Indholdsfortegnelse for Issue 13 i Aston Martin Driver

TWO OF the most common questions I’m asked are, “Do you want fries with that?” and, “How do we fill a magazine six times a year about a company as small as Aston Martin?” The answer to the first is simple; always yes. As for the second, while it’s true the firm has produced as many cars in its 111-year history as Mercedes-Benz does in 12 months, they’ve all been incredibly varied. Take the cars featured in this issue. From the rare Italian-designed V8 Zagato to the equally scarce DBS Vantage manual, the iconic DB4 to the extremely fast Vantage GT8 (pictured above), other than the famous winged badge on their noses, they have very little in common. It’s these differences that makes the Aston Martin brand so fascinating to…

Racing in the new-for-2024 LMGT3 class, the US-based Heart of Racing team, and its drivers Ian James (GBR), Daniel Mancinelli (ITA) and Alex Riberas (ESP), narrowly missed out on a maiden class victory at world level, having led the Qatar 1812 Km for large periods of the event. Ultimately, the team finished a mere five seconds behind the winning car after a storming drive. Second place was the Heart of Racing’s best result on only its fifth race in the WEC, and marks its second consecutive podium finish, after the team was placed third in the 2023 8 Hours of Bahrain finale last November. Underlining the exciting potential of the new Vantage GT3, D’station Racing also delivered its second consecutive podium finish with third place, after charging through the order…

SAVE 45% EASY WAYS TO SUBSCRIBE 1.Go to shop.kelsey.co.uk/AMD2024P 2. Call us 01959 543747*** quote AMD2024P 3. Use this QR CODE to go directly to our website 4. Complete the FREEPOST POSTAL COUPON *** Lines open Monday-Friday, 8:30am-5:30pm. Calls charged at your standard network rate Note from editor It couldn’t be easier to sign up for a whole 2 years of Aston Martin cars with a subscription to Aston Martin Driver, the magazine which loves our special cars just as much as you do. Join the Aston Martin Driver family and you’ll be part of the ever-growing community who love everything to do with our wonderful classic cars. Guarantee your copy every month have each issue delivered directly – while saving on the cover price with this great offer. 4 GREAT REASONS…

YOU MIGHT not think it, but this 1995 DB7 is arguably as important as the DB5 that appeared in Goldfinger. Although it lacks any machine guns, an ejector seat or rear shield, it gave the model almost as much exposure as the Bond film did its iconic predecessor 30 years earlier. As former press car, lent to motoring journalists like me to assess for magazines like this, it continued to show that the DB7 was a new kind of Aston, a smaller, cheaper, and more accessible car than the current V8 models. Plus, it also demonstrated the model had been improved over the well-documented problematic early versions from the year before. The fact that the DB7 became the company’s most successful model, until the V8 Vantage that arrived almost a…

LET’S BE clear about this from the outset; if it’s subtlety you’re after, then the Vantage GT8 isn’t for you. With its Forth Road Bridge-sized rear wing, jutting out front splitter, loud paint schemes and even louder engine, the GT8 is to discretion what Ryanair is to luxury. But if you’re wanting one of the most dramatic and best-handling Aston Martins from the last decade that has the added advantage of genuine rarity then read on. Whereas the earlier V8 Vantage S had been influenced by the GT4 and N24 competition models, the GT8 was inspired by the GTE version that was Aston’s entrant in the FIA World Endurance Championship. “We long held the desire to create a road car that truly reflects our racing activity at Le Mans,” said…

The latest Vantage FIA safety car that will be used throughout the 2024 season has been revealed. Described by Aston Martin as the “most driver-focused Vantage ever,” it has been perfectly tuned and uniquely equipped to lead the F1 grid around some of the world’s most daunting tracks. Powered by a potent, hand-built 4.0 twin-turbo V8, such is the performance of the new road-going Vantage, it required no engine upgrade, no changes to its cooling system and no upgrade in braking performance to adapt it for its role as the FIA safety car. Bernd Mayländer, FIA’s safety car driver, said, “It is a pleasure to drive the Aston Martin Vantage. The car comes from an incredible bloodline and this newest version is the fastest yet. My first impressions were very…

JEALOUSY. IT can do odd things to an average person. It can make the most placid of husbands get into fist fights over their wives, make normally careful neighbours become debt-ridden as they try to compete with each other and transforms usually careful drivers into Max Verstappen if they’re overtaken by lesser powered cars. It can also make owners of a tiny but prestigious car manufacturer instigate one of the most memorable cars of the Eighties even though the company was severely broke at the time. When Aston Martin’s then chairman, Victor Gauntlett, was at the 1984 Geneva Motor Show and witnessed how many deposits Ferrari and Porsche were taking for their 288 GTO and Gruppe B prototype (later called the 959) respectively, he grew jealous. He too wanted a…

WITH ITS more angular lines than Aston Martin’s previous models, when the William Towns-designed DBS arrived in late 1967 it was seen as an all-new and much more contemporary car than its increasingly old-fashioned predecessors. “The aluminium alloy-panelled body has little of the rounded smooth look of the DB6,” said Autocar magazine in its September 28 1967 issue, “yet is still sleek, despite the sharp lines that are one of its main features.” Looks can be deceiving, though, since under that new body was the same albeit widened steel platform as the DB6. Plus, as is well-documented, since Aston Martin’s new 5.3-litre V8 that was destined for the DBS wasn’t ready at the time of the car’s debut, it was originally powered by the same 252bhp overhead camshaft 4.0-litre straight-six…

LAUNCHED IN October 1958 and manufactured until June 1963, by setting the standard for the later models, the DB4 has become one of the most sought-after Aston Martins of the David Brown era. When new, its specification was ahead of the competition, boasting a top speed of 140mph from a new Tadek Marek straight-six 3,670cc engine that could propel the four-seater car from standing to 60mph in nine seconds. It was the first production car capable of accelerating from stationary to 100mph and back to standing in less than 30 seconds. The DB4’s aluminium bodywork had been designed by Touring of Italy and was wrapped around a sophisticated superstructure. Under the skin, there were modern components including servo-assisted disc brakes all round and an all-synchro four-speed manual gearbox. Initially available…

in association with TO A degree, modern-day GT racing around the world is the most direct reflection on the origins of all motorsport. To begin with, only very wealthy automotive enthusiasts could afford to buy and operate motor vehicles let alone race them. The current GT racing landscape too is populated by well-heeled amateur drivers who are out to slake their thirst for speed. This is usually done by purchasing an off-the-peg specially designed sportscar to the top-flight rules, GT3, or the more accessible and more production focused GT4 regulations. The enthusiastic GT amateur racers will then place their pride and joy with a well-known team and usually hire the services of a ‘gun’ driver for the second seat, regularly an up-and-coming racer or a marque specialist, and then be…

Hallmark (61) will bring more than 25 years of highly successful senior automotive experience from the US, Europe, and Asia with companies such as Bentley, Porsche, JLR and Volkswagen. Said Hallmark, “Like many working within the ultra-luxury segment, I have admired the continued transformation of Aston Martin’s brand and products from afar and feel honoured to have the opportunity to work with Lawrence Stroll, the board and the company’s employees to lead its next chapter. “The transformation of Aston Martin is one of the most exciting projects within the ultra-luxury automotive industry. I am looking forward to continuing the company’s great momentum and utilising my experience and passion to further unleash this iconic brand’s potential and take it to even greater success.” Ensuring a smooth transition in leadership, 77-year-old Amedeo…

CORDLESS INFLATER Machine Mart has recently launched a new battery powered tyre inflator from its Clarke range. The on-board air compressor can inflate anything from a football to a car tyre using a range of supplied adaptors. Powered by a 2Ah 7.4-volt rechargeable lithium-ion battery, which takes up to seven hours to fully charge, this tyre inflator has a 15cm-long USB-C charging cable. It also has an inbuilt torch and everything is contained in a storage bag. Price: £57.59 inc VAT Web: www.machinemart.co.uk KEY SAFE New from Defender Security Products is this compact key safe that offers greater interior space because the locking mechanism is located within the door. DSP says it can store up to ten keys on one keyring. It has passed stringent attack testing to LPS 1174…

Carrozzeria Alfredo Vignale THE TURIN-based Vignale is arguably the first Italian coachbuilder to rebody a post-war Aston Martin, when it gave the third DB3 a stylish new coupe body. Originally a works car, it was bought in May 1953 by a wealthy French driver, Michel Poberejsky, who commissioned Vignale to design a lightweight coupe body. Poberejsky then entered the DB3 into the last endurance race of the season, the 12 Hours of Casablanca in December, when he and Aston Martin team driver Roy Salvadori finished fourth overall. In 1954, the Frenchman returned the car to Aston Martin to have the latest DB3S engine fitted, before replacing the coupe with a Ferrari 750 Monza the following year. At some point in the late Fifties, the Vignale bodywork was removed and fitted…

AFTER ARRIVING at Aston Keeper’s premises, I admit to checking the address Ryszard Nowobilski had given me since I am in a quiet and leafy street in Egham, Surrey. It’s only when he opens the door of the house in front of me that I realise I’m at the right place and that Aston Keeper is clearly based at his home. “It helps keep the overheads down,” explains Ryszard (pronounced Ri-shard) openly when he sees my confusion. Its location is just one of many reasons that makes Aston Keeper Ltd different from most other specialists. Another is that most of Ryszard’s expertise was handed down through the generations: his father Krzysztof used to race in Formula Ford (competing against such luminaries as David Coulthard and Eddie Irvine) with his dad.…

ALTHOUGH NOT as well known today as some of his contemporaries, Eric Thompson remains an important figure in Aston Martin’s endurance racing programme of the Fifties. Born at Long Ditton, Surrey in November 1919, Eric grew up in Cobham. Close to the famous Brooklands circuit, he would regularly attend races, sparking a lifelong interest in motorsport. In 1938, Eric and his brother entered the Land’s End Trial in an Alvis. “It was a totally unsuitable car,” he acknowledged in Anthony Pritchard’s 2006 book, Aston Martin: A Racing History, “it had no ground clearance and no steering lock.” Replacing this with a Ford V8 saw the pair enjoy more success, including a Premier Award at the following year’s event. When he returned home, he became an insurance broker for Lloyd’s, a…