Editing Aston Martin (section)

=== 1975–1981: Sprague and Curtis ===
The receiver sold the business in April 1975 for £1.05&nbsp;million to North American businessman Peter Sprague of [[National Semiconductor#The transformation of National Semiconductor|National Semiconductor]], Toronto hotelier George Minden,<ref name=Car197809>{{cite journal |first=Mel |last=Nicols |title=The Aston Miracle |journal=Car Magazine |pages=35–362 |date=September 1978}}</ref> and Jeremy Turner, a London businessman,<ref>Aston Martin bid final, consortium says. ''The Times'', Friday, 4 April 1975; p. 19; issue 59361.</ref> who insisted to reporters that Aston Martin remained a British controlled business. Sprague later claimed he had fallen in love with the factory, not the cars, the workforce's craftsmanship dedication and intelligence. At this point, he and Minden had brought in investor Alan Curtis, a British office property developer, together with George Flather, a retired Sheffield [[steel magnate]].<ref name=TT60284>Lagonda sets out on a new course. ''The Times'', Monday, 24 April 1978; p. 18; issue 60284.</ref>

Six months later, in September 1975, the factory – shut down the previous December – re-opened under its new owner as Aston Martin Lagonda Limited with 100 employees, and planned to lift staff to 250 by the end of 1975.<ref name=TT59502/> In January 1976, AML revealed that it now held orders for 150 cars for the US, 100 for other markets and another 80 from a Japanese importing agency.<ref>Aston Martin Revival. ''The Times'', Saturday, 10 January 1976; p. 17; issue 59598.</ref> At the [[Geneva Motor Show]], Fred Hartley, managing director and sales director for 13 years before that, announced he had resigned over "differences in marketing policy".<ref>On the Move. ''The Times'', Wednesday, 16 March 1977; p. 21; issue 59953.</ref>

The new owners pushed Aston Martin into modernising its line, introducing the [[Aston Martin V8 Vantage (1977)|V8 Vantage]] in 1977, the convertible [[Aston Martin V8|Volante]] in 1978, and the one-off [[Aston Martin Bulldog|Bulldog]] styled by [[William Towns]] in 1980. Towns also styled the futuristic new [[Aston Martin Lagonda|Lagonda]] saloon, based on the V8 model.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.hagertyinsurance.co.uk/price-guide/1980-Aston_Martin-Lagonda |title=1980 Aston Martin Lagonda |publisher=Hagerty Insurance |access-date=6 December 2018}}</ref>

Curtis, who had a 42% stake in Aston Martin,<ref>Consortium puts in its bid for MG. ''The Times'', Friday, 25 January 1980; p. 17; issue 60533.</ref> also brought about a change in direction from the usual customers who were Aston Martin fans, to successful young married businessmen. Prices had been increased by 25%.<ref name=TT60284/> There was speculation that AML was about to buy Italian automobile manufacturer [[Lamborghini]].<ref>August car sales may hit peak. ''The Times'', Friday, 18 August 1978; p. 16; issue 60383.</ref> At the end of the 1970s, there was widespread debate about running MG into the Aston Martin consortium. 85 Conservative MPs formed themselves into a pressure group to get British Leyland to release their grip and hand it over.<ref>Sell MG to Aston Martin, MPs say. ''The Times'', Tuesday, 27 November 1979; p. 16; issue 60485.</ref> CH Industrials plc (car components) bought a 10% share in AML. But in July 1980, blaming a recession, AML cut back their workforce of 450 by more than 20%, making those people redundant.<ref>''The Times'', Tuesday, 1 July 1980; p. 17; issue 60665.</ref>