I have always been amazed that one man (David Brown) designed tractors AND Aston Martin fast cars.
Or am I confusing two different people?
No 
Ah, the English Electric Lightning. My father was a doctor in the RAF, and in my youth I used to see so many of those. The pilots used to like pointing them at at 90 degrees to the ground and flying straight up to 35,00 feet (or whatever). They made a hell of a racket with their two RR engines!
The plane was basically two engines mounted on top of each other, with short stubby wings, and a tiny cockpit at the front for the pilot. Not much style, but like a flying chisel.
A friend of my fatherâs, who was in overall charge of maintenance of the fleet, hated the Lightning. He thought that it was badly built and a b*gger to keep in an airworthy state.
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There is a common link. David Brown, the gears/engineering business was started by the grandfather of Sir David Brown, who ran that business and also started the tractor business and in the late 40s and 50s bought the Aston Martin, Lagonda and Tickford businesses and started the DB sports car line that continues to this day. The Astons of that era typically have the legend âDavid Brownâ in their badges above âAston Martinâ.
While I expect David Brown was a good businessman, the design of the sports cars was done by others, including Touring of Italy for the DB4/5/6.
Thank you, CJ. Kind of you to reply, with your interesting info.
Iâm not sure buying Aston Martin with the intention of making money marks you out as a good businessman. I remember reading a review of the Vantage (the proper old one) which mentioned that AM had never made a profit in its history. But perhaps he just bought it for fun
I did think twice before using those words knowing that this 110 year old company has produced a profit twice in that time. However he did do well with the tractors!
It is amazing how AML inspires such dedication from investors. I assume Sir David did expect to make money at some point but I think itâs Jay Leno who tells the story of a potential US buyer saying to Sir David that he didnât want to pay retail price for a car, he wanted to pay what Sir David paid. Which was ÂŁ1,000 higherâŚ.
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Had a cracking day at Duxford on Friday. They run a series of âFlying Daysâ over the summer, not full on âairshowsâ but they chuck a few things in the air to encourage a visit and nowadays they come with a theme. No charge for Members either, which is nice.
The theme this time was âThe Americansâ and on this occasion they had a pretty full on set list across about 2 1/2 hours with some added surprisesâŚBefore Duxfordâs own show the USAF put on a couple of fly bys with an Osprey and a MC-130 and then a brace of F-15s as posted in the Nice Photos thread. Duxford then put their own and some visiting stuff up, with pretty much the usual suspects.
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After that was finished I went to have a mooch around the statics only to hear what sounded like a hoover approaching at a rate of knots. Looked up to see the next surprise, a Vampire doing a naughty run across the airfield, parallel to the flight line but over our heads before circling and coming into land Although by then I was at the other end of the airfield and walking away so dropped my kit bag, reassembled camera, lens etc.
After that, went for a look in the American hanger only to hear another unfamiliar noise, turn around to see the Blenheim as posted above swooping across in front of the glass. Dashed out, dropped my kit bag etc.
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Then finally, finally, after packing my gear again and although sheâd been up earlier, Sallyâs crew took her out for another spin and gave us few stragglers what felt like a private show! Nice.
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Wow, I would have loved to have seen the Vampire in flight.
Richard
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Yes it was a first for me and a nice novelty. Seems to be one of a pair operating out of Norway and a Google search shows a few visits into Duxford and others over the years. Theyâre not unwilling to change the markings from time to time it seems.
One of the most interesting things was that Iâd not heard anything similar before, same as the Blenheim. Both were two new engine sounds to me, which Iâve come to figure is a big part of the experience when these things go past.
The Goblin really does sound like some kind of ghostly Hoover flying overhead. The Bristol Mercurys in the Blenheim sound amazingly sweet, very unexpected from what is, frankly, not a pretty plane. Youâd expect them to sound a lot more rufty tufty but I guess that indicates how underpowered these were at the time of need.
Watched a Vampire depart from Hurn many years ago. It took the top layer off a part of runway. Owners were not pleased.
I have a picture, somewhere, of my Mum sitting on the wing of a Vampire when she was in the RAF and 603 (City of Edinburgh Squadron) had Vampires in the early 50s based at Turnhouse. Must dig it out.
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Yep, that has been quite common. The exhaust is quite close to the ground, and pointing down. Brill.
learnt to drive in my dads - interesting swapping from a floor change mk2 fiesta with driving instructor to the col change renault- comfy car that leaned into corners in typical gallic fashion
Me, chatting with a couple of guys with the Norwegian vintage pair.
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A while back?
Yes, September 2011.