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On the trail of the Aston Martin racer who helped change WWII

Arguably one of the most crucial operations of the second World War, Operation Mincemeat was a British disinformation mission responsible for misdirecting Axis forces towards Greece and Sardinia, and in turn, opening up the Italian island of Sicily. That led to the downfall of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini and opened up the soft underbelly of Hitler's Third Reich. While we won't go into all the details of Operation Mincemeat (it really is worth studying, though), an integral aspect required the transport of a dead body from Hackney, London, 400 miles north to Holy Loch, Scotland as quickly as possible. The corpse, which was disguised as a major in the Royal Marines and loaded with faux sensitive documents pointing to a landing in Greece, needed to be appropriately fresh. That's where Aston Martin racing driver turned MI5 operative Jock Horsfall came into play. The body was loaded into Horsfall's customized 1937 Fordson van, and hustled north. For the rest of the story, you'll need to take a look at Xcar's recapping of Horsfall's fateful journey while at the helm of an Aston Martin Vanquish Volante, the far more civilized successor to the English legend's black 2 Litre Speed.

Aston Martin creates custom Vanquish series in smooth carbon

In a demonstration of just how extensively it can cater its vehicles to the customer's specific tastes, Aston Martin has done up a special series of Vanquishes at the request of an individual customer. Carried out through the Q by Aston Martin customization service, the Vanquish "One of Seven" edition is distinguished by its unique carbon-fiber bodywork. The order required Aston to develop a new manufacturing process to weave the fibers in multiple layers for a perfectly smooth finish. The resulting exposed carbon bodywork is complimented by satin black trim, custom diamond-quilted seats, and machined carbon logos, for a complete Darth Vader, murdered-out look. As the name suggests, only seven examples will be made, with the first delivered to one Markus Storck, head of high-end bicycle manufacturer Storck Bikes. The remaining examples will be delivered to "six fellow sports car aficionados." Related Video: Q BY ASTON MARTIN CREATES A UNIQUE VANQUISH COLLECTION - Seven bespoke sports cars commissioned by collector - Carbon fibre-themed personalisation pushes manufacturing boundaries - Painstaking process to design, engineer and build the luxury models 1 June, 2015, Gaydon: The Q by Aston Martin bespoke personalisation service is celebrating the fulfilment of a longstanding ambition for sports car enthusiast and businessman Markus Storck. Dr Matthew Bennett, General Manager of VIP sales and Q by Aston Martin personalisation service, delivered the first of seven uniquely built Vanquish Coupes to the German collector at an event held at the luxury marque's headquarters in Gaydon. Mr Storck, founder and head of German hi-tech bicycle manufacturer Storck Bikes, commissioned the Q by Aston Martin team to develop the special 'One of Seven' Vanquish sports cars for himself, and six fellow sports car aficionados. Boasting a broad array of bespoke features including an exclusive exterior finish that sees multiple layers of carbon fibre cleverly interwoven to a perfectly smooth finish – a result that required Aston Martin to develop an entirely new addition to its manufacturing process – the seven Vanquish are sure to become collectors' items in years to come. Matthew Bennett said: "The process of creating these sports cars has been typical of what Q by Aston Martin can deliver.

Aston Martin names new CFO

Aston Martin is on the verge of a resurgence, instituting (among a great many other things) new top leadership, and that includes a new chief financial officer. Mark Wilson comes to Gaydon with a wealth of experience at British sports car manufacturers, having previously worked for Lotus and McLaren. His most recent posting, however, was as CFO and COO at renewable energy insurer G-Cube Underwriting. He'll take up his new job as Chief Financial Officer (and his place on the executive board) at Aston Martin on June 8, reporting directly to Andy Palmer, who in turn took up his job as CEO just this past September. Considering Aston was recently injected with an influx of cash, hiring a new money man was probably prudent. But hiring new top personnel, of course, isn't the only change Aston is making. It's got a new platform in the works, a new engine under development with Mercedes-AMG and a raft of new projects in the pipeline. That includes the replacement of every one of its models by the end of the decade and the addition of as many as three new model lines – particularly the DBX crossover that could be the first new Aston built in America. ASTON MARTIN NAMES MARK WILSON AS NEW CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER 14 May 2015, Gaydon: Aston Martin today announces the appointment of Mark Wilson as Chief Financial Officer. Joining the business on Monday 8 June, Wilson, will report directly to Aston Martin CEO Dr Andy Palmer and take a place on the Executive Board at the company's global HQ in Gaydon, Warwickshire. With a strong track record of senior automotive experience already accrued with McLaren Automotive and Lotus Cars Ltd, Wilson joins the luxury British sports car maker from renewable energy insurer G-Cube Underwriting where he held the post of Chief Financial and Operating Officer. Welcoming Wilson to the team, Dr Palmer said: "Mark joins us at what is, undeniably, an extremely exciting time for Aston Martin. We are currently implementing the largest investment plan in our history which will see a total remake of our product portfolio. By the end of the decade, not only will our current line-up have been replaced entirely, we will have added up to three extra model lines and entered new market segments.