Aston Martin hunts for its first ever car
Aston Martin is on a mission to find a “priceless piece” of its earliest history. The A1 was the first ever car built by Bamford & Martin Ltd before the company was renamed to Aston Martin. The Coal Scuttle as it was nicknamed was renowned for its simple styling that for many, resembled a fuel container that was common in British homes at the time.
The car was built in the summer of 1914 and over the course of the next decade, it helped the company founders in publicising their business. Unfortunately, Aston Martin sold the iconic car for the princely sum of £50 in 1924 and it wouldn’t be long before the car disappeared.
Now, 110 years later and a century after its sale, the Aston Martin Heritage Trust (AMHT) hopes to find it again. It has announced a global hunt for the “priceless missing piece of the brand’s history.”
Ahead of the Trust’s annual festival at the British Motor Museum in Gaydon, it is asking enthusiasts around the world to “check their garages, outhouses, barns and stores for any potential traces of the missing car.”
“We are very fortunate here at the AMHT to have the oldest known Aston Martin in existence, now known as A3, along with extensive records from the earliest days of the company and priceless artefacts from across the history of the brand, but, to date, ‘Coal Scuttle’ has eluded us,” Trust Treasurer, Garry Taylor, said.
Built in 1914 by a small team of engineers led by Aston Martin founders Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford, the car was aspiring to rival Bugatti. The outbreak of war halted its development but Martin was still able to register it as an Aston Martin on the 16th of March 1915. The car was tested and developed throughout the 1920s, even racing at Brooklands, and driving all over the UK including a stop at Loch Awe in Scotland for a salmon fishing trip.
Anyone who thinks they can shed more light on the whereabouts, or fate, of ‘Coal Scuttle’ is asked to contact that AMHT via its website where tickets and further information about the 2024 AMHT Festival is also available.
