Aston Martin Lagonda is one of the most admired British brand names in the worldwide automotive industry. Established in1913 as "Bamford and Martin Limited", the company produced its first car in the United Kingdom in 1914. Since then, Aston Martin has been a synonym of high quality and unbeatable performance. In 2007, the Investment Dar Company (TID) made one of the most sophisticated deals in the history of Kuwaiti investments, when it led a consortium of local and international investors to purchase the majority shares of Aston Martin Lagonda from Jaguar and Ford Motor. The consortium consisted of TID's strategic ally, Efad Group, the British company of Prodrive and the American firm of Sinders Racing. The total value of this high profile transaction, which took place in the British capital, was around 500 million sterling pounds, of which 60% was financed through equity contributions and the rest (about 225 million sterling pounds) through a Murabahah facility, arranged by the West LB of London. TID won several international awards appreciating the Aston Martin deal. TID's shares in Aston Martin reached nearly 50%