Factory tour on repeat, but not the same

Posted on October 19, 2017 by nickytoo

No matter how much I like factory tours and which companies I visit, Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd. in Gaydon will probably always be my favourite.
Enter factory visit number four.

One of the reasons this doesn’t get old is that each tour is different. This time we met up with Steve, who showed us around twice before and Sam, who is an apprentice. It must have been our lucky day, because the group consisted of only five people. Out of these only one had not been to the factory before. And that shifts the focus of the tour entirely.

Two of the cars in the reception area.
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The usual programme starts with a drink in the atrium, followed by a quick overview of the company’s history and then the factory tour which typically takes up 60 to 90 minutes. This time we started the tour a little bit late, because Steve and Sam gave us some insight into their respective careers. Steve has been with the company for quite some time now and Sam is one of the many apprentices. It was very interesting to hear how progressing in a career has changed through time, but also to get further details on how the apprenticeships work – something Aston Martin is quite keen on.

We also spent more time than normal at the heritage line. The boards on the wall have now been replaced by new ones, allowing space for the latest developments like the DB11 and Valkyrie.
The cars on display in the line were all familiar to me, but still a very welcome sight. As one of the guests in our group has a keen interest in classic cars some interesting views were shared about classic cars, but also how the Aston Martin brand has survived where other car manufacturers have not.

The heritage time line
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The ‘brand’ Aston Martin is something fairly new and possibly alien to the public. Of course AML is a car manufacturer, but it has been branching out for some time now and should now really be seen as a luxury brand. In case you are not familiar with this: you can now buy an Aston Martin powerboat, a submersible, a pram, clothes, travel accessories and much more. Actually, it has already gone as far as luxury condos!

Even though we were at the factory only eight months ago, some things had changed a little. It’s quite visible that Aston Martin is a company which is moving quite quickly at the moment. For one, this was the first time we had trouble finding a parking space!
As an enthusiast it’s great to see it so busy and that so much is going on. It’s quite evident from the various Aston related social media accounts as well.

Aston Martin DB11 Volante
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During the time we spent in the factory we had the luxury of discussing some current developments. On my car related social media I have not yet spoken out about the news regarding Aston Martin, Red Bull and F1. If we are to believe the media Aston Martin will be developing an engine to be used by Red Bull’s F1 team. Judging by the timeframe alone that would seem unlikely, but you’d also have to consider the amount of money that would require. In addition I have to admit that I find F1 a bit of a beast. If things go well in F1 world the fame is quite far reaching. However, if it doesn’t go well, who knows what damage will be done?

As such, the entire development worries me a little and I found out that I’m by no means the only one. Of course I’m fully aware there’s only so much the public can possibly be told, but it’s to Steve’s credit that he tried to put things a bit into perspective and reduce the concerns expressed by one of the other guests and me. I think it’s sufficient to say that we should certainly keep in mind that media have not changed; you cannot take what’s printed for gospel. And somehow it is comforting to be told to ‘just trust us’. Actually, I have no issues with that at all, because in recent years it has become apparent we (the Aston Martin fans/enthusiasts) can trust the people within the company to do the right thing.

One of the new developments this year is the AMR brand.
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It may sometimes seem difficult to understand what’s going on or where they are going (yes, I did raise my eyebrows the first time I heard about Miami), but it seems to be working out for the better.
Like everyone else I will have to wait and see what comes next, but it is very clear that a lot of exciting new things will be coming our way. And I’ll be coming back for another factory tour to see it happen (a little) with my own eyes.

Old and new at Morgan

Posted on June 9, 2017 by nickytoo

Visiting car manufacturers is rapidly becoming a new hobby.
Initially I expected to see the same thing over and over, but nothing is further from the truth. At Audi I saw a lot of robots and automated systems at a vast location with thousands of people. In contrast, Lotus, Bentley and Aston Martin prefer the human approach; a lot is done by hand. Their factories are also quite small in comparison.
At Morgan it’s like going back in time. And it’s great.

A Morgan three wheeler at the museum
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Either before or after the factory tour you can visit the museum. As I was early I went there first to see the vast amount of information on display. There are a number of cars, all either significant or just plain gorgeous, and a lot of smaller items. It’s not a very big museum, but it’s filled to the brim with Morgan related stuff.

The factory tour takes you through the entire company minus the paint shop. A very nice difference is that at Morgan they encourage you to take photos throughout. This allowed me to update the social media channels that go with this blog while the tour was ongoing. A very rare treat indeed.

Martin Webb, Morgan’s archivist, was our tour guide. Considering his role I expected him to have a lot of knowledge of the company and I was not disappointed.
For example: he told the group that the company was founded in 1909 by Henry Morgan and it has been in its current location for 103 years.

The creation of the wooden frames.
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Currently Morgan has four models and each is built differently. The tour took us through each area so we could see the chassis being built up to a complete car. The aluminium panels are laser cut by another company, but other than that everything is done by hand. You will not find an assembly line or a robot in this place!

And while I’m at it, let me set the record straight. Apparently a lot of people think the chassis is made of wood. This is incorrect. The frame is made of wood – ash, to be exact.

Despite the fact building a Morgan is a very manual thing, modern techniques are used. For example: there are old fashioned methods being used to change several layers of quite flexible ash to one very sturdy part of the frame. However, they also use a modern method of putting wood panels which need to be moulded and/or glued together in a big bag and then sucking the air out (see below).

A modern method in old fashioned surroundings.
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Needless to say the roof and interior of the cars is also made by hand. While walking through the trim shop you get to see the various materials and their colours. Martin enlightened us with a story of a customer who wanted a pink car with a pink roof. Unsurprisingly it’s not most people’s first choice, but it does illustrate you can choose things which are normally not on offer.

After the trim shop the last work is done on the cars before they go to the inspection area.
After that we got treated to a quick look in the workshop of the three wheelers. Obviously Morgans stand out between other modern/new cars, but the three wheelers are a world onto their own. A car with three wheels and a motor engine on the outside (up front) – so confusing you can choose to use it as a car (wear your seatbelt!) or a trike of sorts (wear a helmet, but not your seatbelt).
I’m not quite sure what I would do, but I have to admit that they look like a lot of fun. I certainly wouldn’t mind driving one just to see what it is like.

The bays in the inspection area.
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Morgan is one of the companies where you can easily get a factory tour. They are very proud to show around 30,000 per year – they do several tours per day.
Considering its lengthy history and the fascinating manufacturing method I would recommend this to anyone with an interest in cars. This tour was great fun and very insightful. I’d do this again in a heartbeat.

Aston Martin factory tour no. 3…but why?

Posted on February 26, 2017 by nickytoo

A few days ago I went to Gaydon for my third factory tour there. How much can you write about an experience you have just had for the third time? Not much.
So instead I decided to explore my fascination with Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd., because my love for the cars goes beyond just that. The company itself is of interest to me, which is why I have recently returned for another factory tour within a year after the previous visit.

Sometimes this discussion comes up: what is it about this company that keeps me interested and makes me want to visit it so often? Most people immediately assume it’s because ‘everyone loves an underdog’. Hold on! What is an underdog exactly? An underdog is a person or group of people with less power, money, etc. than the rest of society. Well, that is certainly not true for this company, is it?
I guess in the world of car manufacturers Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd. (also known as AML) is a very small company. It’s also widely known they have yet to make a profit.
However, I would argue that they have a considerable status in this world (equals power?) and it probably requires quite a lot of money to manufacture the expensive cars they create (so no profit, does not equal no money).

The atrium at Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd., Gaydon
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The main thing that got me hooked on this small car manufacturer is the fact they are such a commanding presence in the car world, despite being small and not being able to make a profit (yet!).
Here is a company which has survived 100 years, because people believe in it. Because they don’t want to see this brand disappear. Because they want to see these cars on the road.
It used to be quite normal for several people from the same families to work for Aston Martin, therefore providing generations of workers with a passion for Aston Martin. So it is apparently more than a company, a factory. It’s a family too.

They used to produce only small numbers of cars. They even sold cars under production price. From an economic perspective that is unheard of. And AML did almost go bankrupt a few times in its history. Almost.
Because every time there was someone who would buy it or put money into it, so it could keep on going.
These guys just don’t give up.
That is probably the short and narrow of it. They simply do not give up.

The ceiling of the DB11.
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The people who put money into this company are probably not sentimental fools like me. They want something in return…or so I assume. There must be more appeal than just the company’s fighting spirit. Well, there is.
I have not met many people who do not at least like Aston Martins (there are a few, believe it or not). There is something about the cars that makes heads turn. They are desirable.
Even if you can’t afford one, you want one.

I think the combination of style and detail is the cause of this. Aston Martin has stayed true to their heritage. You can clearly see the older models (specifically DB4 onwards) in the new ones. And yet they manage to move on into a new age. Due to some automation they are able to create more intricate designs in the interior (see photo above). The number of items you can specify on the DB11 is huge.

The Aston Martin Vulcan. Even this beast has lots of typical Aston Martin features, yet it looks nothing like the classic models.
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It’s this same combination of old and new that draws in the more romantic among us. Yes, there are machines in the factory. Yes, there are robots. But most is still done by hand, by human beings. The atmosphere in the factory is calm, despite the noise. The people are happily (because there are quite a few smiles) going about their work.
Despite the more modern way of working the factory churns out in a year what other car manufacturers produce in a day.

Let’s face it: if you see two equal products and one was mass produced and the other by hand, you’d instinctively have more faith in the handmade one.
And there is no equal to an Aston Martin.

Aston Martin DB11
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The factory in Gaydon is a great place to be. It is that simple.
You get to ‘play’ with the cars in the atrium, you get told about the history, you get to see these wonderful cars being built by people who love building them.
I’ve been three times now and I will go again, simply because I can’t get enough of it. And I want to see what this second century will bring.
There have already been reports of a big turnover boost and several new models in coming years. There will be a new factory in Wales and the list of vacancies in Gaydon is ever growing.
It seems AML is doing well. Hopefully we’ll see them make a profit one day.

Audi Forum, Ingolstadt

Posted on September 25, 2016 by nickytoo

Where other car manufacturers allow people to see the factory and don’t really offer much else, Audi offers a host of options: conference rooms, a restaurant, a museum, and the list goes on. Perhaps not so surprising when you consider that the entire Audi site at Ingolstadt is roughly 2,700,000 square metres.
There are train lines running through the site (yes, these are part of the national train infrastructure), they have their own clinic (including their own medical personnel) and their own fire brigade. There are several supermarkets on site. Again, not surprising, as Audi has approximately 43,000 employees in Ingolstadt alone. Ingolstadt is not their only production site, they have several around the world, but it is the main one: Audi HQ.

Up to now I have visited, in comparison, rather small car manufacturers (Lotus, Aston Martin and Bentley). Audi is a whole different ball game!
First of all, you have to take a bus to the bodyshop (did I mention the site is huge?). At the bodyshop the obvious happens: the car bodies are created, all done by robots. I only saw a few people there and they are mainly there to step in when the robots get stuck for any reason.
After the body shop it was back into the bus to go to the production line. The assembly of the cars is predominantly a human job. The line moves slowly on while several people at each station do their assigned tasks. And, as with previous factories, the employees do move from station to station – I don’t know how often.
Some things are done by robots there as well, like the removal of the doors at the start of the line and the assembly of the windows.

In the Audi Museum this contraption turns around very slowly, allowing visitors to get a good look at all the cars on it.
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The entire tour was two hours. And we had to walk rather fast.
I did find the whole tour very interesting, but, for example, we didn’t see any work on the interiors. So I do get the idea what we saw is a bit fragmented; we did not get the entire picture as I did get during tours I have been on before this one. Of course it does make sense. Because the site is so large and they churn out so many cars a day (approximately 1,500) it would simply take too long to let visitors see more than the bodyshop and the production line.
Perhaps surprisingly, they do manufacture the cars as they have been ordered. This means they do not produce so many cars of one model and then swap over to another model. They create several models at each site and these are created as ordered by the customer.

Part of the site is for suppliers. The suppliers provide parts required for the manufacturing of Audis and the suppliers are expected to provide these parts in the correct order – again, the order in which the cars have been ordered by the customer.
I would not expect a factory this big to produce in such a customised way, but they do.

The famous rings on an Audi 100 (1983).
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Even though it was interesting to see how a large manufacturer works, it does feel a bit impersonal. As stated before, the tour went fast which meant we didn’t have that much time to ask questions. And I really did miss the personal touch I experienced in all previous tours. The other tour guides had a passion for the company they work for and the cars it produces. They also knew a lot of the employees. With Audi that’s almost impossible, so there was virtually no interaction with any of the employees. And I didn’t detect any passion for Audi itself.
The fact that the line in the bodyshop had stopped here and there didn’t help, but that can of course happen. The robots themselves also make it a bit hard to see what’s actually going on and what is being built. I think that’s a pity, because it is definitely interesting to see.

Wanderer Puppchen (1914)
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The main purpose of my visit was the factory tour, but obviously I had to visit the Audi Museum as well.
I had read that it’s not a very big museum. It is in a round building and the exhibition is spread over three levels. The lower level is a temporary exhibition which changes regularly.
It is true, the museum is not very large, but I made the mistake of trying to see everything in the 90 minutes before the start of my factory tour. This meant I had to rush the ground floor (the oldest cars are on the third floor).
There is a lot of information available. Each car has an information card in German and English which gives the specs and its history. In addition there are timelines on the walls giving information on the company’s history, the history of cars in general and on the development of engines and race cars. If you’re interested there is an awful lot to take in.

The history of Audi is interesting anyway. It started with August Horch who made cars. He later lost his own company due to a legal dispute. He then started Audi.
During the depression of the 1930s four companies (Horch, Audi, DKW and Wanderer) formed Auto Union. The second world war almost saw the end of Auto Union, but not quite. And from Auto Union came Audi.
It would go too far to give a more detailed history in this post, but there is a lot more to it than that.

One of the race cars on display: Auto Union Type C/D from 1939. This is the only ‘Silver Arrows’ example on display at the museum which is preserved in its original form.
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Due to this history the museum has cars, bicycles and motorbikes from all brands: Horch, DKW, Wanderer, Auto Union and Audi. This makes the exhibit extremely varied and all the more interesting for any petrolhead.

Audi is quite well known for its racing heritage, and they’re still racing now. On display are several Auto Union race cars and a few Audi quattros. Audi’s history would simply not be complete without the quattros, now would it?
You don’t have to be a big Audi fan to be able to enjoy this museum. The history spans well over 100 years and due to the additional information on car history in general there is a lot to read and learn.

Audi’s current slogan is ‘Vorsprung durch Technik’ (leading through technique) and this shows through the entire exhibition. Many times in its history the company (in whatever form or under whatever name it was operating at the time) introduced technology ahead of its time, or so they claim.
As I don’t know a lot about other cars at the time, I can’t verify their claim is valid. But it has made me curious and interested to see how much of their technology was indeed cutting edge (or better) at the time it was presented to the world.

One thing is clear: Audi is very proud of its heritage. Considering the variety of cars, the beauty of them and the number of famous/significant cars, I can definitely see why.

The wonderful things at Prodrive

Posted on July 13, 2016 by nickytoo

Prodrive, the place where dreams come to life.
Well, that is true if you’re an Aston Martin Racing fan, or simply a petrolhead. Or an engineer. Because they do a lot more than ‘just’ run a few racing teams. But let me start at the beginning as I know it.

After a lengthy break from endurance racing Aston Martin returned to it in 2004. Being a bad fan and not looking into any detail at all, I was unaware they had formed a partnership with Prodrive. I had heard the name David Richards, but that was pretty much it.
Fast forward a few years (about 12) and I am a lot wiser, but still not wise enough. There’s only one remedy: a company tour. Today was that day.

Our hostess was the wonderfully opinionated Jackie Irwin who is well known with the people ‘in the know’. She’s been with the company quite some time, is a self professed petrolhead and she knows her stuff. She provided so many historic facts and so many details I would not be able to tell you all of them. What I do remember is that David Richards was a racing driver himself and that the company is now 32 years ~~old~~ young. It has been involved with a lot of different teams/drivers/cars and its history is littered with prizes, winning cars and champions (some very iconic).

Some of the iconic cars from Prodrive’s history.
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Next to the racing cars they are involved in racing boats, but also in creating technically advanced parts for the aerospace industry, several car brands, and even medical devices. The list seems endless.
Through the years this company really has spread its wings and it sounds like they are going from strength to strength.

Being a bit single-minded my reason for visiting was, of course, Aston Martin Racing. I was in luck, as the cars are still in Banbury. They are leaving for Germany this Sunday where they will race in the 6 hours of Nürburgring next Sunday.

The #98 receiving some TLC before she is sent on her way to Germany.
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The place is filled with Aston Martins!
The Aston Martin Racing cars are there, the AMR trucks are there and, even though several parts have already been sent ahead, quite a lot of Aston parts are still there, some packed and ready to go. There were also a few customer cars (like those of Beechdean) and new Astons waiting to be turned into race cars (GT3 and GT4).
And, a bonus, David Richards has a beautiful blue DB6 Volante which was also there.

I have wondered for some time now what it takes to turn a road car into a race car and the most obvious answer is: money. But it is great to see how much work Prodrive puts into this. So many parts are created there, lots of it by hand. Jackie also mentioned the passion the employees have. They are no strangers to working exceptionally long hours without complaint.

Like with the previous tours I went on, it would go too far to write up everything I have heard today. I am very happy that I now have a little bit of an understanding of what Prodrive does. I am very impressed with what I’ve heard and seen and will probably love those Aston Martin race cars a little bit more from now on.

Speaking of which, one Aston Martin race car graces Prodrive’s reception: the #009 which won Le Mans in her class in 2007 and 2008. And what a beauty she is.

The #009 Aston Martin, a class winner at Le Mans.
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In 11 days it’s race day once again. Being at a track is awesome and pit walks gets you closer to the drivers and a little bit closer to the cars. Being at Prodrive means you get to touch the cars.
And no matter how much we love the drivers (because we do!), the cars are the stars. After this tour I am just a little bit star (car) struck.

Aston Martin HQ, Gaydon

Posted on June 24, 2016 by nickytoo

It is a busy week for me. On Monday I was in Crewe, visiting Bentley Motors. Yesterday I was in Gaydon, having a second look at the Aston Martin factory.

It has been quite a few years since I was at Gaydon for a factory tour and there have been changes. The shop has recently been revamped. The cars on display at reception change every now and then. All were open, so we could lock ourselves in one of them and experience the feel and smell of a brand new Aston Martin. Trust me, there is nothing like it.

The cars on display at the start of the tour change as well. Those cars provide a vivid image to the company’s history displayed on large boards on the walls. When I visited previously there were three large boards. Now there are four and they have run out of wall space. I wonder how they are going to sort that out…

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This is not a real Vulcan, it’s a model. We couldn’t sit in that one then. Oh well…
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Going on two factory tours in one week gives me a great opportunity to compare, especially since both companies produce luxury cars. I have to admit I was surprised when I heard what a Bentley costs. And that’s coming from someone who is quite used to hearing large numbers – Aston Martins aren’t cheap!
A lot of things will be the same. It’s inevitable, because these companies do the same thing: they create cars.
You would expect the similarities between Bentley and Aston Martin to be bigger than between Lotus (which I visited last year) and Aston Martin. You may be surprised to hear that Lotus helped Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd. with part of their manufacturing process.

I mentioned in my post about Bentley Motors that they have four people assigned to one interior. This is similar to Aston Martin. I seem to recall there’s two people for one interior at AML, but that doesn’t really matter. What I found interesting is that in both cases a lot of manual work goes into it, but at Aston Martin it takes twice as long. From what I’ve seen there are more intricate designs to choose from at Aston Martin. Not trying to be mean, but at Bentley the designs of the seats, for example, seem a lot less complicated.

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Aston Martin Vanquish
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We got to see several models being built. Of course the DB11 is going into production and we saw a few of them along the way. There was even a Vanquish Zagato Coupe. What a treat!
If you have ever seen a documentary about Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd. you have probably heard of James, aka the James Bonder. Well, I’ve seen him! Unfortunately he was not busy at the time.
There was some discussion about ‘bonding’, though. Traditionally several parts of a car would be welded together. Now they are bonded, which is basically a technical term for glueing. Our host was quite right when he mentioned that psychologically that doesn’t sound right. He then proceeded to explain how much force is needed to turn an Aston Martin’s chassis one degree (back to front). It’s impressive…
I guess we have to conclude that glue has evolved beyond ‘sticky stuff’.

Aston Martin V8 Vantage S with the shop in the background.
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As always it’s great fun to walk past the production line and see these cars literally come together. There were some stunning cars in the inspection area. Some people are very lucky that they can order a brand new Aston Martin to their specification. I’ll just stick to my Master Plan and one day I’ll have a second hand (or third, fourth…keep counting) Aston Martin. It doesn’t matter. An Aston Martin is a life’s goal.
I think I’ll be at Gaydon for another factory tour before that happens, just to see what’s going on.

In search of the home of the Bentley Continental GT3

Posted on June 22, 2016 by nickytoo

Race cars are cool. At least, I think so. Motorsport is cool, especially GT racing. I can imagine some people find the rather large Aston Martins I love so much a strange choice for a race car. They are big and rather heavy. I never thought much of that…until I saw a Bentley Continental GT3.
Positively the biggest race (?) car I’ve ever seen and, oh, that sound! Every time my best friend and I now see a Bentley Continental on the public road we happily proclaim “They race them buggers!”. I have seen these big boys race a few times now and I’m still amazed at how they manage to go so fast (yes, they win!).
When I heard Bentley Motors opened their doors to the general public I was on the phone like a shot. Result: a fascinating factory tour.

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The tour starts at the gorgeous new showroom called CW1 House in Crewe. Several cars are on display and open so you can explore to your heart’s content. Of course the materials used for the cars are on display, so you can pick just the right colour for the exterior and matching leather for the interior. I would love to, but they are a little bit above my budget.
In a corner there is a display of some of the merchandise Bentley has on offer. Probably most people would get away with a key ring or a mug, because not everyone wants (or can afford) a GBP 4,500 bag, no matter how lovely they are.

Of course I am not drawn to handbags (ahem), but I was drawn to the gorgeous Bentley Speed 8 bearing the number 7 which is positioned next to the doors. This car was the Le Mans winner of 2003. Now I could give you lots and lots of details on this particular car and Bentley’s racing heritage, but that would result in an essay rather than a blog post. I can however show you the car.

For the factory tours they like to keep the groups small. I was one of only three guests, which means you get a lot of time to have a good look around and ask questions. Our host (I don’t dare call him ‘tour guide’; he is much more than that!) was Mr. Lee Grogan who has seen a lot of the company. He made his way to his current position via the production line and being chauffeur for SMT members and distinguished guests.
He seems to know everyone there and has a lot to say (which is a good thing on a factory tour).

After being transported to the factory itself we got to see the Lineage Exhibition and told about the company’s history. Considering Mr. W.O. Bentley was born in the late 19th century you can imagine this company has been around for a while. The Lineage Exhibition isn’t very large, but it is home to five classic Bentleys and a lot of memoribilia. The displays are often changed, because “some of our customers like to come back and we don’t want them to see the same things over and over”. Very considerate.

I love classic cars and was very happy we spent quite some time with the older models. The history is quite extensive and Mr. Grogan managed to sum it all up quite nicely. Throughout the tour I noticed he can tell a model from its badge, the tail lights or even the exhaust. Oh, and he seems to know every colour, even the ones that are specifically requested by customers and not to be used by others.

After the Lineage Exhibition we went onto the factory floor. Photography prohibited, for very obvious reasons.
I have been on other factory tours (only three, but still enough to compare) and, as was to be expected, some things are the same, others are different.
Compared to Lotus the line itself is run in a similar way. Every station has an certain amount of time in which to do the work. At Lotus the car moves on after this time, at Bentley the car moves to the next station very, very slowly. In both cases – and I would imagine at every car factory in the world – you can stop the line, but you don’t want to. Again, for obvious reasons.

We were shown how the cars are manually assembled. The doors take a different route: at the start they are removed from the car and sent on their own path. They are assembled separately and then reunited with the car later on.
Let’s compare again: at Aston Martin only a few people at any given time are working on one car’s interior. This is done to ensure constant quality and consistancy of the work. At Bentley that works the same way. They have four people assigned to one interior.
We spent some time looking at how a steering wheel is covered and stitched. We were shown the types of stitching available and in which colours.

There were several convertible cars on the production line and I asked if Bentley also creates hard-top convertibles. They don’t.
Why? They don’t want to limit the boot space and there is a chance the parts of the roof will not line up properly when closing it which may cause leakage. Fair enough.

The entire experience takes about two hours and 30 minutes. You may think that’s a long time. You may think that’s a bit boring, especially after having been on other factory tours. You’d be wrong.
Of course there are similarities, but each manufacturer will do things their way. Each will create things differently. Some buy parts from other companies, some create everything from scratch.
Most of all, every company has a different history.

I am not giving you Bentley’s history, because:
1. I really don’t want to end up writing an essay;
2. if you are curious, you should go on this factory tour yourself.
Bentleys may not be the car of choice for everyone, but they do have a story to tell and, most of all, they race them buggers!
And that was all it took for me.

A factory tour and some really cool race cars

Posted on May 17, 2015 by nickytoo

It is amazing how much you pick up when you’re a child. I was still in primary school when my mother was building plane and car models and, very uncharacteristically, fangirling over James Hunt. One of the cars she recreated on a smaller scale was one of the iconic Lotus F1 cars. It was black and gold and had big letters on it: JPS. And I loved it. Of course at that age I knew nothing about Lotus, I just thought the car was pretty. I also loved watching the races with my parents. The cars were going around the track time and time again in spectacular fashion and I got my first taste of pit stops, tyre changes, disputes between drivers and teams, on and off track rivalry and a lot of noise. This was all even before my dad explained to me how a cylinder worked, so no technical data yet.

Things you pick up and remember from that early on in life start leading a life of their own. They become part of you and for some reason have an emotional impact. So when I went to Autosport Inernational for the first time in January 2014 and saw the iconic black and gold cars up close for the first time I did almost cry. They are still the most beautiful F1 cars I have ever seen and I don’t expect that to change. And I expect that hardly anyone will argue they are not iconic.

I ended up talking to one of the people at the Classic Team Lotus stand and was told that it is possible to visit them and see their work and some of the cars. And that is exactly what I recently did.

In order to visit Classic Team Lotus you have to book a Lotus Cars factory tour. I booked mine via the Lotus Driving Academy. The additional tour of Classic Team Lotus is not always available, so if you’re interested make sure you check what is included in the tour!

So far I’ve been on two factory tours, both Aston Martin. Of course I was well aware that Aston Martin tend to make their cars a little bit different than other car manufacturers, so I did my best not to compare. It was surprisingly easy.
The group was relatively small, I think about 14 visitors in total. Our guide, called Guy (unfortunately I did not get his last name), works for the sales department. He has been with Lotus for 27 years and it’s easy to see what the reason might be. He has a passion for Lotus. And he knows his stuff!

He took us through the factory at a nice pace, all the while explaining about Lotus, its history, the future, the current models and the technical side of things. I thought it was all quite fascinating. For example, I never knew the current models’ body work is 100% glass fibre. Or that the engines are no longer made by Lotus; they are from Toyota. Or that the chassis is made of aluminium.
At each station on the assembly line there was a story to tell and we could see the cars come together. As luck would have it, a car was about to be tested on the ‘rolling road’, so we even got a taste of that before we saw the final checks and polishing.
Apparently they are doing well. Last year they built just over 2,000 cars and they want to increase that number to 2,500.

Photography is, understandably, not allowed in the factory, so you’ll have to take my word for it: it’s cool to see the Lotus cars being built.
But…I was mainly there to see the classic Lotus cars. Only four of us stayed behind and joined Guy on a trip through race car history.

For some reason I had the silly thought that at Classic Team Lotus they had a nice building with lots of old race cars on display. Eh…no. It’s a workshop.

That was not the only thing I was wrong about. They also do not have all or most of the race cars in their possession. After the season the cars were sold off, left behind or re-used for the next season. Some of the cars are family owned, but most of the cars on the premises are customer cars. The team simply helps the customers maintain these classic machines.
Another misconception is that Lotus only raced in F1. They raced in a few series. Something I never knew. Just like the fact that their original colours are yellow and green, not black and gold.
And the mother of all misconceptions: the Lotus F1 team stopped in 1994. The current F1 team only uses the name. Outside of that they have nothing to do with each other. Wow…

I’ve mentioned ‘family owned’. That family is called Chapman. Colin Chapman designed the cars and made Lotus a household name in racing between 1954 and 1994. If I were to write about him and all he has achieved this post would become far too long. If you want more information on the history of the race team, I suggest you go here.

Unfortunately we had too little time and too much history to cover to leave a lot of time for photography. As I said before, Classic Team Lotus is housed in a workshop and the cars are here, there and everywhere. They are most certainly not on display. Thankfully there was some room to maneuver around one VERY iconic Lotus race car: the one driven by Ayrton Senna.
I am very much aware that Lotus had a whole host of well-known drivers, but for some reason seeing this particular car did something to me. Of course it helps that it’s black and gold.

The story of the Lotus race team really is quite extensive and very interesting. The innovations of Colin Chapman were remarkable. I think I couldn’t do the man or the marque any justice by trying to sum it up in one blog post, so I won’t.
Throughout this post I’ve added clickable links. If you want to know more, just click them and have a good browse. You might just be amazed.

Aston Martin at Newport Pagnell

Posted on December 22, 2013 by nickytoo

They used to call it ‘sunny side’, for obvious reasons, even though there’s not much sun on this photo.
This was the old reception in front of the factory at Newport Pagnell, which is no more. All the cars you see on the photo (and there were more than I could fit on the photo!) were built there. Aston Martin Works is still there today together with the flagship dealership.
I was at the old factory on 19 May 2007. The very last Aston Martin to be built there was completed on 19 July 2007. When I returned for the 50th anniversary of the DB4, in June 2008, the old factory had been demolished.

For an Aston Martin enthusiast like myself a visit to the factory is, of course, absolute heaven. Not only did I get to see the entire process, it also attracted other Aston Martin enthusiasts who brought their cars: more Aston Martins!

The tour of the factory, where they were building the last Vanquish S cars, started in the panel shop. The panels arrived partly pre-formed and were finished by the panel beaters. Yes, beaters. They used to shape and perfect these panels by hand.

The next stage was body assembly. At this point it’s still hard to tell what you’re looking at, but this was basically where the basic part of the body was put together. At the end of this line there was, of course, another thorough check to make sure everything fitted together neatly and that everything was in its proper place.

A bit later on in the process, still in the hall where the body was assembled, it was a lot clearer what they were doing.

The main assembly line was divided into 15 stations, among which electrical, suspension, engine and transmission. This was also the point where the engine and transmission would be tested for the first time.

Attention to detail has always been a typical trait at Aston Martin. It’s therefore not really surprising that only two people worked on the stitching of a Vanquish S. This ensured consistency throughout the car. So, if you want to, find a Vanquish S and compare the stitches. Of course, no one would, but it’s nice to know, isn’t it?
The story goes that cows were specifically bred for Aston Martin in fields without barbed wire to ensure their skin didn’t get damaged in any way. I have no idea if that is true and I haven’t been able to verify it. Oh well, it’s a nice story, so why won’t we keep on passing that on?

The ‘end of the line’ was (and still is, at Gaydon) a very exciting business, I think.
This is where the Aston Martin gets thoroughly checked and tested. Only when it passes the test will it receive its wings. Remember, the car is not an Aston Martin until it has earned its wings!

Even after all that some cars didn’t escape yet another audit: the final vehicle audit.

Things have changed considerably and yet they haven’t.
I was lucky enough to also visit the factory at Gaydon. Unfortunately, but understandably, photography was not allowed there. However, I can tell you it’s bigger, it looks more streamlined and efficient, and more is done automatically. There will always be manual work, though, and the same amount of care goes into making the newer models. The interiors are still hand-stitched, the cars are still manually checked after every phase of manufacturing. And the cars still have to be 100% in order before they get their wings and become true Aston Martins…

A Girl Who Loves Cars

Category Archives: Factory tours