Aston Martin was established on January 15, 1913, when Robert Bamford and Lionel Martin joined forces in London, creating the foundation for the marque that would later become Aston Martin Lagonda. That date carries Full Date 21/3, Day 15/6, Month 1, Year 14/5, Eastern Rat, Friendly Dragon and Monkey, Soulmate Ox, Enemy Horse. January 15 was still within the 1912 Chinese zodiac year, before Lunar New Year on February 6, 1913, confirming Rat.
The clearest discovery is that Rat years repeatedly coincide with Aston Martin reshaping its ownership, structure, or identity. In 1972, Aston Martin was sold to Company Developments after David Brown stepped down. In 2008, the company announced plans to revive Lagonda as a new luxury marque with a different character. In 2020, Aston Martin underwent another major reset as Lawrence Stroll and his consortium invested £500 million, Stroll became Executive Chairman, the business reorganized its leadership and costs, and production of the new DBX began.
The friendly side appears in the way Dragon years amplify Aston Martin’s public identity. In 1964, the DB5 became James Bond’s car in Goldfinger, creating a cultural association that outlived the original production run. Sixty years later, in 2024, Aston Martin marked the anniversary of that relationship with the DB12 Goldfinger Edition.
CUE: Aston Martin’s Rat identity is expressed through continual reinvention of the structure beneath the legend. The company repeatedly changes ownership, strategy, technology, or product direction without abandoning the identity that made the marque recognizable in the first place.
