Brands Hatch plays host to a prestigious festival this weekend as Aston Martins take to the track to celebrate their centenary.

The weekend will be headlined by two special centenary races on Sunday on the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit. There will be a full grid of GT cars featuring the manufacturers racing efforts from the last decade.

James Martin will be back on track just a few weeks after he won at the Mini Festival, he teams up with Aston Martin Chief Executive David Richards. Lord Drayson will also be taking to the circuit fresh from claiming the electric land speed record.

Bruno Senna will be at the Kent circuit driving the current Aston Martin GTE in is Gulf Oil Livery which is his race car for the fans on Sunday, he will also be taking part in an autograph session.

Aston Martin’s rich and illustrious history at Le Mans will also be on display both on and off track, including the 1980s Aston Martin Nimrod, with Ray Mallock, one of the original drivers, at the wheel. It will be joined on display by the AMR1, which was built by the factory for the 1989 World Sports Prototype Championship. The company’s 21st Century return to La Sarthe will be represented by the 6 litre, V12-powered DBR9 GT1 that claimed the marque’s first class win since its return and the Lola-Aston Martin B10/60 from 2011, completed with mud and oil from the race!

A works Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato, one of only 19 cars built, will be one of the on-track highlights. ‘2 VEV’, is one of only two cars that raced in the 1961 event, and later took a win at the British Grand Prix support race. The road-going versions are already valued at over £1 million, and with winning history, this car is almost priceless.

Another rare car, the DB7 GT, one of only two prototypes made and the only one still in existence, will also be on display. Known as the “Gentleman’s Racer”, the car was developed by Prodrive and Aston Martin Lagonda, and tested by Sir Stirling Moss and 1988 Le Mans winner Andy Wallace.

Hundreds of Aston Martin owners are expected to attend the event in their road cars, whilst there will be a unique Centenary Timeline forming part of the off-track display. The James Bond connection will also be celebrated with the Die Another Day Vanquish, plus DB5 and DBS replicas. Echoing last year’s Olympic opening ceremony, the Red Devils will also be appearing to perform a Bond-style parachute jump!