Last Aston Martin Rolls off the Line at Historic Newport Pagnell Plant

It was a bittersweet moment in the storied history of Aston Martin on Friday when a limited-edition Vanquish S Ultimate Edition rolled off the line here. It signaled the end of 50 years of production at the Newport Pagnell plant, as Aston Martin shifts gears under new ownership.

The final vehicle — chassis number 502593 — will not be sold. Instead, it will be retained by the company as a historic vehicle. The final 50 Aston Martins built at Newport Pagnell were the Vanquish S Ultimate Edition, which costs the equivalent of about $375,000.

"Although the day was tinged with sadness, it was a celebration," said Kingsley Riding-Felce, Aston Martin's director of works service and customer relations.

The Newport Pagnell location was purchased by David Brown in 1954, with full production kicking off four years later with the DB4. The company said nearly 13,000 cars have been built there since then.

Ford sold Aston Martin earlier this year to a consortium led by David Richards, John Sinders and Investment Dar and Adeem Investment. The company's Gaydon, Warwickshire, plant was opened in 2003 and builds the V8 Vantage, V8 Vantage Roadster, DB9 and DB9 Volante. The DBS will also be built there.

The Newport Pagnell site will continue to be used for Aston Martin servicing and restoration.