Warwickshire, England

Gaydon is home. But it’s not only the home of Aston Martin, it is a centre of excellence for world-class sports car design and engineering. Placed in the epicentre of motorsport activity in the UK, we’re able to enjoy a proliferation of experience and knowledge, assisting in the development of Aston Martin’s future road car technologies and our exciting new products. Gaydon is and will remain the home of Aston Martin, and the skilled craftsmen and women of this industry-leading facility will continue to deliver the very best British luxury sports cars for our customers worldwide.
Dr. Andy Palmer

The dramatic architecture of Aston Martin’s Gaydon home and the elegant materials used in its construction reflect the quality of the design and finish of the cars themselves.

Every car is painted by experts using the latest quality equipment and robotics. Achieving the award winning finish of an Aston Martin is one of the most labour intensive aspects of its production.

Unlike most car factories – where cars sit on a moving line and production is completed against the clock – building an Aston Martin takes place at a less frenetic pace. Approximately 200 man-hours are involved in building each Vanquish, DB9, Rapide S, V12 Vantage S and V8 Vantage. Cars are made in a series of work stations, where technicians hand-build the cars. Once work is completed at one station, the bodies are moved to the next station on the small indexed line: the key word is quality and we take our time to achieve it.

Although today’s Aston Martins are built in far greater numbers than their predecessors, Aston Martin remains a long way from being a mass-producer. Each car remains essentially hand built by craftsmen with decades of experience beneath their fingertips.

The design of an Aston Martin is integral to its appeal. Taking styling cues from the past, but reinterpreting them for the future forms the central theme of every new Aston Martin currently under development.

Accurate measuring of every chassis built at Gaydon ensures each car is built to within the smallest tolerance levels. Only by using precision measuring equipment can we ensure that every car will enjoy the same high standards of handling, road holding and refinement.

Aston Martin’s facility at Gaydon comprises an office space and adjoining production building. The office space is two floors high with two entrances, one for staff and visitors and the other for customers. Similarly there are two entrances to the site, one devoted entirely to individually invited customers. The building has been set in a gently undulating landscape emulating an English country estate – reflected in the stone of the reception elevation. Gaydon’s sweeping curves and lack of decoration suggest a company that is dynamic and contemporary.

The offices are immediately adjacent to the production building separated by the double-height ‘street’ which acts as an informal meeting area and a light well to the back of the deep, open-plan, office floor plates.

The production facility provides a clean, clutter free, modern environment where ease of communication is paramount and all members of staff, production and office, can work together. It has silver clad walls, a gently barrel-vaulted roof and a polished concrete floor slab containing the production lines in one large room.

CUSTOMER ATRIUM

All Aston Martin customers will be welcome at Gaydon. The elegantly simple atrium provides the perfect environment in which to choose colours, materials and final specifications of a new Aston Martin.

PAINT SHOP

The deep lustre of every Aston Martin takes up to 50 hours to achieve. Each car is meticulously painted by expert operators and the latest advancements in robotic technology. To ensure the perfect finish, all cars are polished back once lacquered and re-buffed to create class-leading mirror-like finishes.

Body-in-white

The advanced body construction procedure of the latest generation of Aston Martin models involves special bonding techniques which are carried out in the body-in-white area. This is home to one of few production robots in the entire plant.

CMM shop

Absolute precision in manufacture is a key element to the superb handling and refinement levels achieved by today’s Aston Martins. To ensure the tightest possible tolerances, chassis are checked on a state-of-the-art Co-ordinate Measuring Machine before final assembly.

Final assembly

Craftsmanship remains a vital element in an Aston Martin’s DNA. In the bright, open and clean assembly area, noise is kept to a minimum thanks to the lack of production robots. This allows our craftsmen to concentrate on building the finest cars to wear the Aston Martin badge.

Rectification area

One of the smallest areas in the new Gaydon plant is for vehicle rectification. At the end of the assembly procedure, each car is subject to a rigorously thorough inspection to ensure the highest possible quality standards have been achieved.

Staff training

Training is a critical part of the education of staff, suppliers and dealers at Aston Martin. Aston Martin’s Technical Academy is designed to hold briefings on new products and technology, train staff from around the globe and consistently develop the skillset of the workforce.