BEST OF BRITISH: Aston Martin's house of power-sliding

Power-sliding. Drifting. Fishtailing. Speedoolies… There are many and varied ways to describe the vigorous management of 'steering with the throttle' and applying a 'dab of oppo'.

Just ask the engineers at the new Aston Martin Test and Development Centre at Silverstone in the UK’s Midlands. They are experts, with skills honed along the road to delivering rip-snorting performance cars that are as enjoyable to drive every day as they are at full-noise, sideways, on the racetrack.

Touring the new facility, gazing out across the 60-odd engineers beavering away at their computers, scrutinising telemetry and tweaking chassis components and settings in the virtual world, Aston Martin's chief engineer of vehicle engineering Matt Becker strolls in.

It's manifestly clear he likes his new facility, a broad smile on Englishman's face.

"I run this centre and several others as well. But this is the one I like to spend most of my time at because it’s the most enjoyable," he grins.

Yeah, no kidding! This would be the dream job of many.

To make ‘sic’ skids even easier in a sports car (or SUV) is the name of the game at Aston Martin's new chassis dynamics facility in Silverstone. The idea of delivering a balanced and ultimately easy-to-control machine when the rear wheels are but molten lumps of rubber is important to Becker and his Aston team .

Becker explains that his team of engineers are generally pretty hot behind the wheel and he tries to ensure they don't get dragged into the everyday rigmarole of meetings, phone calls and other soul-destroying office minutiae. Clearly, he also tries to lead by example.

"This facility is important to me as well because I can try and get into the cars as much as possible to make sure they're going in the right direction. The engineers as part of the team are excellent but it lets me give guidance and direction for where I think the car should be."

He shows us through the garage area where another 15 technicians carry out the leg work required to tweak and then test the cars. But it's outside, on the small 1.6km Stowe circuit, located within Silverstone’s GP layout, that the action takes place, V8 (and V12) engines regularly blatting away.

Everything from Vantage sports cars to DBX SUVs are being tested on the track and, oh, and a Lamborghini Aventador SVJ.

Could that Italian ring-in be a rival for the upcoming Aston Martin Valhalla mid-engine supercar? You better believe it!

"I'm very excited about it," says Becker of the upcoming Valhalla, formerly the Vanquish Vision Concept, which was formerly the AM-RB 003.

"It's described as son of Valkyrie. The performance of the Valkyrie is in another world and I think it will shock the world when it comes out, what it can do. But don’t consider the Valhalla to be too much less than that.

"The level of performance that car will deliver is still in another league. So yeah, I'm very excited about that project, it's something we're all eager to get in and eager to drive."

Arguably the biggest boon for Aston Martin at its new multi-million test and development centre at the Silverstone circuit is the proximity to data, knowledge and modification.

In the past, Aston Martin has used various race tracks around Europe to test and develop its sports cars but trialing changes has always been a challenge.

Now, the Silverstone location and short 1.6km Stowe circuit make the engineers and technicians' jobs a whole lot more efficient by being able to identify a change in a car, effect the change, test it and then analyse the results straight away.

"Although the [Stowe] test track is short, we can use this as a basis to work from and then we get access to the GP, national and international [Silverstone] circuits," observes Becker.

In theory, the new chassis development facility and access to the tracks should make for more engaging, more balanced and more approachable Aston Martin sports cars.

With the Vantage already being touted by many as a proper Porsche 911 rival, the current crop are pretty handy – and there’s more to come asserts Becker.

No wonder morale – and belief – within the brand is at an all-time high.

So how do Aston Martin's brightest engineers go about making its newest cars – the DBX, Valhalla and Valkyrie – more satisfying to drive? Becker, a former Lotus chassis guru, explains that the perfect car needs to be responsive on the road, clock up fast laps on the track but also be completely engaging.

And yes, that means power-sliding. Lots and lots and lots of lurid sideways action. But does Aston pro-actively tune its cars to be pulse-pounding drift machines?

"Absolutely," declares Becker, who has Ken Block-levels of power-sliding prowess.

"You want it to be able to progressively go into oversteer," he comments as he blasts around the Stowe track in an orange Aston Martin Vantage, counter-steering into sensational power-slides with a calmness that suggests intimate familiarity with car and technique.

He explains that what you don't want when power-sliding are any surprises or sudden changes in grip.

Mission accomplished with the Vantage it seems!

According to Becker, Aston Martin cars are tuned 80 per cent for the road and 20 per cent for the track, although that ratio does vary depending on the vehicle. But the new test and development centre and its circuits allows the Aston engineering team to craft the most involving car it can.

"I spent 26 years at Lotus and having a test track was something I always talked to [Aston Martin CEO] Andy Palmer about since arriving here. I said we must have a test track -- and now we've got one of the best tracks in the world," he beams.

Aston Martin also has a development centre at the Nurburgring road course in Germany but this new facility will be the brand's main car tuning hub going forward.

But like all semi-adventurous drivers, I really must know how to improve my power-sliding skills. How about it Becker, got any top tips?

"It takes time and every car is different," smiles Becker.

I think what he means is: "You have it or you don't!" and clearly I don't.

Nevertheless, it's good to know that one of the most satisfying (if challenging) ways around a corner is being refined and improved in every new Aston Martin built.

Onya Becker.