And if you feel the need to lie down after that, the good news is that, for at least a few decades, the clouds cleared and it became far easier to work out who owned the company. Bertelli left the company in 1937 but the Sutherland family held onto it through the Second World War until finally putting it up for sale in 1947.
Aston Martin was then bought by none other than David Brown (for £20,500) who added Lagonda a few months later for £52,500, and it would stay in his ownership until 1972. When I’m afraid things start to get murky all over again.
It was purchased by an organisation with the world’s least interesting name – Company Developments as you’re asking – headed by one William Willson who hung about long enough to call in the receivers at the end of 1974. It was saved by a consortium headed by, among others American Peter Sprague, Canadian George Minden and Briton Alan Curtis who saw out the decade before it became clear more money was needed. This came from Victor Gauntlett, of whom more in a minute.
A gradual handover was then effected, which left the company in the hands of Gauntlett’s Pace Petroleum and new investor CH Industries (CHI). Gauntlett’s Pace shares were then sold to Greek shipping tycoon Peter Livanos in 1983 who, with ship broker Nicholas Papanicolaou formed a company called Automotive Investments Incorporated (AII) but left Gauntlett running the show. AII then bought out CHI and Papanicolaou. In 1984 this left three quarters of Aston Martin owned by AII, the remainder by Gauntlett.