Tuesday 11th October 2011

Aston Martin Expands Works Service

New workshops and a dealership planned for Aston's spiritual home

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Newport Pagnell dealer coming soon...

Aston Martin is investing in its historic connection with Newport Pagnell, with a significant upgrade for its Works Service premises.

The company has just announced that an initial six month stage of what will be a two year development plan is underway, with the modernisation of the contemporary car servicing facility and the building of a brand new Aston Martin dealership.

Formalised 11 years after the company's founders Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford first thought of building their own cars, the roots of Aston Martin Works Service go back to those of the 'Service Department' of 1924. Nowadays the outfit has a worldwide reputation, and services, repairs and restores around 2,500 Aston Martins and Lagondas from around the world each year.

...so the place could look like this!

The upgrade will also support the further development of the Works Tailored department, which as Aston's 'bespoke' division is responsible for personalising cars with unique colours, materials and finishes, through to integrating the latest additional technology, it says.

[thewheelman]

Great to see a British based car maker doing well, it doesn't seem that long ago that Aston could have gone belly up.

[whoami]

It still could.

[JMC1]

If all the cars were built by works service it definitely would.

[Johnboy Mac]

whoami said:

It still could.

You're not the only one to have thought that.

Must say nice looking NP dealership, fresh with clean lines and no chrome.

[thewheelman]

The building looks very similar to Broughtons Aston dealership in Cheltenham.

[senninha2]

The showroom shot looks very much like the facility thay have outside the Nurburgring to me ....

I still need retail prices for AMV8 cabs to drop a bit more before I may won one ...

Good news for Aston Martin ... time for the next 10 yr design / styling to hit the market ..

[buyer&seller]

I'm sure the whole established dealer network will be delighted to hear this news. Having spent years building their busineses up to see customers disappear off to the " brewery tap " as they will.

[JohnG1]

[quote=buyer&seller]I'm sure the whole established dealer network will be delighted to hear this news. Having spent years building their busineses up to see customers disappear off to the " brewery tap " as they will.
[/quote]

Why do you think people would buy from Works Service rather than a dealer?

[Zod]

senninha2 said:

The showroom shot looks very much like the facility thay have outside the Nurburgring to me

All the dealerships look like that.

[JohnG1]

thewheelman said:

The building looks very similar to Broughtons Aston dealership in Cheltenham.

All AM dealers have to conform to a corporate look and feel; the idea is that they all have the same marble and feel the same no matter which one you visit.

[Johnboy Mac]

JohnG1 said:

Why do you think people would buy from Works Service rather than a dealer?

Expectations of better customer service and a direct link to the factory. Also there might be better 'bargains' to had when in the market to buy.

[ts86net]

I bet a large number of the custom new ones will end up as export out of the UK.

[Flip Martian]

I love living near Newport Pagnell. You do see some lovely machines on the road around there, thanks to the A-M Works. The artist's impression looks not that dissimilar to the building there now (which isn't a dealership at the moment obviously). Except its white inside and out. They do have a nice display of Astons outside when I drive past there quite often.

My first stop when that lottery win comes in.

[JohnG1]

Johnboy Mac said:

Expectations of better customer service and a direct link to the factory. Also there might be better 'bargains' to had when in the market to buy.

What link to the factory? Didn't AML just sell Works Service?

[Lucozade]

I didnt enjoy the service I got from AM Works and in the end discovered a dealer that was much better.

I doubt dealers will see any negative impact.

[buyer&seller]

Johnboy Mac said:

JohnG1 said:

Why do you think people would buy from Works Service rather than a dealer?

Expectations of better customer service and a direct link to the factory. Also there might be better 'bargains' to had when in the market to buy.

Along the lines of this. If they're a few short of the quota who knows what deals they may be able to conjure up at the end of the month/quarter/year. I used to work in Bentley/Rolls-Royce dealers when they had a service dept at Crewe, people used it as a bragging right, they shut it in the 90's. Thankfully they didn't sell direct to customers but there were those who claimed they dealt direct with Crewe, they were usually the obnoxious type that the network didn't want to deal with anyway.

[Johnboy Mac]

[quote=buyer&seller]

but there were those who claimed they dealt direct with Crewe, they were usually the obnoxious type that the network didn't want to deal with anyway.
[/quote]


Well believe that.

[eliot]

I wonder if they will bung the next door neighbor a few grand to sort his ram shackle garage out:
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=newport+pagnell&am...

And of course, right opposite the main enterance will will a lovely Tesco superstore.

[bakerstreet]

I went a factory tour of Aston Martin at Newport Pagnall and I bought a a DB7 steering wheel and a piston that failed QC.

This was in the mid 90s when they built the twin 'charged Vantage. The place was like two normal industrial units on opporsit sides of the road. Glad to see it has moved on.

[robgt]

AS a very lucky owner I just want the company to do well. The good doctor seems to be getting it right.