Aston closes Newport Pagnell
Aston Martin has closed the Newport Pagnell production facility
The last Aston Martin Vanquish – chassis number 502593 – rolled off the assembly line at the company’s Newport Pagnell factory on July 19, marking an end to more than 50 years of production at the historic site.
Aston Martin began building bodies for its vehicles at the site in 1954, with full production having begun in 1958 with the DB4. Nearly 13,000 cars have been produced at the factory.
In 2006, Aston Martin produced 7010 cars, with 308 models of the Vanquish S produced at Newport Pagnell.
The final 50 Aston Martins built at Newport Pagnell were limited-edition Vanquish S Ultimate Edition models priced at £182,095, the last of which will be retained by the company. There are no plans to replace the model.
The sports car maker’s facilities in Gaydon, Warwickshire, which opened in 2003, will now be the sole plant to manufacture the V8 Vantage coupe and Roadster and the DB9 coupe and Volante models. These will soon be joined by the eagerly anticipated DBS, which starred in the recent James Bond film.
Aston Martin will retain a presence in Newport Pagnell through its Works Service Department, which offers servicing, restoration and enhancement of Aston Martin automobiles.
“Although we say farewell to the buildings it is the spirit of the people and the cars themselves that will live,” said Kingsley Riding-Felce, Aston Martin’s Director of Works Service.
The Works Service sees more than 2000 current and historic cars through its doors annually.
The closure of the Newport Pagnell plant follows the sports car manufacturer's sale in June to a consortium led by David Richards, ending almost twenty years as part of Ford Motor Company’s Premier Automotive Group.
