Aston Martin marks 70-year bond with Newport Pagnell

The DB5 was one of a series of famous models to be previously manufactured in Newport Pagnell

Car maker Aston Martin has won a place "in the hearts and minds" of the town where it was based for 70 years, its company historian has said.

The luxury brand marked the anniversary of opening a factory in Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire, in 1955.

The company has manufactured some of its most iconic models at the site on Tickford Street and now restores, services and sells cars there.

Historian Steve Waddingham said the town had become "synonymous" with the firm.

Historian Steve Waddingham says the bulk of the firm's most famous cars have been built in Newport Pagnell

Owners around the world knew of the town, he said.

"[It is] a bit like when people send a letter to the King and just put 'King, Buckingham Palace' and hope for the best.

"Letters still come to Newport Pagnell."

The DB4 was one of the models to be produced in Buckinghamshire, shown here in the 1960s

The company consolidated in the town in 1955, moving from sites in West London and Yorkshire.

Famous models including the DB5 and DB6 were manufactured at the factory.

Sunnyside, a brick building the size of two semi-detached homes, was the company's worldwide headquarters until 2007, when manufacturing and head office functions moved to a new base in Gaydon, Warwickshire.

Aston Martin owners and engineers gathered to listen to current and former staff mark the site's 70th anniversary

The company, which recently warned of further financial losses, now employs about 100 people in Buckinghamshire restoring, servicing and selling cars.

On Saturday, about 150 Aston Martins from around the world were on show at an event to mark 70 years of operations in Newport Pagnell.

David Alderman has worked at the Newport Pagnell site for 35 years

David Alderman, a restoration specialist who works on older models, has worked at the Newport Pagnell site since 1990.

He said he had seen "massive change" in his time at the factory but he was "still learning and finding new ways of doing things today".

Relatives in America know the brand well, he said, and he believed working there was a "privilege".

"There is not a massive turnover of people so I've got a lot of good friends here," he added.

Roger James, from Leicestershire, says he loves Aston Martins because they have "quirks"

Roger James, 60, visited the Newport Pagnell factory in 1999 to view a V8 coupe with his father, John, who later passed the Pentland green car on to him for his 50th birthday.

He said Aston Martin was "the underdog - and that is what everyone loves".

"I wish they still produced cars here," he said, "but they couldn't make enough cars.

"You know all those fantastic ideas that came out [of here]."

A building known as Sunnyside was the global headquarters for Aston Martin from 1955 to 2007

Paul Spires, president of Aston Martin Works, described the site as a "hotbed of artisan skills that date back to the 1800s" and said the company's future in Newport Pagnell was "rock solid".