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There have been more dramatic concept cars this year, but in terms of on-sale models, the Aston Martin DB9 is, for now, the ultimate. It's made by a new-look company operating to a higher than ever standard and with an entirely different set of rules. In the past, the firm was well aware it had the name, the image, the romance and the pedigree, but sadly it was lacking in production facilities, personnel or product line-up. In a nutshell, it was a little bit naive and definitely lacking in experience and expertise.

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By Mike Rutherford

24th March 2004

But now it's a different story. The Aston Martin that used to be a quaint, Newport Pagnell-based cottage industry is now a proper, international supercar manufacturer operating out of one of the most extraordinary complexes in Britain - if not the world.

Arrive at Aston's new home in Gaydon, Warwickshire and the first thing that hits you is that this company, unlike Ferrari and Porsche, is not alone. It's flanked by sister companies Jaguar and Land Rover, and there's a feeling that it's awash with money.

The gravel drive that leads up to the main Aston administrative block is, very deliberately, like a modern English castle made from local stone. You have to cross a moat to enter the building, which looks open plan but is, in fact, impenetrable - unless you have a state-of-the-art electronic tag which allows the workforce to move about the facility and even pay for meals, snacks and strictly non-alcoholic drinks in the staff restaurant.

Amazingly, this is the 'plant' where Aston employees (somehow factory workers seems an inappropriate description) will quietly build 2,200 DB9s over the next 12 months. And I mean quietly. I've seen everything from family cars to supercars being built and it's usually a noisy, untidy business. But at Aston's Gaydon facility, it's eerily quiet. There's only one, very lonely robot - and all it does is near silent adhesive work.

When I dared to ask how much the building and expanded workforce collectively cost I was politely told by a smiling, but deadly serious director - stolen at great expense by Aston from Ferrari - that his new employer considers it vulgar to discuss such financial matters, although he did eagerly reveal that if I or anyone else fancies a DB9, it'll cost an unvulgar ΂£103,000 or ΂£108,000 for the convertible version due later this year. And talking of dare to be different directors running the new-look Aston show, Dr Ulrich Bez, ex-Porsche, is about as enthusiastic and hands on as they come. This guy is one of the daddies of the Porsche 911. Now you know why the DB9 is so good and why next year's 911-bashing baby Aston will almost certainly be world class too.

But in the end, does it matter that a car firm has got such a special new home? In my opinion, absolutely. The building reflects the quality of the car. The better the environment, the happier the workforce and the higher the product quality. And I believe it's working. On the day I took my test drive, I saw potential customers walking around the impressive building and then queuing up to place firm orders and discuss bespoke specifications.