Hersham and Walton Motors

Hersham and Walton Motors (HWM) is the world's longest established Aston Martin business, having acquired the franchise in 1951.

Together, they moved the business into a building based on New Zealand Avenue in Walton on Thames which was previously used by Vickers during the war as part of their aircraft construction facility.

Over HWM's seven-year life as a racing car manufacturer less than two dozen were built, but some 70 per cent of the entire production survives today.

There is a remarkable list of drivers that raced for the team including Duncan Hamilton, Peter Collins, Harry Schell, Lance Macklin and Paul Frère.

[citation needed] The HWM's four-cylinder Alta engine lacked the power of most of its rivals, but its all-independent chassis handled well, and Stirling's budding genius exploited it to the full.

He finished third at Reims behind Ascari's Ferrari and Simon's Gordini, and, unbelievably, third in the F1 race at Bari behind the 159 Alfas of Farina and Fangio.

And the third ended up in Hollywood, starring in a movie with Kirk Douglas, before gaining a Chevrolet V8 engine and going on to a second racing career on the USA's West Coast as the Stovebolt Special.

[citation needed] From 1950 to 1952, HWM achieved remarkable success in Formula Two for a team that was run on very little money and yet which faced the might of continental marques in every race.

From then on until 1957, the team was involved in sports car racing both in Britain and on the continent, sometimes beating their Jaguar and Aston Martin Works competitors.

He had previously been the global sales manager for Aston Martin at their Feltham facility five miles away from the Walton dealership.

George had been running the business on his own since the death of John Heath but was keeping an eye out for a suitable partner.

Eventually when George retired, Mike took ownership of the whole of the HWM business and continued at the helm, later joined by his son Andrew, through the rest of his life.