NICHOLAS MEE & CO’S WORLD OF ASTON MARTIN • ISSUE 34
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MEE SPEAK
Nick welcomes readers to another issue of FullBore, and he is pleased to report on much stronger sales activity recently led by ’70s and ’80s V8s. Close to his heart is a model of note, the always-indemand V8 Vantage, often considered ‘Britain’s first supercar’.
VANTAGE!
Evo and Vantage magazine writer Peter Tomalin gets behind the wheel of the actual car he drove when testing the model for Super Classics 30 years ago. If anything, it’s got even better. Everything you need to know about buying, owning and a running a V8 Vantage is here.
VIDEO: TALKING HEADS 2024
Steve Wakefield once again hosts our free-wheeling discussion panel on all things classic, Aston Martin and event-related. Nick and Neal are joined this year by James Elliot of Octane magazine and authoritative journalist and YouTuber Alex Goy.
ROYAL COMMAND PERFORMANCE
The car-loving ruler of the sovereign state of Brunei purchased 100s of luxury cars, many of which were very special commissions never to be seen again. This wide-body Virage Volante 6.3 made it back to the country of its birth – and Peter Tomalin has driven it.
VIDEO: REINVIGORATED – UPGRADING AND REFURBISHING A V8 VOLANTE
Following on from our popular feature last year on a 1980s V8 Saloon, this video shows how a 1983 V8 Volante can be subtly upgraded to meet its new owner’s wishes.
WHAT’S IN STOCK
Our regular list of exciting and desirable Aston Martins from all eras to suit every sphere of interest and depth of pocket. They are all beautifully prepared and ready to go.
VIDEO: MEET OLIVER TOMLINSON-ROE
There’s a new face in the sales team: Oliver Tomlinson-Roe. A lovely film by award-winning videographer (and neighbour) Simon Friedberg gives you the opportunity to meet Oliver and learn a little bit more about him.
THE TEN-TWO CLUB IN 2024 – AND LOOKING FORWARD TO 2025
So many people enjoyed our four-monthly social gatherings at Essendonbury Farm this year. Here are some photographs and a short video that tells you what went on. We also list the dates for next year’s meetings.
GET OUT AND DRIVE – ’25
Our listing of the must-attend events that we have enjoyed in the past– or would love to have gone to – for you to put in your 2025 diary.
PARTING SHOT
A sneak view of Santa’s new four-door ‘wedge’ sleigh in build at Tickford St, Lapland in November 1976.
Taking stock of the events of the last 12 months while writing this editorial, I now realise it has been a busier 2024 than we’d expected. After spending some time in the doldrums, over the last two quarters the Aston Martin market has woken up. The current level of enquiries and completed sales confirms a raised appetite for the marque from buyers in the UK and around the globe.
Leading the way in classics have been 1970s and 1980s Aston Martin V8s, and we have sold a record number of them. Alongside interest in the older cars has been strong enthusiasm for Gaydonbuilt limited-editions and specials. Two factors are the reasons for this. First, escalating prices of new models means classics, and low-mileage Gaydon limited-editions with still staggering performance, look good value. Second, the economic climate is more settled, encouraging collectors to make informed buying decisions.
In this full-size Autumn/Winter issue of FullBore we include our highly anticipated annual ‘Talking Heads’ video. Presented once again by motoring journalist and market commentator Steve Wakefield, the
MEE SPEAK
video is a chance for the panellists to catch up on what events they have been to this year, chat about the market and debate what makes their Aston Martin dream garage. Joining me, Steve and Neal this year are James Elliot, Editorin-chief of Octane magazine and font of classic car knowledge, and seasoned motoring journalist and respected YouTuber, Alex Goy. We hope you enjoy the miscellaneous ramblings, pithy comments and opinions of our panel on the world of classic cars in general, and Aston Martins in particular.
And we have another video which we are pleased to launch in FullBore. It’s a follow-up to last year’s refurbishment of an Aston Martin V8 Efi, a popular case study which you can still view on our YouTube channel. This time, our Service and Aftercare team take on a 1983 V8 Volante, transforming it from ‘tired’ to ‘divine’. It’s a bespoke commission of the type we specialise in. We are sure will find this one fascinating.
Now to a model in the spotlight: the 1977-1989 Aston Martin V8 Vantage. We are delighted to bring readers driving impressions and an excellent model guide of an Aston that’s often billed as ‘Britain’s first supercar’.
Marque expert, well-regarded author and road tester Peter Tomalin reacquaints himself with the same car he drove 30 years ago for the late and much-lamented magazine Supercar Classics
We’ve also spent time preparing a list of must-do events for your 2025 diaries. These include the popular Ten-Two social meetings here at Essendonbury Farm and our opening hours over the festive period. You might wish to use the break to view our latest list of cars for sale – there’s something for everyone, all brimming with desirable AM features to keep your automotive taste buds twitching.
With just a few working days left before the holiday season, I and the entire team at NM&Co would like to take this opportunity to thank you, our clients and readers, for your support over the last year and to wish and your families a fabulous Christmas break and a successful New Year.
Best wishes,
BY PETER TOMALIN
VANTAGE!
Britain’s first supercar… a poster car for a generation of schoolboys… an iconic Aston Martin for the ages… Buying, owning and driving, here’s everything you need to know about the magnificent, original V8 Vantage.
FOR MY MONEY – AND PERHAPS YOURS TOO – THERE ARE TWO CARS ABOVE ALL OTHERS THAT ENCAPSULATE THE ENDURING MAGIC OF ASTON MARTIN.
The first, it hardly needs saying, is the one associated with a certain not-so-secret agent. The second is the car you see here, the original, immortal V8 Vantage. The impression it made on a whole generation back in the 1970s and ’80s was profound. For here was a car that could outrun a Porsche Turbo or Lamborghini Countach, and it was as British as a slab of prime roast beef with a dollop of Colman’s on the side. That it was born out of adversity makes its story all the more compelling.
Aston Martin had first kicked around the idea of a Vantage version of its V8 saloon as far back as 1969, just after the DBS V8 was introduced. A prototype was built with what was virtually a race-spec engine and reportedly hit 170mph in testing, but the financial climate was distinctly unfavourable, and then in 1971 David Brown sold the company and the idea was quietly shelved.
What followed were some of Aston Martin’s darkest days, culminating in the closure of the Newport Pagnell factory for the best part of a year. When it reopened in 1975, Aston badly needed something special to get itself noticed again. The management
seized on William Towns’ audacious Lagonda wedge, but getting it into production would be fraught with problems. Meanwhile a small team of engineers resurrected the idea of a go-faster Aston. And so the V8 Vantage was born.
The Vantage name had been around since the ’50s but usually to denote a tuned engine. Now, for the first time, Vantage would be a stand-alone model. Not only would the engine be given a power boost, but tyres, brakes, suspension, and even the aerodynamics would all receive attention. That small team, led by chief engineer Mike Loasby, achieved a minor miracle with seriously limited resources but an awful lot of know-how.
The first step, of course, was wringing more power from the 5.3-litre V8 engine, which was back on Weber carburettors after mixed fortunes with Bosch mechanical fuel injection. For the Vantage, a quartet of twin-choke Weber IDF carburettors with 48mm throats rather than the standard car’s 42mm instruments were chosen. There would also be bigger inlet valves, revised camshafts, freerbreathing intake trunking and a re-routed, biggerbore (and rather naughtier-sounding) exhaust.
As Loasby later recalled of the Vantage’s inception: ‘We’d improved the standard V8, then we thought it would be fun to do a faster version. So we did a sporty tune and increased the horsepower to about 380-390bhp. (In production form, the generally quoted figure is 375bhp at 6000rpm, a very useful uplift on the regular V8’s 320bhp or so.),
‘We also spent a lot of time developing the exhaust to make a nice noise. I personally don’t like V8s all that much, but we managed to get the Vantage sounding somewhere between a V8 and a V12. I remember one night coming out of Earls Court, following a Ferrari, and the noise echoed beautifully through the streets there…’
As development continued, the first prototype went racing at the 1976 Silverstone meeting of the Aston Martin Owners’ Club with Loasby at the wheel. At this point it looked standard, so its extra pace –helped by a few suspension tweaks – caused much interest.
But those standard looks were about to be transformed. In a rare event for Aston at the time, the team was granted time in the wind tunnel at
the MIRA (Motor Industry Research Association) test facility, sessions to be shared with dealer Robin Hamilton, who was preparing his own souped-up V8 for a Le Mans entry.
What they found was that drag could be reduced by 10 per cent by faring-in the headlights and blanking off not just the grille but also the large air-scoop on the bonnet. This was achieved with no detriment to either engine cooling or getting air to the Webers, while a deep front air-dam and bootlid spoiler reduced lift. That grille blank also allowed the nose to gain a neat pair of Cibié driving lights, deemed essential for the sort of speeds of which the Vantage would be capable.
Mike Loasby again: ‘In the wind tunnel we got the drag right down, and now the car felt like a railway engine with the front right down over that spoiler. It would easily exceed 160mph – it was quite a fast car in its day! We had a lot of cars coming back with accident damage in the early days because people just didn’t realise how fast they were going.’
Here was a car that could outrun a Porsche Turbo or Lamborghini Countach, and it was as British as a slab of prime roast beef with a dollop of Colman’s on the side.
To help keep rubber on tarmac there were new Koni telescopic dampers all round (no more archaic leverarms at the back), a rear track widened with spacers, progressive Aeon bump-stops, and springs lowered and stiffened by the removal of a coil. The front antiroll bar was stiffened too, the steering’s castor angle was increased, and the front brake discs became vented, while the tyres were switched to fatter Pirelli CN12s, 255/60 VR15s front and rear.
This thrilling new Aston Martin was launched in February 1977 and proved an instant hit with the public and motoring media alike. Motor recorded 168mph and acknowledged there was probably more to come, while a 0-60mph time of 5.2sec put the Aston in the very top flight of high-performance cars. Acceleration in the higher gears was even more impressive, 50-70mph in top taking just 6.3sec (almost a second quicker than the contemporary Porsche Turbo). ‘Quite simply the Aston Martin Vantage is the fastest standard production car that Motor has tested in its 78-year existence,’ the magazine reported.
Autocar meanwhile recorded a 0-60mph time of 5.4 seconds, while top speed was estimated at 170mph.
The truth was, most test tracks weren’t big enough to verify the Vantage’s maximum. A few years later, Aston was invited by Road & Track magazine to take part in its World’s Fastest Cars top speed shootout at the famous VW test track at Ehra-Lessien. Also present were a 911 Turbo, Ferrari Berlinetta Boxer, Lamborghini Countach and others. Former F1 world champion Phil Hill did the runs, the big Aston hitting a remarkable 176mph and easily eclipsing most of the opposition.
This was properly rapid for the period, and while the Vantage’s immense weight (close to two tons fuelled) and prodigious thirst (low-teens, even single figures on a spirited run) were acknowledged, road-testers of the day loved it. Here was a British car more than capable of taking on Ferrari, Lamborghini and Porsche. Britain did indeed have its first supercar.
For the first generation of Vantages, the aero appendages – particularly the blanked-off bonnet scoop and bootlid spoiler – were bolted in place in somewhat improvised fashion, hence these cars being known today as ‘bolt-on and flip-tail’ models.
Just 39 were built like this before a thoroughly revised V8 range, codenamed ‘Oscar India’ for October Introduction, appeared in October 1978. For the Vantage the bonnet bulge was now smoothedover and the rear spoiler incorporated into a neat, flicked-up tail. Peak power was up too, rising to 390bhp, while a more sumptuous interior with lashings of walnut veneer soon became a popular option. By the end of the decade, Astons were rivalling Rolls-Royce for hedonistic luxury.
Some 44 Oscar India Vantages were built before the next round of revisions in March 1980, these being mainly to the engine, now coded V580 rather than the earlier V540, resulting in smoother running and improved mid-range torque. Then from 1983 the 7in-wide GKN wheels were replaced with 8in cross-spoke BBS items, the wider rims required by the adoption of fatter, 275-section Pirelli P7 tyres, in turn necessitating wider wheelarches.
Perhaps the most celebrated evolution came in 1986 with the introduction of the V580X engine, known today as the X-Pack. This had 48mm twinchoke downdraught Webers, higher-lift camshafts, larger ports to the cylinder heads, forged lightweight
Cosworth pistons and a higher compression ratio. Peak power was now 410-420bhp, or as much as 437bhp with a special Works Service package in which the Webers were painstakingly taken out to 50mm by hand and breathing was enhanced by a big-bore airbox and straight-through exhaust (essentially the spec that went into the fearsome Vantage Zagato). In today’s world of 700bhp-plus super-GTs, none of these stats sounds mindblowing, but back in the day these were Ferrarihumbling figures.
The final significant evolution came in late 1985, marked by another change of wheel – now intricate multi-spoke Ronal alloys with concealed wheel nuts, 16in in diameter and shod with the same Goodyear tyres fitted to the contemporary Ferrari 288 GTO. Together with Eibach progressive-rate springs and dual-valve Koni dampers, the combined effect was tauter handling and even greater composure. (And if you like the sound of that, the good news is that any post-83 car can be so equipped.)
‘12701’ – The last ever V8 Vantage. Previously sold by NM&Co.
The convertible Vantage Volante joined the range in October 1986 and production of both saloon and soft-top continued until December 1989. By then the classic V8 range was two decades old and soon to be replaced by the Virage. But it’s telling that so many still mourned its passing.
Of course, there will always be those who want more, and in the late ’80s renowned specialists RS Williams developed a 6.3-litre conversion that was subsequently offered by Works Service at Newport Pagnell and which took peak power to over 460bhp with a similar uplift in torque. It’s a desirable conversion, usually paired with chassis and brake upgrades. RSW later went even further, offering a 7-litre option. With 500bhp-plus, any Vantage soequipped is seriously rapid – and seriously thirsty too!
Today, Britain’s first supercar is every bit as iconic as the classic ‘DB’ Astons. Indeed, Aston Martin itself has recognised that, with a new line of V-cars – Victor, Valour and Valiant – that hark back directly to the V8 Vantage and its racing cousin, Robin Hamilton’s much-modified RHAM/1, aka The Muncher.
Every bit as iconic, and considerably rarer, too. Across all variants, the total produced was only 534 – of which 342 were saloons and 192 Volantes – and of this total just 131 had the X-Pack specification. These are rare cars indeed.
And every bit as special as their reputation suggests, as I am about to be reminded…
ON THE ROAD
HELLO, OLD FRIEND.
This is not the first time I’ve driven XYT 796T. The first time was way back in the summer of 1995 and it was a day to remember for a number of reasons.
At the time I was editor of a magazine called Superclassics, and for the Autumn 1995 issue we’d decided to bring together a V8 Vantage with its even fiercer sibling, the Vantage Zagato. For the feature itself, I would be driving the ‘regular’ Vantage, and the Zagato would be driven by a promising young writer (and occasional comedic performer) by the name of Rowan Atkinson. Wonder whatever happened to him…
It was a wonderful day spent with two utterly wonderful cars. The Zagato was the lighter, more exotic, more racer-ish of the two and brought back happy memories for Rowan of the Zagatos he’d owned (and raced) himself. Meanwhile I was completely taken with the blue 1979 ‘Oscar India’ saloon, whose beautiful condition was a credit to its then owner, Michael Drayton.
Now fast-forward almost 30 years, and a call from Nicholas Mee & Co to drive a V8 Vantage for this feature. When I realised it was none other than XYT 796T, I fairly bit their hand off!
Mr Mee himself has a special relationship with this car too. It has had just three owners in its entire life and Nick sold it on all three occasions. The first time was when he was director of Aston Martin Sales and he sat down with its original purchaser, one Maurice Solomons, to draw up the specification. This included a special paint colour, in fact a Ferrari colour, Blue Ribot. But what made XYT truly unique at the time was the dash, which was trimmed in the same magnolia hide as the rest of the cabin (Vantage dashes were traditionally black, later often wood veneer), with the top roll in Blue leather. It looked – and still looks – utterly sublime.
But then so does the whole car, which has clearly been loved by each of its owners in turn. After Mr Solomons had owned it for five years, Nick sold it again, this time to Michael Drayton, who would keep it for a remarkable 40 years. Right up until early 2024 in fact, when it would be purchased by its current owner, Harry Neben, again through Nicholas Mee. It’s here today after undergoing some detail fettling. Unusually, it has never been restored, just nicely maintained by all three of its custodians. Which is always the best sort of car.
Slip inside that gorgeous, magnolia leather-lined cabin, into the wide, gently supportive driver’s seat and the view forward is one of the finest you’ll ever see, framed by period-thin A-pillars and dominated by the rising plateau of bonnet bulge – not so much design statement as topographical feature.
Turn the key and the warmed V8 catches instantly, settling to a delicious and very vocal burble – more of a snargle – that rises with a surprisingly free-revving bark when the throttle is blipped. Later, waiting at traffic lights in town, the amusingly throaty fusillade of crackles and pops has bystanders turning to see who or what is responsible. I blame the engineers at Works Service who deleted the back boxes for the Vantage all those years ago!
Peak torque of 380lb ft of torque arrives at 4000rpm, but while there’s plenty of muscle to work with, this is an engine that gives its best at higher revs. And once it’s into the business end of the rev-range the note evens out creamily, settling somewhere between V8 and V12, just as Mike Loasby and his team intended all those years ago.
And all the while I have to keep reminding myself that this engine has never been rebuilt in 45 years and 50,000-plus miles. It’s a credit both to the engineers at Newport Pagnell and its three owners.
By current supercar standards the Vantage is not objectively that fast, but it has a sense of real potency, and when it climbs onto the cam it pulls with growing enthusiasm. Third gear demolishes most straights and corners, while fifth settles into a magnificent stride. Oh to point the Vantage’s nose south and head to St Tropez.
Perhaps more of a surprise is its appetite for corners. The steering doesn’t have a great deal of feel, but you’re somehow always in tune with the car. There’s a decent amount of grip on the 255/60 VR15 Pirelli Cinturatos and useful feel through your backside once the chassis takes up the lateral strain, which it does in
the form of body-roll. It looks dramatic from outside but doesn’t feel untoward from the driver’s seat. Attack with a bit more commitment and the Vantage will break traction, but it doesn’t feel in any way snappy.
The way it covers ground is truly impressive. The ride has just the right amount of suppleness without feeling baggy or loose. It steers well, too, with nicely judged power assistance and little or no free play. The gearchange can be eased around the gate with the fingertips, even the brakes – so often a weak point on classics – reassure with positive initial bite and an easily modulated pedal. In short it rides, steers and handles with a uniformity of feel and response that encourages you to press on and exploit its characterrich performance.
As good as I remember from 30 years ago? If anything, even better. I’ve been lucky enough to drive a number of examples over the years, and I don’t think any of them have felt sweeter than this one, every element in tune and in perfect balance with the next.
It’s impossible to accurately place a classic car in the pantheon of greats until you’ve driven a really good example, ideally one that hasn’t been restored but which has been carefully maintained in its original form. XYT 796T is the perfect example of why such a car remains a special thing. Moreover, it reveals what a wonderful motor car the V8 Vantage was and remains.
This is one icon that doesn’t disappoint. It’s everything you could hope it would be, and more. And XYT 796T, I wish I was ageing as well as you! It was good to catch up.
PETER TOMALIN HAS BEEN WRITING ABOUT HIGH PERFORMANCE CARS FOR MORE THAN 30 YEARS. AT VARIOUS TIMES DEPUTY EDITOR OF PERFORMANCE CAR, EDITOR OF EVO AND MANAGING EDITOR OF VANTAGE MAGAZINE, HE’S HAD A LIFELONG LOVE OF ASTON MARTINS AND CURRENTLY OWNS A 2006 V8 VANTAGE.
VIEW FROM THE SHOWROOM
Ayoung Nicholas Mee joined Aston Martin Sales in 1976, just as the V8 Vantage was entering the final stages of development. He was in the thick of it when the new model went on sale the following year, and he’s spent the last 40-odd years buying and selling these wonderful cars. So there’s no-one better to recall the impact the model made when it was launched all those years ago – and no-one better to guide today’s potential owners through the current market.
Nick’s first exposure to the car came while it was still in prototype form. ‘I remember driving a V8 that was actually a Vantage but without the body addenda. It was up in Wales. It was an engineering car and it was fantastic,’ he smiles. ‘I remember it was on the Pirelli CN12s, which were great.’
The drive wasn’t without drama though. ‘At one point I floored it up this hill and went over the crest and lifted off and had the throttle stick open,’ he laughs. Teething problems…
‘The first time I saw a car with the full body kit was up at the factory. It was registered UMJ 71R (though for publicity shots it wore the usual press car plate, AM V8) and painted Tankard Grey. It was a bit of a development hack but it had the front bib and the blanked-off grille and the bolted-on rear spoiler. It was a bloody quick car actually.
‘And then we got our Sloane Street demonstrator, which was gold and had the registration RYK 1R, and we christened it The Rustler because it didn’t seem to have that much power! The early engines were individually built, and some were certainly better than others!
‘A good one was a very rapid motor car. A few years later, I was driving a Vantage back from Monaco on the autoroute and caught up with a Countach, and for 30 or 40 miles we were absolutely on it – and he couldn’t stay with me.’
The aerodynamic changes definitely worked. ‘They worked in moving traffic out of the way!’ chuckles Nick. ‘More seriously, on the motorway, passing high-sided vehicles at speed, in a standard V8 you’d really have to correct it. And though you didn’t know it, the front was lifting up at speed. Get into a Vantage and you could pass trucks with a 30mph speed difference and it was arrow-straight.’
So was it a sales success, and what effect did it have on the perception of Aston Martin? ‘What it did was attract a different buyer: people like Walter Wolf, the racer and F1 team owner, and Gordon Procter, the advertising guy with a thing for fast cars. He took delivery of his at Brands Hatch.
‘Rowan Atkinson had a V8 first, then a Vantage. Another customer was the Duke of Westminster… It attracted these high flyers. Because this was a genuine supercar.’
So that was then. How about now?
‘Buyers in the age group 40-60 are in the ascendency and year-on-year they’re buying more cars,’ says Nick. ‘For a 55-year-old buyer, when he was 15 and attending motor shows with his dad and collecting posters, the cars he was looking at were Porsche Turbos, Ferrari Testarossas and V8 Vantages.
‘So those cars are ingrained in him. When he gets to point where he can treat himself and dip a toe into the classic car world, those are the cars he’s looking at – and the V8 Vantage is right up there.’
The market has seen the inevitable peaks and troughs over the years. In the early noughties the going rate for a good Vantage was circa £50,000, but then prices started moving ahead, and from 2010 onwards they really started to fly: by the late 2010s, a good example was £400,000. But then around 2020-21 they started to drop back. Today that same car might be £275,000, but reckon on adding another £100k for a genuine X-Pack, such is the cachet attached to the V580X engine.
‘I’ve said for some time, don’t expect to buy a Vantage that’s worth buying for less than £200,000,’ cautions Nick. ‘If you do, it’s likely to require some steelwork, and then you’re into paint, and when you’ve had the paint done, the interior starts to look shabby, and where do you stop…’
The thing is, if you get into a full restoration, it’ll cost every bit as much as for a DB4 or DB5 – reckon on as much as £350,000 from a leading specialist – but ultimately Vantages can’t (yet) command the same showroom prices as those DB cars. Where a restored DB4 might be £450,000-plus, a restored non-X-Pack Vantage would be priced at around £275,000 today, so the sums just don’t add up.
For that reason, don’t expect to find the same number of fully restored cars as you would if you were looking at DB4s or 5s. Instead, expect to see cars that have had particular areas addressed – the sills, for example, which
are a notorious corrosion weak-spot. And that’s fine, as long as the work is done well and the owner stays on top of the regular maintenance these cars require (see View from the Workshop).
Other words of hard-won wisdom from Mr Mee? Be sure that what you’re buying is a genuine Vantage from the factory, if that is what is claimed. Plenty of V8s have been upgraded to ‘Vantage specification’. And don’t fixate too much on X-Pack cars. Nick reckons earlier cars have their own special appeal too.
‘The early bolt-on and flip-tail car has its followers. It’s the purist’s car,’ he says. Indeed, part of the attraction is the slightly rudimentary application of the aero addenda, born out of necessity because the company was still cash-strapped, but which only adds to their ‘skunkworks’ appeal.
‘Also, for the first few years of production, Vantages all had one-off cylinder heads, machined by hand, which does make them kind of interesting. Mostly bolt-on flip-tail cars, but some Oscar India too. When the V580 engine came in, all V8 cylinder heads were homogenised. It makes the 540 engines just a little more special, a little more bespoke to each car.
‘Another thing to keep in mind is that pre-X-Pack cars had a very flat power and torque curve, power everywhere, whereas X didn’t give you the same low-down power, it takes until 3000 or 4000 before it all starts to come on. Which is great, it’s exciting, but in the real world you’re not there all the time, you’re more often in the 2000 -3000 range.’
The most important thing, says Nick, is to find a car that’s been maintained by the right people. ‘As I often say, you can buy condition – if you spend enough – but you can’t buy history. You also want a car that’s not been in any major accidents. And in the early days, one or two certainly were. People just weren’t used to cars with that sort of power…’
VIEW FROM THE WORKSHOP
‘These cars are amongst our favourite Aston Martins,’ says Chris Green, Service and Aftercare manager at Nicholas Mee & Co. ‘With regular maintenance, the V8 Vantage has proven to be as reliable as it is highly desirable.
‘Of course, as with any classic of this era, things do have the potential to go wrong and condition needs to be carefully appraised. The simple fact is, any V8 Vantage is going to be at least 35 years old, and in the case of the older examples, 45-plus.’
So what do you need to be aware of if you’re considering a potential purchase? Unsurprisingly, it’s the body and underlying structure that should be the primary focus of attention. The Vantage uses the classic Aston method of hand-formed aluminum alloy outer panels over a steel superstructure, and both can be affected by corrosion, though it’s beneath the skin that the main problem areas lie.
‘The most important thing to check is the chassis,’ says Chris. ‘The sills in particular are a weak spot and if they need repairs you may have to cut away the bottoms of the wings, so there’s a lot of work – and then you’re into paint too. It can be a £20,000 plus VAT exercise and a
number of months in the workshop, so you can see the need to have these areas carefully checked, particularly if buying from a non-specialist or from an auction.
‘Happily, cosmetic refurbishment is highly do-able. Our V8 Volante refurbishment case study featured in this issue of FullBore explains the process in more detail. Budget circa £25,000 plus VAT for a complete interior re-trim and circa £25,000 plus VAT for a glass-out, bare-metal repaint. Of course, if body repairs are required, that budget will potentially to grow.’
Mechanically, in terms of the major components – the all-alloy V8 engine and five-speed ZF gearbox – the good news is that failures are very rare. ‘Mechanically, they’re really very strong if properly maintained, so the most important thing is evidence of regular servicing,’ says Chris.
When the cars were new, servicing intervals were every 5000 miles, with manual adjustment of the timing chains required every 10,000 miles. Most Vantages today do tiny mileages, but any reputable specialist will advise an annual service and checkover, not least to nip any developing issues in the bud and prevent larger bills further down the road.
Should an engine require a rebuild, costs will range from £25,000-£50,000 plus VAT dependant on requirements and build specification, for a gearbox rebuild £8,000£10,000 plus VAT again dependant on requirements. But don’t be deterred by higher mileage if the car has been well maintained. Both the engine and gearbox can and do run to 100,000-plus miles if maintained correctly.
Almost all V8 Vantages were fitted with the ZF five-speed manual gearbox. Only a handful of cars were fitted with an auto by the factory, so if the Vantage you’re looking at has an automatic ’box, chances are it’s not a Vantage at all but a regular V8 dressed up to look like one.
And what about the rest of the running gear? ‘The brakes tend to wear lightly during normal usage,’ says Chris. ‘One fault we do see from time to time is failure of the servos, which is a £2,000.00 fix for both servos to be removed and overhauled.
‘As with any vehicle, suspension parts are subject to wear and tear or ageing. We say owners should budget for a refresh typically every two to three years, dependant on usage and storage conditions: wishbone bushes, brake reaction bushes and king-pin joints being the main areas of focus.
‘Electrical gremlins can appear, but thankfully these are mostly a result of poor or corroded electrical connections. Obviously, electrical parts will need replacing from time to time, and some are now obsolete. However, we have a large network of expert sub-contractors, so the overhaul of window motors, gauges and wiper motors, to name but a few, is straightforward.’
For all of these reasons, if you’re buying outside the well-established Aston Martin specialist network, a prepurchase inspection is highly recommended. ‘We are able to carry this out for circa £600 plus VAT,’ says Chris, ‘and it will not only provide peace of mind but could potentially avoid unanticipated expense.’
And what about the ongoing costs once you’ve found and purchased your dream V8 Vantage?
Servicing costs start from £1,100.00 for a standard annual service, with the option to choose more in-depth work where additional fluids, filters and parts are either renewed or dismantled for inspection. A 5000-mile service currently costs £1,600.00 and a major 10,000-mile service is £2,600.00, all these prices being inclusive of VAT.
‘Alternatively,’ says Chris, ‘we can individually tailor a maintenance programme for any vehicle should annual mileage be minimal, or if the service history is unknown, as can often be the case on recent purchases. Our team are always happy to discuss these options, providing the best advice to guide clients through the process.’
And what steps can be taken to preserve the allimportant body and chassis? ‘Our advice is simple: regular inspections are key and if corrosion is found, act on it immediately. It can often be more cost-effective to deal with it in its early stages, before it spreads and the costs increase accordingly.
‘Overall, we suggest budgeting for circa £3,000 per year to keep a V8 Vantage on the road, and in a condition befitting Aston Martin’s – and Britain’s – first supercar.’
TALKING HEADS
The band got back together again the other day, cameras this time were James Elliott, Editor-in-Chief motoring journalist and YouTuber,
HEADS 2024
day, and joining Nick and Neal in front of the Editor-in-Chief of Octane magazine, and serious
Aston Martin-owning Alex Goy.
ONCE AGAIN STEVE WAKEFIELD WAS IN THE CHAIR, AND AS USUAL THE CONVERSATION FLOWED FREELY AND NO ONE HELD BACK. SUBJECTS COVERED THIS YEAR INCLUDED:
• How was 2024? A round-up of business activity, classic car events and the general health of the market
• Classic car auctions, both physical ones and timed online sales – can we learn anything from the results? If, in the case of the internet auctions, we can find them
• The big question – the state of the Aston Martin market in 2024 and looking ahead to next year.
• What’s hot and what’s not
• A look at the current Aston Martin range. One thing’s for sure, it’s not cheap
• It’s been another memorable F1 season, or has it?
• New signings at Aston: in F1 we reveal Adrian Newey’s daily driver, and over at Gaydon what should be on new CEO Adrian Hallmark’s to-do list
• Will president-elect Donald Trump make big-capacity ICE cars great again?
• Anything worth watching on YouTube? (Other than the NM&Co channel, obviously)
• The value proposition in 2025 – Nick and Neal offer some suggestions for under-the-radar Astons
• Our two guests choose their perfect two-car Aston Martin garage
And along the way we discuss 60 years of Goldfinger and the enduring effect of 007 on Aston Martin values. We even play a fun game, and you can too at home. It’s another memorable video. We know you will enjoy it.
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WORDS BY PETER TOMALIN
ROYAL COMMAND PERFORMANCE
Built for the Sultan of Brunei, this wide-body Virage Volante 6.3 is testament to the coachbuilder’s art. Earlier this year, Peter Tomalin made its acquaintance...
THERE ARE MANY AMAZING THINGS ABOUT THIS CAR, BUT IT’S WHAT IT REPRESENTS THAT I FIND MOST BEGUILING.
The 1990s were the last decade of truly handbuilt Aston Martins. An era when the wealthy customer could literally request anything their heart desired and the artisans of Newport Pagnell would craft it for them. And what you are looking at here is perhaps the ultimate expression of coachbuilding in the time-honoured style – but with the heart of a fire-breathing racing car. I’d better explain…
To rewind quickly, the regular Virage made its debut in 1988 as a fastback coupe. A Volante convertible soon followed, but initially as a two-seater only, which rather limited its sales prospects. The 2+2 Volante, with an additional two seats in the back, made its debut at the 1991 Geneva motor show and the order book quickly started to fill, though the first customer cars didn’t start rolling out of Newport Pagnell until early 1992.
Which is when this car, chassis 003, first enters the picture. For the 1992 Geneva show, AML showed two Virage variations, a new Shooting Brake and the now fully productionised 2+2 Volante – and 003 was the very example that appeared on the show stand, although it looked rather different back then.
Painted in retina-searing Ferrari Giallo Fly yellow with brown leather, it also appeared in the official AML brochures and publicity material of the time. But it would soon undergo the mother of all transformations. After Geneva it entered the workshops of the hallowed Customer Service Division (aka Works Service) where it became the first Volante to be converted to full, 6.3-litre, wide-body specification. The customer? No less a figure than the Sultan of Brunei.
The wide-body Virage 6.3 – in both coupe and Volante forms – has long been the stuff of Aston legend. Essentially it was Works’ answer for customers who found the standard Virage a touch under-endowed performance-wise and a touch underwhelming visually (the supercharged Vantage version was still some way off at this stage).
There was certainly nothing remotely shy or retiring about the 6.3. Bodywork, engine, chassis, gearbox and brakes all received major attention to create a car that put Aston back on the supercar map.
Central to the conversion, of course, was the 6.3-litre engine, originally conceived and developed by renowned specialist RS Williams in the late ’80s, drawing on experience gained with the Nimrod Group C racing car. The V8 was bored and stroked from the familiar 5340cc to 6347cc and there were new Cosworth racing pistons, a longer-throw forged steel crankshaft, reprofiled camshafts and gas-flowed ports. For the Virage application, the catalysts were ditched and the Weber-Alpha electronic fuel injection tweaked to suit. There was some new exhaust pipery, too, starting with some rather fine-looking tuned manifolds.
The result was 465bhp and 460lb ft of torque (vastly up on the standard car’s 330bhp and 350lb ft), putting the Virage 6.3 on a par with Lamborghini’s V12-engined Diablo. Subsequent revisions, including higher-lift cams, lifted the power peak even further to a claimed 500bhp!
The cost of the engine conversion alone was £25,000 (the full upgrade package cost £60,000, or more than £120k in today’s money). But straight-line performance was now of an altogether different magnitude, top speed rising from 155mph to a claimed 174mph, the 0-60mph time dropping from 6.5sec to just 5.4sec.
In order to give the invigorated Virage a fighting chance of staying on the road, Works made major changes to the suspension, fitting firmer springs and Koni dampers, plus stiffer anti-roll bars and rose-joints in place of rubber bushes for tighter control and more direct responses. The regular 16in wheels were swapped for 18in OZ split-rims wrapped in custommade 285/45 ZR18 Goodyear Eagle tyres (255/60s on the standard car), and lurking behind the spokes were monster 14in brake discs at the front, grabbed by fourpot AP Racing calipers, also derived from the AMR1 Group C car.
All that beefed-up hardware meant the Virage had rather outgrown its original aluminium tailoring. The answer was to cut away the front and rear wheelarches, have substantially wider ones beaten by hand and grafted seamlessly back into the body before the whole car was repainted – in 003’s case in Emerald Green.
This bespoke brute would make an eye-catching addition to the Sultan of Brunei’s famous collection. Whether he actually drove it isn’t known – he did have one or two other Astons at the time! – but what we do know is that it returned to Newport Pagnell in 1998 for a full refurb and an upgrade to the latest technical specifications.
The car was then sold to its first UK owner in 1999 and sold again in 2016 to a collector who commissioned a bare metal repaint in the current fabulous Galloway Green with a new dark green mohair hood, plus a full engine rebuild by V8 specialists Oselli, the net result of which was a dyno-confirmed 489.6bhp. Be in no doubt about the potency of a fighting fit 6.3!
Just how special is this car? A mere 19 Virage Volantes were built to full 6.3 wide-body specification, and this
was the very first of them. Indeed, such is its rarity and significance that it was selected for display at the 2023 Hampton Court Concours of Elegance. A monument, then, to the coachbuilder’s craft, but with an engine of massive, undeniable potency.
And earlier this year, just before the car was sold to its latest custodian by Nicholas Mee & Co, I was fortunate enough to experience it first-hand.
Before you slip inside, you simply have to spend a minute or two drinking it all in: those fetchingly swollen arches, the extended chin spoiler and the bootmounted aerofoil, the deeply dished, split-rim alloys... It’s not exactly subtle, but boy does it have presence.
If the exterior speaks unashamedly of performance, the cabin oozes pure luxury, from the plumply upholstered sports seats to the peerless wood veneers to the Alcantara hood lining. So it’s almost a shock when you squeeze the starter button and that mighty engine erupts into life with a full-throated roar and the lightest squeeze of the throttle has the revs flying around the tacho. There’s a racer’s edge here, a lack of inertia that suggests a balance and lightness to the engine’s internals to match its fire and fury.
With near-as-dammit 450lb ft of torque to handle, the transmission has to be suitably beefy. When new there was a choice of three-speed automatic, five-speed ZF manual or close-ratio six-speeder. This car has the five-speed ZF gearbox, with an RS Williams short-shift action, as fitted to many a classic V8 Aston.
First is on a dog-leg, with the remaining four ratios in the usual H-pattern, which take a little acclimatisation but soon becomes second nature. The shift itself has a tight, mechanical feel, while the clutch pedal is, predictably, weightily sprung but takes up with pleasing progression. The only thing you have to watch is to keep a few revs dialled in to avoid stalling – not something you’d anticipate with 6.3 litres of V8 muscle under your right foot.
It’s actually a bit of a pussycat as you ease yourself in, with almost disarmingly light power steering, though the sheer size and weight of the car mean you exercise restraint until the road stretches out and the traffic clears. A mile or two of dual-carriageway allows you to open the taps and the Aston responds with real urgency, piling on speed and momentum as only a big, heavy, massively powerful car can. Fortunately the uprated stoppers feel more than up to the task of reining it back in again.
The further and harder you drive, the more you relax with it. The fingertip-light steering, a smidge unnerving at first, gains in weight and feel through turns; the suspension copes well with less-than-optimum surfaces, and there’s an underlying poise that allows you to take roundabouts and sequences of bends at a surprising lick. No, it’s never going to feel like a sports car, but for a super-luxury tourer with a direct bloodline flowing from those classic Aston V8s of the ’70s and ’80s, it acquits itself well.
But it’s the engine that makes by far the biggest impression, for its fabulous soundtrack, its abundance of power and torque, and its sheer vitality. I’d expected it to feel muscular – how could it not? – but the way it revs and zings and rips the air apart is something else.
From 3500rpm onwards it takes on another dimension, power swelling as its rich V8 baritone grows and grows. It really does feel like a racing engine trapped in a beautifully appointed drawing room, and I don’t think I’d ever tire of it.
You may have noticed that 1990s classics are very much in demand right now, and from its tail spoiler to its split-rim OZ alloys, the Volante 6.3 is a living monument to the era of Britpop. For years, collectors have homed in on the 1980s ‘Prince of Wales’ V8 Vantage Volante, arguably this car’s closest equivalent in the Aston Martin family. But the simple fact is that the wide-body 6.3 is both rarer and way more powerful!
It is also symbolic of the end of an era for Aston Martin, with the engineers and craftsmen (and women) of Newport Pagnell bringing all their skills and experience to bear on the last generation of great hand-built Astons of the old school. What finer testament to their talents than this bespoke brute of a motor car?
PETER TOMALIN HAS BEEN WRITING ABOUT HIGH PERFORMANCE CARS FOR MORE THAN 30 YEARS. AT VARIOUS TIMES DEPUTY EDITOR OF PERFORMANCE CAR, EDITOR OF EVO AND MANAGING EDITOR OF VANTAGE MAGAZINE, HE’S HAD A LIFELONG LOVE OF ASTON MARTINS AND CURRENTLY OWNS A 2006 V8 VANTAGE.
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REINVIGORATED:
Upgrading and refurbishing a V8 Volante.
ON OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL LAST YEAR WE RAN A FEATURE ON RENOVATING A 1985 ASTON MARTIN V8 EFI. IT PROVED TO BE ONE OF OUR MOST POPULAR VIDEOS.
Using our extensive knowledge of these cars –helped in no small measure by Nick running the official sales office in London back in the day – we were able to meet the client’s needs of a refurbished, upgraded and personalised V8 Saloon from the glory years of the model in the 1980s.
Our latest video is on the same theme, but this time we were given a 1983 V8 Volante by the current owner on which the NM&CO Service and Aftercare department worked their magic. By good fortune, though perhaps unsurprisingly, Nick had sold this one new to the Sultan of Brunei when working at Aston Martin Sales.
The car was an ideal candidate for work as it had had just two owners from new and had hardly covered more than 11,000 miles when we took it into stock –quite remarkable considering it was 40 years old.
The car was bought by an enthusiast, new to us, a quite visionary client who had watched our V8 Saloon video and liked the idea of a convertible given the same treatment. The commission was to extensively refurbish the Volante, discretely upgrading it under the skin.
The process took nine months. I think you will agree the result is a tastefully upgraded and improved V8 Volante, fit to give future owners another 40 years of driving satisfaction.
Once exterior and interior work was finished and the car given a thorough mechanical and electrical overhaul, road testing and final detailing, it was presented to its delighted owner last month, November 2024. Incidentally, as a very expensive car when new, it’s one of only 134 Weber carburettor RHD V8 Volantes built from 1979 to 1985.
The entire process of deciding on which upgrades to incorporate, and exactly how best to achieve the client’s wishes is an immensely satisfying one. It’s been very much a team effort, with all of us discussing every step with the owner of the car.
We are certain you will enjoy this video. And if, as an Aston owner of any model, you would like to talk to us about similar work on your car, do get in touch. Our Service & Aftercare team would be delighted to hear from you.
Our YouTube channel is packed with similar videos and other interesting content – do subscribe for more.
WHAT’S IN STOCK
In this section we showcase a selection of the best examples of Aston Martin motor cars from the 1950s to the present day, all available for sale at our new, purpose-built ‘destination’ premises on the historic Hatfield Park Estate in Hertfordshire.
Prior to delivery, all cars are supplied serviced according to schedule, with a pre-delivery Inspection Report, 12 months MOT and 12 months warranty.
Finance for any vehicle is available with our dealer partner, Classic & Sports Finance
1961 ASTON MARTIN DB4GT £POA
OVERVIEW
Aston Martin built 75 DB4 GTs from 1959 to 1963. It was the most potent of all the series production ‘DB’ six-cylinders: the marque’s equivalent of Ferrari’s 250 GT SWB.
Chassis DB4 GT/0193/R was delivered new to Surrey in 1961 and only sold after 17 years in single ownership. Our client, an Aston Martin enthusiast and historic racer of long-standing, bought the car in 2006, sending it to renowned marque specialist RS Williams for a restoration that included an engine rebuilt to 365bhp,
4.7-litre specification, with braking and handling to match.
Presented in as-delivered Sage Green, and with a Connolly Tan interior, it has covered only 5,000 miles since the work was completed. The superlative driver’s car comes complete with a leather-bound history folder that includes a copy of its factory build sheet, BMI Heritage Certificate, invoices, correspondence and a photographic record of the work completed at RSW. $8m Ferrari SWB drivers watch out – this car will leave you standing.
1953 ASTON MARTIN DB2 £POA
OVERVIEW
The 1950-1959 DB2 was the first Aston Martin with a six-cylinder engine, raced and rallied throughout the 1950s and was the main showroom model until replaced by the DB4. One of only eight cars delivered to Sweden – Prince Bertil owned a DB2 DHC – this DB2 was ordered by Swedish racing driver Jo Bonnier.
The previous owner, who bought the car in 1986, commissioned a nut-and-bolt, body-off restoration and preparation to ‘fast road’ specification by model specialist Rex J Woodgate Ltd in the mid-2000s. It now has a 3.0-litre, alloy-head, triple-Weber engine producing 220bhp, improved suspension, Borrani alloy-rim wire wheels and front disc brakes. All the work has been documented and comes in a folder with the car.
For safety, a leather-covered half roll-cage and competition seats were fitted, and it has a dual stopwatch set-up in the cockpit. With exhilarating performance, this is a DB2 like few others and surely eligible for all the best events.
OVERVIEW
A quintessential ‘brute in a suit’, the Aston Martin V8 Vantage V550 was the last model produced entirely by hand at Newport Pagnell. Only 239 left Tickford St before production was turned over to the Vanquish.
This 1999 V550 is one of the last 10 built and, like all, has a lavish specification: 8-way electric seating, climate control, ABS braking and driver’s air bag. Its 550bhp twin-supercharged engine pulls the car along to 186mph (299km/h). The car was delivered in April
1999 in Antrim Blue – a favourite of ours – over a Parchment hide interior. As one of the final cars, it has improved door mirrors, door handles, exhaust and cooling systems.
We’ve known this one for a long time and have looked after it in recent years. Its history folder includes records for 26 services in its 25-year, 25,140 miles life. It comes complete with all manuals, jack and tools. They don’t make them like they used to. Enjoy this ultimate handmade Aston Martin while you can.
OVERVIEW
The combination of a DB4 GT Zagato Continuation with a new DBS GT Zagato carried a price tag of some £6.1 million (plus taxes) when launched in Rhode Island in 2019. It celebrated 100 years of the Milanese coachbuilder and 60 years of its cooperation with Aston Martin. Production was limited to just 19 pairs. This duo is finished in Caribbean Pearl, the colour of the final original car delivered in 1962.
The DB4 GT Zagato Continuation was handbuilt to the model’s
original specification at the spiritual home of ‘DB’ Aston Martins, Newport Pagnell. Discrete upgrades make the cars even more rewarding to drive, much faster than the 19 originals.
With styling input from Milan, Gaydon created another masterpiece when it produced the DBS GT Zagato. The fulllength, all-carbonfibre trademark ‘double-bubble’ roof gives the car a typically aggressive Zagato stance. Under the bonnet AML reworked the twin-turbo V12 to produce 760bhp.
VIDEO: OLIVER TOMLINSON-ROE
With a more settled economic climate in the UK leading to increased sales activity in the second half of this year, Nick and Neal were on the hunt for talent to join the sales team, eventually building a client ‘black book’ of their own.
Our company is a business that has always offered its employees a rewarding and fulfilling place to work. We give everyone here at Essendonbury Farm the opportunity to develop their professional experience and progress their careers. We like to promote from within.
Step forward, then, Oliver Tomlinson-Roe, who moves from his role as Service Advisor, a position he has held since 2021, to sales. Oliver comes from a car-loving and Aston-owning family, and he began his career in the classic car industry serving a five-year commercial apprenticeship at world-renowned Rolls-Royce and Bentley heritage specialist P&A Wood of Dunmow, Essex.
The attraction of the Aston Martin marque proved too much to resist, and he joined Service & Aftercare Manager Chris Green’s team three years ago. Oliver’s progress was impressive, his work winning him 5* reviews from many clients. Chris’s loss is the sales department’s gain, and after a short transition period training up his replacement, Oliver has already proved he has what it takes in his new position, an ‘Aston man’ to the core.
This short film, shot by our highly talented Essendonbury Farm neighbour Simon Friedberg, gives you the opportunity to meet Oliver and learn a little bit more about him. Simon produced last year’s memorable ‘A Legacy in Aston Martin’ video and this one is a terrific follow-up.
We hope you will join us wishing this impressive young man the best of luck with his career.
THE TEN-TWO CLUB IN 2024
— and looking forward to 2025
Our four-monthly social gathering the Ten-Two Club is now a permanent and popular fixture on the events calendar.
We’ve always wanted to make it the right crowd and no crowding – where have we heard that before? – and 2024 was no exception.
We opened the doors to Essendonbury Farm three times this year. One of the reasons why we made the move from West London in 2018 was to be able to meet friends, social media followers and clients old and new in relaxed country surroundings. There had to be plenty of space to park, no hassle with London traffic and restrictions and great driving roads – that are right on our doorstep.
The Ten-Two Club not only welcomes guests to mingle and talk cars – Astons, if possible, but it’s not compulsory – it also gives visitors the chance to “see the business in 4D,” as Neal puts it. The showroom and servicing facilities are open to all, and friendly staff are on hand to share their extensive knowledge. The service technicians have even been able to diagnose and fix a few minor issues on the spot.
Everyone is welcome. We’ve had the pleasure of greeting cars as varied as pre-war Aston Martins and Rolls-Royces, classic 1960s DBs, Caterhams and Ferraris. The ‘star of the show’ at our summer 2024 event was a brand-new Aston Martin Valour. It was an incredible opportunity for our visitors to see one of these super-rare cars, close up and in the wild.
We mix it up with the food vendors to make each event more of a unique experience. This year, in addition to our ever-popular crêpe stand, West London-based Le Swine, makers of ‘Britain’s Best Bacon Butty’, visited Essendonbury Farm in one of their converted vintage ambulances. If we can book them in, enjoy the butties and don’t miss out on their Bloody Mary – the best we have ever had.
We are already planning the schedule for the Ten-Two Club in 2025. Provisional dates are:
• 17 MAY 2025
• 5 JULY 2025
• 21 SEPTEMBER 2025
Over the winter months we are working on special content for our 2025 events and considering how we improve the formula. Stay tuned for more information which we always share in our monthly emails and you can also keep up to date on news, announcements and photos on our dedicated Ten Two Club Instagram feed @ten_two_club
As always, do check before you set off. We look forward to seeing you at Essendonbury Farm next year.
Enjoy this short video of our May 2024 event:
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DIARY DATES FOR 2025
GET OUT AND DRIVE
The NM&Co insiders’ guide to must-do events for Aston Martin enthusiasts in the new year.
Getting out and about in your treasured Aston Martin is one of the best bits of ownership. We’ve had another terrific year visiting events, sometimes treating them as a driving holiday or enjoyable day out on the road, on other occasions taking the Eurostar or jumping on a plane.
Don’t forget the Essendonbury Farm Ten-Two Club meetings detailed elsewhere in FullBore, but here are some suggestions on how to enjoy your car with other like-minded enthusiasts, or top-tier concours and historic race meetings that you can visit by car, train or aeroplane.
25
BROOKLANDS MUSEUM NEW YEAR’S DAY CLASSIC GATHERING BROOKLANDS, SURREY | 1 JANUARY 2025
The perfect season-opener at the birthplace of British motor racing, the setting for many an Aston Martin triumph before WW2.
If you drive a convertible, you must drop that roof – just the thing to blow the Christmas cobwebs away.
Click here for more details
SALON RÉTROMOBILE
PORTE DE VERSAILLES, PARIS, FRANCE 5-9 FEBRUARY 2025
We do not recommend driving to this one, but we thoroughly endorse the event. It’s the first major international meeting of the year and anyone who’s anyone will be in Paris. It’s so easy to get to (Eurostar and Metro, or a flight to Charles de Gaulle or Orly) and need not be expensive.
If you have never been before, it’s a must-do, with all the attractions of Paris thrown in. Allow two days.
See: retromobile.com/en
THE I.C.E.
ST MORITZ, SWITZERLAND | 21-22 FEBRUARY 2025
Did we say “need not be expensive” for Paris Rétromobile? The International Concours of Elegance (I.C.E.) is held in the billionaires’ playground of St Moritz so expect some serious bar bills. But, weather permitting (it was snowed off this year), The I.C.E. held on the frozen waters of the lake is an event like no other.
When owners order new studded snow tyres for their $4m Lamborghini Miura P400 SVs, you get the picture.
See: theicestmoritz.ch
RADWOOD
THE GOLF CLUB OF AMELIA ISLAND, AMELIA ISLAND, FLORIDA, USA 8 MARCH 2025
“RADwood is a celebration of ’80s and ’90s lifestyle, blending period correct dress with automotive awesomeness.”
That’s the take from the organisers, the enthusiasts working for US insurance giant Hagerty. It’s held in parallel with the respected Amelia Island Concours, now simply ‘The Amelia’, where half the field is Brass Era oldies, the other the best racing machines from the ’60s and ’70s.
Whether you are interested in the really old, icons of motor racing or the motoring equivalent of wide-shouldered jackets and Lady Diana haircuts, make the trip to Florida and you will get a lot of bang for your buck. It’s so amazing!
See: radwood.com
CONCORSO D’ELEGANZA VILLA D’ESTE
VILLA D’ESTE, COMO, ITALY | 23-25 MAY 2025
The world’s most glamorous event where what you wear from neck to toe counts as much as what car you turned up in. The cars on display at Villa d’Este are the most elegant, unusual and often most valuable in the world. Saturday is essentially a by-invitation private event, but Sunday is given over to the public and for a nominal figure you can enjoy all the cars on static display at nearby Villa Erba. Later in the day they are presented in the grounds of the villa by urbane, multilingual MC Simon Kidston.
Either drive to Como and stay in the Italian Lakes for a few days, or fly to Malpensa, get a chauffeur from the airport to Como (where hotels are not expensive) then hop on a scheduled passenger ferry (14 minute-trip every 45 minutes or so in daytime, around €3) from Como to Cernobbi.
See: concorsodeleganzavilladeste.com
We have supported the London Concours since its inception and cannot recommend it highly enough.
See: londonconcours.co.uk
VELOCITY INVITATIONAL SONOMA, CALIFORNIA, USA | 6-8 JUNE 2025
This is a great event held in the heart of California wine country. Think of it as the Goodwood Festival meets the Monterey Historics. Coming from across the pond, expect to see racing cars run on display laps or against the clock that you’d unlikely see in Europe.
Cars such NASCAR and IMSA GTPs, as well as the best F1 and sports-racing machinery from before WW2 to the late 2010s.
See: velocityinvitational.com
SIMPLY ASTON
BEAULIEU, HAMPSHIRE | 19 JULY 2025
The clue is in the name – a great event dedicated to our favourite marque. One of the best things is the drive down through the beautiful New Forest.
See: beaulieu.co.uk/events/simply-aston-martin-3
YORKSHIRE ELEGANCE
GRANTLEY HALL, RIPON, NORTH YORKSHIRE | 22-24 JULY 2025
Speaking of driving roads, North Yorkshire has some stunning topography and it’s a wonderful place to be at the wheel of an Aston.
This is a relatively new event and the location looks impressive.
See: yorkshireelegance.com
FESTIVAL OF THE UNEXCEPTIONAL GRIMSTHORPE CASTLE, LINCOLNSHIRE | 26 JULY 2025
“It’s not beige, it’s Harvest Gold.” So ran a sign at last year’s Festival, the Hagerty-sponsored tribute to everything ordinary – and sometimes just plain naff –produced for the masses mainly in the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s.
If that amuses you, as it did us, do make the trip to Lincolnshire next summer. While you are there, check out the local town Bourne, formerly the home of British Racing Motos (BRM).
SILVERSTONE CIRCUIT, NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 22-24 AUGUST 2025
Goodwood is great but Silverstone in August has a different vibe: you can wear what you like and it’s nonstop racing, with some seriously fast cars taking to the circuit that’s the home of the British Grand Prix.
Expect to see historic Aston Martins ranging from DB3Ss and DB4 GTs to more modern machinery including DBR9s.
The meeting that started the trend for Cars and Coffee in the UK and is now such a sell-out you need to get in quick to secure a place. From pocket money VSCC Austin 7 trials cars to $20m McLaren F1 GTRs, Bicester has it all.
See: bicesterheritage.co.uk/scramble
CONCOURS OF ELEGANCE
HAMPTON COURT PALACE, LONDON BOROUGH OF RICHMOND UPON THAMES 5-7 SEPTEMBER 2025
Quite simply THE concours event of the year in the UK, one standing tall with Pebble Beach and Villa d’Este. Going on Friday, Preview Day, is more expensive but worth the outlay. We always attend and meet so many friends there the time just disappears.
A dramatic setting, easy access and parking and –generally – fine weather with a drop dead gorgeous selection of cars, the Concours of Elegance has it all.
See concoursofelegance.co.uk
Please note: Dates correct as of December 2024. Do check with the organisers before booking or setting off.
PARTING SHOT
Deep in Tickford, St, Lapland, Santa’s elves are hard at work building a new dramatic ‘wedge’ styling. Just the thing for delivering presents around the world
four-door sleigh with world at Christmas in 1976.
Nicholas Mee & Company will be closed 3pm Monday 23rd December to 8am
For any sales enquiries during that info@nicholasmee.co.uk Viewings can be arranged
OPENING HOURS
closed for the Christmas holidays from: 8am Monday 6th January 2025. that period, please either email or call 07718 340811. arranged by appointment.
