Collectors & Aficionados
Unforgettable Car Geniuses: David Brown
David Brown turned a childhood passion for cars into a legendary career, transforming Aston Martin into a British icon of luxury and performance. His vision, courage, and love for engineering defined a golden era in motorsport and design.
The term “bricolage” refers to DIY projects done at home for fun or as a hobby. But when such a passion grows within a family ruled by strict discipline and rigor, with a father who forces you to work in the family business every Sunday and during holidays — even as a teenager — then bricolage can transform into the destiny of a successful life.
Young David Brown, born in 1904 into a wealthy English family that owned a gear manufacturing company, had a passion for automobiles. His father had no interest in cars and didn’t even hold a driver’s license. Luckily, his mother did. But the real stroke of luck was that the company had the technical support of engineer Frederick Tasker Burgess, a designer of race engines like the Bentley 3-litre, who nurtured David’s passion and even taught him to drive.
