Aston Martin: Power, Beauty and Soul [Hardcover]

David Dowsey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 6, 2007

Aston Martin: Power, Beauty and Soul , uncovers the stories behind some of the world's most desirable motor cars. Each of the more than fifty models constructed since the 1987 Ford acquisition are featured, including concept cars, special edition models and never-seen-before bespoke orders. Each chapter details an individual model's fascinating history and development and includes accurate and comprehensive specifications. This book is also about the talented people behind the scenes who brought these magnificent vehicles to life; their stories are intertwined with those of the cars.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

A graduate of Melbourne University, motoring journalist David Dowsey initially came from a musical background. He has had a genuine and passionate interest in Aston Martins for many years after first coming into contact with the marque through the famous Corgi toys. His profession allows him to sample the latest and greatest motoring products, and as a long-time owner of an Aston Martin he is well-placed to present this comprehensive study of a vital period in the brand's history. This is his first book for The Images Publishing Group. A member of the Guild of Motoring Artists and Australian Automotive Artists, English-born Mike Harbar is passionate about cars and drawing them. He has drawn the lot, from AMR-1 to Zagato. Since moving to Australia in 2000 Mike has continued his work as a freelance car artist with thousands of customers worldwide, producing artwork for magazines, car specialists, club events, race teams, corporations and private enthusiasts. More of Mike Harbar's artwork can be viewed at www.car-artist.com. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 350 pages
• Publisher: Images Publishing Dist Ac (September 6, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0957875959
• ISBN-13: 978-0957875951
• Product Dimensions: 11.6 x 9.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,830,794 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

A graduate of Melbourne University, motoring journalist David Dowsey initially came from a musical background. His profession allows him to sample the latest and greatest motoring products and as a long-time owner of an Aston Martin he is well placed to present this comprehensive study of a vital period in the brand's history. He is also the author of A Le Mans Diary.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars End of an era ... start of a new one, March 6, 2008

By 

B. Elwood (San Jose, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Aston Martin: Power, Beauty and Soul (Hardcover)

This book chronicles all models produced from about 1986 to 2006, with the greatest focus on the hand crafted V-series cars of 1990-2000 (Virage and all its decedents). In many ways the book shows how the company has made the transition from a ultra-low volume maker of coach built cars into a maker of expensive semi-mass produced sports cars (like an English Ferrari). Personally I have mixed feelings about this transformation, but the book does a magnificent job paying homage to both eras.

Each chapter details one model, or one special run of cars. In some cases the "run" describes production quantities in single digits...in a few cases it even represents a single unique car. The book itself contains amazing photographers, and was obviously produced with great attention to detail and love of the cars/company.

One funny aspect of the book... Many places in the text "well known far east customer" is mentioned, but his name is never actually given. This is obviously the Sultan of Brunei. It is well known he was a major Aston Martin customer during this period, and commissioned many of the highly custom cars in the book. Since these cars are locked far away, this book is the only way to experience these works of art.

I only have one minor complaint. I really wish they included more photos inside of the Newport-Pagnell factory itself. Since this book chronicles the last chapter of hand-made cars, it would have been nice to see more details of this lost art.

Worth every penny.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must Buy for anyone interested in Aston Martin, November 22, 2007

By 

M. A. L. KANOO "Desertwind" (Abu Dhabi, UAE) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Aston Martin: Power, Beauty and Soul (Hardcover)

Very comprehensive of the modern cars. Including many, many one off and unique Astons AND Lagondas also.
An incredible resource.
Hence my "Must Buy" title as above.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars SpeedReaders.info review, December 28, 2011

By 

Speed Readers (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Aston Martin: Power, Beauty and Soul (Hardcover)

Unlike the mostly premium-priced Aston Martin cars, this refreshingly cheap Aston Martin book leaves the buyer with the distinct satisfaction of having received great value for money. The book is best approached as a model, not a company history, and even at that only the cars built under Ford ownership. There is absolutely no shortage of Aston books but this one has several features that set it apart. In no particular order: Mike Harbar's drawings, the inclusion of a number of the seldom seen one-offs (almost everything on that topic here is either new to the record or at least moved from prior obscurity to certainty), and also concept cars and prototypes.

The text is very engagingly written and contains many comments by the very people who actually worked on the cars. The focus is on design, construction, and performance aspects.

Find more detail at book review website www.speedreaders.info