Breaking In Aston Martin’s New St. Athan Factory

Three of Aston Martin’s top drivers have some fun before production starts.

This entertaining video from Aston Martin shows Aston Martin racing drivers Nicki Thiim and Darren Turner, joined by chief engineer Matt Becker, taking a trip down memory lane. In the video, they take turns driving historical models from the company’s history to celebrate Aston Martin’s new factory in St. Athan, Wales.

Twenty-eight models in total make an appearance in the video, valued at over $85 million. Before production starts, our three heroes decide to “break in” to the facility. They proceed in glorious fashion behind the wheel of the finest classic and modern Aston Martins. In the process, we are treated to an excellent tour of Aston Martin’s new home.

The video starts with three historic Vantage models sliding around inside the three empty hangers that make up the new facility. Whose job it will be to clean up those tire marks before all of the equipment is moved in? It’s worth sticking around for the ending.

Other highlights include James Bond’s new DB11 and a Vulcan drifting around a Cygnet, as well as Nicki, Darren, and Matt stuffing themselves into a Rapide for even more tire-shredding action. The Aston brand has produced some legendary models in their time, perhaps barring said Cygnet. We can expect even more excellence from this beautiful new facility.

Cameron VanDerHorst

Cam VanDerHorst has been a contributor to Internet Brands' Auto Group sites for over three years, with his byline appearing on Ford Truck Enthusiasts, Corvette Forum, JK Forum, and Harley-Davidson Forums, among others. In that time, he's also contributed to Autoweek, The Drive, and Scale Auto Magazine.
He bought his first car at age 14 -- a 1978 Ford Mustang II -- and since then he’s amassed an impressive and diverse collection of cars, trucks, and motorcycles, including a 1996 Ford Mustang SVT Mystic Cobra (#683) and a classic air-cooled Porsche 911.
In addition to writing about cars and wrenching on them in his spare time, he enjoys playing music (drums and ukulele), building model cars, and tending to his chickens.
You can follow Cam, his cars, his bikes, and his chickens at @camvanderhorst on Instagram.

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