Jefferies Advises On Acquisition of Aston Martin From Ford

The Jefferies investment bank today announced that it served as exclusive financial advisor for the 479 million pounds Sterling ($925 million) acquisition of Aston Martin from Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F) by a consortium of investors led by automotive industry veteran David Richards. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed. Jefferies & Company, Inc. is the principal operating subsidiary of Jefferies Group, Inc. (NYSE:JEF).

Mr. Richards is Chairman of Aston Martin Racing and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Prodrive, a global motorsport and automotive engineering company based in Banbury, U.K.

Justin Mirro, Managing Director and Head of Jefferies’ Automotive Investment Banking Group commented: “The new ownership of Aston Martin is committed to growing the business globally while protecting the integrity of the brand. No one is better equipped to lead this growth than David Richards, a passionate supporter of motorsport racing and a successful developer of global brands for many of the automotive OEMs.”

Aston Martin is a world-renowned manufacturer of high performance sports cars based in Gaydon, Warwickshire, UK. The company has been producing race cars and road cars since 1914 and holds a unique reputation for combining technology, beauty, luxury and exclusivity. In 1987, Ford acquired a 75% stake in Aston Martin, which was increased to 100% in 1993. Since 1998, Aston Martin has been part of Ford’s Premier Automotive Group (PAG), which also includes Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo.

“Jefferies brought together an international group of strategic and financial investors, as well as numerous advisors, to efficiently analyze and execute this complex transaction,” said Mr. Richards. “The combination of Jefferies industry relationships and sector knowledge provided assurance and insight to our consortium throughout this process.”

The transaction is expected to close by the end of April 2007 and is subject to customary closing conditions, including applicable regulatory approvals. As part of the transaction, Ford will retain an equity stake in Aston Martin.

Jefferies, a global investment bank and institutional securities firm, has served growing and mid-sized companies and their investors for 45 years. Headquartered in New York, with more than 25 offices around the world, Jefferies provides clients with capital markets and financial advisory services, institutional brokerage, securities research and asset management. The firm is a leading provider of trade execution in equity, high yield, convertible and international securities for institutional investors and high net worth individuals. Jefferies & Company, Inc. is the principal operating subsidiary of Jefferies Group, Inc. (NYSE: JEF; http://www.jefferies.com/). Jefferies International Limited, a UK-incorporated, wholly owned subsidiary of Jefferies Group, Inc., was established in London in 1985 and is authorized and regulated by the Financial Services Authority (“FSA”).