Alex Moulton builds a factory in Holt Road to manufacture his iconic small-wheel bicycles, making as many as 1200 per week. Moulton’s involvement in Bradford on Avon can be traced back to Stephen Moulton’s pioneering rubber manufacturing business, founded in 1848.
Our history
AB Dynamics was founded by Tony Best in 1982 with a vision to supply noise, vibration and suspension engineering services to the automotive industry. Our roots stem back to 1967.
1963
1967
Tony Best joins Moulton Developments after previous positions at Rolls Royce and Avon Rubber.
1982
Tony Best founds Anthony Best Dynamics Ltd, with a vision to supply noise, vibration and suspension engineering services to the automotive industry. The company initially operates with a handful of staff at its headquarters in the Best family’s front room.
1985
The company is involved in the Africar project, whose aim was to design and build a car which could be sold in Africa, featuring wooden bodywork and designed for localised small-scale production across the continent.
In parallel with vehicle dynamics, suspension engineering and test work, the company develops software for noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) testing. The CAARM test system supplied to Land Rover the following year was the world’s first PC-based powertrain NVH system.
1986
Having outgrown the front room, Tony relocates the company to Bradford on Avon, occupying the factory that Alex Moulton built for bicycle manufacture back in 1963. The company builds a reputation for excellence in suspension design and testing, counting much of the UK car industry among its client base.
1990
The PC-based test and monitoring systems (TMS) product portfolio grows to include PLATO, with the first system being sold to Borg Warner Automotive. PLATO goes on to become a leading-edge NVH measurement and analysis solution that, to this day, is supplied to operate with powertrain test machines worldwide.
1992
Tony and his team are involved in the ground-breaking McLaren F1 supercar project, playing a key role in the design of the vehicle’s suspension. The company is responsible for the manufacture of all bonded rubber suspension components for the full vehicle production run.
1995
The company develops its first product, the Suspension Parameter Measurement Machine (SPMM). The first machine is supplied to MIRA where it becomes a cornerstone in its suspension test facilities and is still in use in the present day.
1997
The first steering robot is supplied to Goodyear, based upon the Steering Input Device that was originally developed for the SPMM. The SR30 was the first direct-drive steering robot available and the first with a Windows software interface allowing tests to be created in seconds.
2001
The company supplies the world’s first path-following steering robot to Ford. The system uses position feedback from a GPS-corrected inertial measurement unit to allow highly accurate control of the vehicle.
2007
The first Driverless Test System was supplied to Renault. It used the SR30 steering robot together with brake and throttle robots, as well as the path-following capability, and allowed the car to be driven under robotic control without anyone onboard. This allows dangerous or arduous tests to be performed with unmatched precision without any risk to a human driver.
2010
The first of a range of impactable ADAS targets is developed, the Soft Crash Target Vehicle, with the first SCT supplied to Daimler. This is a compact powered vehicle which can be driven under path-following control and carries a set of inflatable cushions which resemble a car.
The ADAS target range has since expanded to include the Guided Soft Target and the LaunchPad, both of which are in use with Euro NCAP labs and OEMs for developing and testing new driver assistance technology.
2013
The company floats on the AIM stock exchange in London, becoming a publicly traded company.
2016
The company launches the aVDS - Advanced Vehicle Driving Simulator which allows meaningful testing far earlier in the vehicle development process.
Work begins on a new purpose-built factory in Bradford on Avon.
2018
The company now occupies a purpose-built 39,000 square foot headquarters, click here to watch it being built.
Improvements to the lab based and track testing range mean that the company now offers a comprehensive suite of test equipment which work together in synergy.
2019
The company launch two major new products: the Ground Traffic Control – a full proving ground management solution, and the ANVH 250 – an axle-level NVH rig for optimising prototype axle systems early in the design process.
Three new international offices are established in Japan, USA and Germany