Aston Martin to use Silverstone’s Stowe Circuit for high-speed testing

Aston Martin has secured the rights to use Silverstone’s Stowe Circuit for high-speed testing and chassis development of its future models.

The British marque will have a permanent presence at the 1.08-mile track, which has eight corners and is located within the Grand Prix circuit’s infield on the opposite side of Silverstone’s Hangar Straight to Porsche’s Experience Centre.

Aston Martin’s vehicle attribute engineering boss, Matt Becker, said: “Every true performance car company needs a reference circuit and I can think of none more suitable than Silverstone. It is the perfect location to develop the next generation of Aston Martins.”

Autocar understands that Aston Martin could also use the circuit for customer events. Stowe will provide Aston Martin with its second permanent circuit location after the Nürburgring Performance Centre. The company's development teams also regularly use the MIRA Proving Ground in Warwickshire.

Silverstone boss Stuart Pringle said that automotive development centres like this "have always been a part of Silverstone's diversification plans". He said that Silverstone, which is the home of the British Grand Prix, and Aston Martin "have such a rich British motorsport heritage".

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"I look forward to working closely with the team at Aston Martin to build on our relationship and ensure the partnership helps deliver on key business objectives for both parties."

The addition of Stowe Circuit comes at a time Aston Martin is enhancing the performance of its entire range. Its next car, the DBS Superleggera, will illustrate the shift with a V12 powerplant producing an anticipated 700bhp. Aston Martin is also due to launch a new, mid-engined supercar that’ll adopt the Vanquish name in 2021.

The Gaydon-based company has grown its global footprint to include 10 locations with the addition of a new London office, which will be used for meetings and events. A new factory in St Athan, Wales is also set to open fully next year, helping to drive employment numbers across all of its sites up to around 5000 people by 2022.

“The company is now investing for growth across the Aston Martin and Lagonda brands,” said company boss Andy Palmer. “We are currently one of the largest automotive recruiters in the UK, investing approximately 10% of the total automotive investments in the UK, creating exciting new opportunities across engineering, design, manufacturing and commercial operations.”

Last year, Aston Martin’s sales reached a nine-year high, something Palmer said was evidence that the brand’s financial turnaround was complete. Profit totalled £87 million in 2017 - £250 million more than the £163 million loss the brand achieved in 2016. The launches of the new Vantage, V8 DB11 and upcoming DBS Superleggera are expected to maintain the progress.