It what can only be classed as good news for all involved, it’s come to MotorMartin’s attention that the Aston Martin Lagonda (AML) Vehicle Dynamics team has been handed the keys to their new home at Silverstone – The Home of British Motor Racing. Based alongside Silverstone’s Stowe Circuit, Aston Martin Silverstone will provide a permanent base for the British luxury carmaker’s test and development programmes, when it becomes fully operational in December.
With such a busy time over at Aston at the moment, what with Aston Martin launching a completely new car every year plus multiple special editions, the Vehicle Dynamics experts have a busy programme of prototype vehicle testing and have chosen Silverstone because of it’s varying circuits and dynamic handling areas which, they say, are ideal for working on chassis dynamics and high-speed handling development.
Aston Martin’s Chief Engineer – Vehicle Engineering, Matt Becker shared with MotorMartin recently that: “The new base at Silverstone will provide us with a reference circuit upon which to develop the next generation of Aston Martins. Silverstone is a fantastic place for us to practice the dark art of vehicle dynamics, the fine tuning that takes place to turn a good car into a great car. Our talented team of engineers and our high performance test drivers now have a racing circuit right outside the door.”
Aston Martin have explained to MotorMartin that they intend to use Silverstone’s Stowe circuit to develop future exciting Aston Martins including the, Rapide E, the marques first SUV, future mid-engined sports cars and Lagonda’s to name but a few.
At the moment, Aston’s development team carries out ride tuning work in the UK and then travels to circuits across Europe to evaluate the high speed ride, handling and steering. Most of Aston Martin’s stability control (ESP) development is done on a test track in Europe so the new UK base will be a real advantage.
Silverstone will also be used for performance benchmarking, durability testing and will be the home of Powertrain Systems Development. The Silverstone centre will ensure that every new Aston Martin is honed to perfection.
Where will you go?