down a lot but he did not care about that as prestige cars of 1970's all did it was this attitude from Aston that he could not get along with. His car had 4 clutches in less than 15,000 miles they told him he was driving it wrong and that it was all his fault even though many other things kept breaking on the car. Naturally he started to wonder if they were right until one day whilst waiting in reception to collect the car he got talking with another owner who was collecting his Aston which had just had its sixth clutch within 18,000 miles. Eventually Aston found that my fathers car was suffering from a hairline crack in the flywheel.
These Aston experiences are the complete opposite to those I have experienced with the Porsche factory in Stuttgart. For a while we had a factory Porsche racing car and when ever we needed parts or advice their Motorsport division would always be happy to take a phone call to chat and give advice whilst speaking perfect English. Also the main factory have been happy to let me chat to their classic division for advice about their older cars. These experiences always left you feeling that you are a valued customer which is the complete opposite to my AMWS experiences. Yet I still love Aston cars it is an emotionally thing which I worry could disappear if they are not careful with their future decisions.
My point is that as I have already said the Bez attitude is not a surprise. If Aston are to be successful their high and mighty attitude that they are always right needs to change. Not only is it unpleasant from a customers point of view but I think it clouds their overall decision making as well their self belief of always being correct stands in their way to move forward down the right road.
Great story. Thank you for sharing. I'm dissapointed in hearing this, of course. It doesn't sound like the right way to grow a company in a competitive market, that's for sure. Aston Works Disservice. Which model did you have?Aston totally believe that they are always right and the fact that your car is back with them for the umpteenth time in 3 months for warranty work well it must be the customers fault. Every time my car was back with them for warranty work it usually came away with another fault to add to the list and usually the original problem was either not fixed at all or would reoccur. I think if I kept taking the car back AMWS eventually it would only have been fit for scrap. After 5 months with the car spending nearly 3 months of that time at AMWS he only way I could get all the work completed successfully was to give up on them and gave the car to Grange the Aston dealer in Exeter who managed to fix absolutely everything within 3 days.
When I was purchasing my Aston my father warned me because in 1973 he had purchased a brand new Aston V8 injection and as we lived only 40 miles away he used to take the car to Aston to service it. Within 18 months he hated the car due to impolite and cavalier attitude of the factory service department. The car broke down a lot but he did not care about that as prestige cars of 1970's all did it was this attitude from Aston that he could not get along with. His car had 4 clutches in less than 15,000 miles they told him he was driving it wrong and that it was all his fault even though many other things kept breaking on the car. Naturally he started to wonder if they were right until one day whilst waiting in reception to collect the car he got talking with another owner who was collecting his Aston which had just had its sixth clutch within 18,000 miles. Eventually Aston found that my fathers car was suffering from a hairline crack in the flywheel.
These Aston experiences are the complete opposite to those I have experienced with the Porsche factory in Stuttgart. For a while we had a factory Porsche racing car and when ever we needed parts or advice their Motorsport division would always be happy to take a phone call to chat and give advice whilst speaking perfect English. Also the main factory have been happy to let me chat to their classic division for advice about their older cars. These experiences always left you feeling that you are a valued customer which is the complete opposite to my AMWS experiences. Yet I still love Aston cars it is an emotionally thing which I worry could disappear if they are not careful with their future decisions.
My point is that as I have already said the Bez attitude is not a surprise. If Aston are to be successful their high and mighty attitude that they are always right needs to change. Not only is it unpleasant from a customers point of view but I think it clouds their overall decision making as well their self belief of always being correct stands in their way to move forward down the right road.
'But turbos? In an Aston? Isn't that a bit, well, vulgar?'
The DB7 has a supercharger and I see no problem with that, in fact it heightens the experience and is quite nice to hear some of the raw mechanical noises behind it. You still get the "and how fast exactly would sir like to drive today"
My tupence worth.
The DB7 has a supercharger and I see no problem with that, in fact it heightens the experience and is quite nice to hear some of the raw mechanical noises behind it. You still get the "and how fast exactly would sir like to drive today"
My tupence worth.
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