Description
Author: Dudley Gershon, Hardbound, 136 Pages, ISBN: 9780902280335, 1st Edition, 1975 - Second Hand book in perfect order !
Aston Martin 1963-72 has been written for motorists who are interested in the general detail and background behind the design, development and production of cars capable of sustaining the very highest road performance, combined with the greatest possible degree of road safety and comfort.
Dudley Gershon was Director of Engineering at Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd during its last decade of David Brown ownership, and was responsible, with his team, for the design and development of the Aston Martin D.B.S., D.B.S.V8, Lagonda, and for the later development of the D.B.6. types.
When one consider.s that some of these cars could exceed 160 mph safely and reliably in normal production four-seater production saloon form, and yet could be driven quite normally through a London traffic jam in sedate silence, it can be appreciated just how high a standard of engineering integrity is involved, and the author explains how this aspect was kept paramount.
The author has not confined the book to technical information, but goes into the background detail to discuss how and why decisions were made. In doing this he reveals a great deal of interesting material on policy making, the day to day activities of the factory, the development of the cars that did or did not make production, and the problem cars such as the Estate Cars, the D.B.6. Convertibles and the James Bond Cars. Essential to engineering decisions are design problems, safety aspects, styling trends and the various requirements of different countries, and these are also discussed.
From all this comes a personal history of a company whose high standards and ideals have made a considerable contribution to British engineering ; Dudley Gershon believed totally in these ideals, never compromising the quality and high-performance safety which was always synonymous with the Aston Martin Marque.
The Author was originally apprenticed at Riley (Coventry) Limited during their famous pre-Nuffield era, and developed then the keen interest in high-performance cars and motorcycles that has always influenced his career.
He was mobilised in 1939 and then remained in the Services, in Engineering and Management capacities, after the war until rejoining the motor industry in 1962 as Works Co-ordinator for the Henly Organisation.
In late 1963 he joined the David Brown Corporation as Service Manager of Aston Martin Lagonda Limited at Feltham and, after moving that department and re-establishing it at Newport Pagnell alongside the main factory, he became Assistant General Manager of the Company in 1965. He was appointed Director of Engineering in 1966, and he retained this post until becoming the Deputy Managing Director in 1971.
In early 1972 when Aston Martin Lagonda Limited was sold by the David Brown Corporation, he left the company and has since been in private practice as a Consulting Engineer, being retained mainly on projects by other high-performance car manufacturers.
