Despite last month’s rumors and the ensuing denials that Aston Martin is looking for a buyer, today’s reports have company chairman and Prodrive chief David Richards flat out denying the rumors.
Richards, speaking in an Autocar interview, said the speculations are a result of Aston’s talking to suppliers in an effort to secure a new engine contract, as the maker’s current one with Ford expires in 2012. “The company is not for sale,” he said. One of the parties Aston was in talks with included Mercedes-Benz , believed to be bidding for the British marque, but it now seems the two were discussing powerplant.
“We are talking to Mercedes, but then we are talking to Ford and we talk to everybody,†Richards said. Ford sold Aston Martin to a consortium lead by Richards and others last year.
The Aston Martin Vantage recently received a power boost courtesy of a new, bigger engine, and the company’s Vantage N24 took the top three positions in their class at last weekend’s 24-hour race at the famed Nurburgring track.
