Stroll, who declined to be interviewed for this story, wasted little time resetting Aston Martin’s priorities. The carmaker said it’s paring back big-ticket investments in new models to focus instead on easier-to-achieve projects such as the DBX and special editions that tend to cost millions.

Aston Martin also put on hold its plans for an electric model, a counter-intuitive move in an environment where most other carmakers are going all-in with battery-powered vehicles. Unlike the world of fashion, the car industry has years-long research and development cycles that require extensive investments, and Aston Martin’s decision to jettison its electric ambitions may put it at a technological disadvantage.

Formula 1

For Stroll, the Aston Martin rescue package gives his team as much as 20% of the company. It also combines two of his big passions: corporate turnarounds and high-powered automobiles. Stroll’s successes in the fashion industry made him a billionaire, worth about $2.5 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. He owns an extensive car collection that includes rare Ferraris, as well as his own Formula 1 race-car team. (Chou, who is part of the Aston Martin consortium, is worth at least $2.8 billion.)

Born Lawrence Sheldon Strulovitch in Montreal in 1959, Stroll today enjoys the good life. Last year, the tabloid press was full of pictures from his Great-Gatsby themed birthday bash on the Italian island of Capri. Guests included Michael Douglas and his wife, Catherine Zeta-Jones. Stroll has homes dotted around the globe, from Switzerland to the island of Mustique.

Stroll’s past successes in fashion relied in no small part on dramatically extending the product portfolio to make the brands more widely accessible. In the case of Michael Kors, that meant adding popular accessories like sunglasses or handbags to the core range of clothing. Investors have speculated that Stroll may also take Aston from being an automobile company to a luxury consumer brand, an extension whose profit contribution remains untested beyond small items like key rings or T-shirts.

Even before Stroll showed up, Aston Martin Chief Executive Officer Andy Palmer sought to create a lifestyle offering that includes cashmere scarves and leather bags, as well as partnerships ranging from the luxurious (a real-estate development in Miami) to the ludicrous (a mini submarine called Project Neptune). The positive impact on the bottom line is questionable, at best: today, Aston Martin sunglasses and T-shirts can be had for 75% off their sticker price at discount chains.

Luxury Focus

Stroll’s arrival will reinforce Aston’s luxury pedigree, Palmer said in an interview last week. “I think the dialogue will change from automotive to luxury.”

“The investment by Stroll reinforces our luxury pedigree, and also underlines the confidence the consortium has in the brand,” Palmer said.