Aston Martin touches down in Dubai

Aston Martin stopped traffic in Dubai in the latest of a series of events the company has organised throughout this year to celebrate its 100th anniversary.

Airlifted via helicopter, an of the city en route to the helipad of the Burj Al Arab hotel, over 300 meters above the ground.

Of the stunt, Aston Martin Chairman and CEO Dr Ulrich Bez said: "Aston Martin remains one of the most exclusive and sought-after brands in the world, so it is only right that a key element of our year-long centenary celebrations takes place in a similarly high profile destination."

Other events organized to mark the company's centenary include a week-long Aston Martin festival in July and special appearances at a number of key motoring events throughout the year such as the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance and the Le Mans 24-hour race.

The iconic brand has had a very checkered history -- even the keenest automotive expert would struggle to remember just how many times the company has changed ownership since its inception -- and although Aston Martin continues on an upward trajectory that began when Ford took ownership of the then ailing business back in 1987, questions remain as to whether or not Aston Martin will be able to maintain its momentum.

In 2007, Ford, struggling in the wake of the global recession, sold the company to a private consortium of two investment houses. Aston Martin heralded this change of ownership as a bright new chapter in its history -- a return to independence. However, through Ford, Aston Martin had had access to huge research and development budgets as well as preferential treatment from a number of major automotive partners such as world-leading German gearbox and transmission company ZF.

Independence means more investment is required to develop each new vehicle and while the company's current flagship model, the Vanquish, is glorious to behold, under the skin it is still using the same manufacturing processes, chassis technology and powertrain as the DB9 and V8 Vantage -- vehicles that debuted 10 years ago.

However, the company has stated that the new Vanquish will be the last car built on this current platform. If the new platform is good enough to continue to challenge Ferrari and Porsche remains to be seen. But one thing that is certain is that even if the next generation of Astons are much slower than their competitors, they will still be better looking.