US car giant Ford was reported Monday to be on the brink of selling Aston Martin, the British luxury brand of James Bond fame, to a British consortium backed by Middle East investors, the Guardian newspaper reported Monday.

A deal, reportedly worth 450 million pounds (870 million dollars), could be announced as early as Monday, the paper said.

The buyer is tipped to be a consortium led by British motor enthusiast David Richards, 54, who heads the performance car specialist Provide.

Ford put up Aston Martin for sale six months ago, following major losses and restructuring. But the US company, which took over Aston Martin in 1994, is reported to be planning to hold on to a 15-per cent stake.

Richards, a former rally driver, was reported to have secured backing from Kuwaiti firms Investment Dar and Adeem Investment, as well as from Egypt's Naeem investment bank and US investors, reports said.

According to the Guardian, Richards saw off competition from the private equity group Doughty Hanson and Simon Halabi, the Syrian billionaire.

Aston Martin, which is based at Gaydon, in the county of Warwickshire, north-west of London, produced its first car in 1914.

The quintessentially British brand has had a long association with James Bond films - Daniel Craig was behind the wheel of an Aston Martin in "Casino Royale."