The car park at Caerbont Automotive Instruments (CAI) became an Aston Martin showcase when the Aston Martin Owners Club visited the gauge manufacturing facility based in Abercrave, near Swansea in South Wales.  CAI manufacture SMITHS speedometers, tachometers, clocks and other gauges.  The SMITHS brand of gauges feature has a unique and amazing history, featuring in the dashboards of most British classic cars since the early 1900s.  SMITHS gauges are a feature in Aston Martin classics including the first David Brown inspired DB1 and the James Bond associated DB5.  During the visit to the CAI manufacturing facility, members of the Aston Martin Owners Club were shown how today’s gauges are designed and manufactured.  Incredibly, CAI continue to manufacture many of the SMITHS branded gauges using the original drawings and manufacturing instructions and have created new digital versions for classic cars including the Mini and the Jaguar e-Type.

Related galleries:  Cars and Motorcycles.  To discuss a photography assignment, please contact Paul on paul@paulfearsphoto.co.uk