Indholdsfortegnelse for Issue 17 i Aston Martin Driver

After three years, 17 issues and countless cars, this, sadly, is the final issue of Aston Martin Driver. Having taken over from issue number three, it’s been a genuine honour to have been at the helm for the majority of the magazine’s history and from my first photoshoot way back in June 2022 of a 1976 V8 Vantage prototype (pictured above) to my final one at the end of 2024 with a Rapide S and DBX for the front cover twin test feature of this issue, I’ve driven some amazing cars in that time. You can read which have been my ten favourites (and the one that didn’t make the list due to breaking down on me twice) from page 19. I’d also like to thank everyone who has helped…

Aston Martin’s footprint in the north of England is also boosted by the launch of a new 1,468m2 dealership in Leeds, operated by Yorkshire-based automotive retailer JCT600. Marshall Motor Group has joined the UK dealer network and will operate from Sevenoaks, representing the South East of England.…

Celebrations will kick-off in London with a nod to the founders meeting, which took place at the Grafton Hotel. Summer brings a tour of Northern England and Scotland before the club heads to France for all things Le Mans. In the autumn, a European tour will coincide with the International Anniversary Weekend where members from all corners of Europe will gather at the foot of the stunning Steinernes Meer mountains to celebrate. The Aston Martin Owners Club has over 8,000 members worldwide. For further details on how to join, visit the club’s website at www.amoc.org.…

However, classic cars are exempt from CGT and also the recent increase, as Tom Wood, founder of Car & Classic (www.carandclassic.com), explains, “Unlike other assets, classic cars, while legally considered ‘wasting’, often appreciate over time due to factors like restoration, rarity, and historical appeal. For collectors, the CGT exemption adds even more value to these vehicles.” To qualify for the CGT exemption, cars must remain in their original ‘personal use’ configuration. Any modifications, such as for racing, could change their tax status.…

WHEN ASTON Martin specialist Stephen Archer was asked to manage the restoration of an extremely rare DB5 Vantage, he had an in-depth conversation with the owner to decide what should be preserved and what must be replaced. As Stephen made clear, “This is a discussion that should be had around every restoration, originality is very important and it can only be original once.” In the case of the DB5 Vantage seen here, it appeared to be unmolested when it was inspected for its restoration. “It’s always better to start with a car that has previously been untouched,” explains Stephen, who restored his first Aston Martin, a DB6 Mk2 Volante, back in 1975 and was racing Astons three years later. Having owned almost every classic DB and lost count of how…

Q: Many of the ZF automatic gearboxes found in Aston Martins are supposedly filled for life, so the oil inside them shouldn’t need to be changed along with the filter, but is that wise, especially on an older vehicle? A: ZF automatic transmissions are always filled with service life oil (not filled for life). However, due to the many influencing variables on the service life of transmissions in individual vehicles, ZF recommends an oil change after a maximum of 150,000km or eight years at the latest for its 6HP and 8HP transmissions. Q: So, was it a mistake to recommend not servicing your gearboxes? A: Unfortunately, we can only advise the vehicle manufacturers on a recommended service schedule for our transmissions. It is up to them to suggest to the…

Powered by a 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbo petrol engine, producing 680PS (671bhp) with 800Nm of torque, the DB12 Goldfinger Edition is strictly limited to a run of 60 cars, all finished with Silver Birch exterior paintwork, featuring 21in multi-spoke wheels, bespoke gold side strakes and a unique Aston Martin logo in silver with a black enamel finish. Inside this special edition, the leather Sports Plus seats are finished in the classic DB5 fluted style with an intricate Prince of Wales check perforation pattern, which extends to the door inserts and the headliner, as well as being etched on to a unique treadplate. A polished sill plaque adorns the Goldfinger 60th anniversary logo. A subtle nod for Bond aficionados is the ‘eight of hearts’ embroidered onto the driver’s sunvisor, which references the…

The 82nd Members’ Meeting will take place on Saturday 12 & Sunday 13 April. Early bird tickets are available to members and fellows of the Goodwood Road Racing Club until Tuesday 31 December (joining the GRRC Fellowship costs £85 per year) via goodwood.com or by calling the ticket office on 01243 755055. The Goodwood Members’ Meeting is an access all areas, epic weekend of motor racing, hosted by and exclusively for the Goodwood Road Racing Club. As well as a full programme of racing, the Members’ Meeting features all kinds of cars from classic tin-tops and GTs, to motorcycles and open-wheeled Formula 3 and Formula 1 machines. Founded by the Duke of Richmond, the annual event aims to re-create the atmosphere and camaraderie of the original BARC Members’ Meetings held…

ONE OF the best aspects of editing AMD since mid-2022 has been the many models I’ve been lucky enough to drive. From a pre-war model to relatively new cars, iconic names to some of Aston Martin’s arguably lesser-known models, I’ve covered a fair proportion of the company’s output during my time at the helm. To mark that time coming to an end, I’m looking back at my ten favourite models, the cars that for one reason or another impressed me the most. While most will come as no surprise, there’s also a couple of left-field choices which not only represents the diversity of Aston Martin’s cars but also my time with the title. As the first model to have the famous DB name (the earlier 2-Litre has only become known…

WITH ASTON Martin’s post-war range consisting largely of two-door coupes and convertibles, they’ve traditionally been less practical than hiking in flip-flops, doing the weekly shop on a scooter or eating a roast dinner with chopsticks. The two cars that finally broke this mould are the 2010 Rapide that was followed by the DBX a decade later. As the company’s first five-door saloon and sports utility vehicle, they offer considerably more interior room than anything that came before them meaning, although they’re from slightly different periods in the company’s recent history, if you’re wanting a practical Aston Martin, they’re the only real choice. So, to discover which of these two very different yet practical Aston Martins we prefer, we’re comparing a Rapide S with an early DBX. And to make it…

AT THE 1996 Goodwood Festival of Speed, a special edition of the DB7 was launched, which had been commissioned by Aston Martin Sales of Mayfair, but completed by Chiltern Aston Centre of Hertfordshire. Based on the six-cylinder model (the V12 was introduced three years later), it involved numerous cosmetic alterations and only one mechanical upgrade comprising a sports exhaust system. That’s not to say that those cosmetic alterations were superficial. In a nod to the Le Mans-winning DBR1, Aston Martin Racing Green exterior paintwork was complemented with yellow coachlines, along with a lick of yellow lipstick around a black Le Mans-style mesh front grille and a similar strip around the holes in the rear valance for the exhaust tail pipes. Twin Zagato-style bulges were added to the bonnet, which incorporated…

A TYRE inflator is an essential piece of equipment in helping to maintain tyre pressures, and a cordless one has got to be at the top of the list for versatility. Powered by a rechargeable battery, some use the same battery as a group of power tools, whereas others have an inbuilt battery. We’ve been testing nine cordless tyre inflators, each powered by an assortment of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries that range from 3.7V to 20V (it’s also important to consider a battery’s amp-hours rating). All of the ones we have tested measure a tyre’s pressure, which is displayed on a digital readout. They include an auto-inflate function, which means a target pressure for a tyre can be set then, in most cases, the inflator can be left to pump air…

Darren Turner is a three-time class winner with Aston Martin at the Le Mans 24 Hours and is AM’s official high-performance test driver. Prior to his racing career with Aston Martin, he was a Formula 1 test driver. “The car performed brilliantly,” he said afterwards, noting that it was running on road-legal Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres. “It blows my mind that this is a road-legal car that you can use to drive to Silverstone and then go faster than the pole lap record in the British GT Championship.” This achievement makes the Valkyrie the first road car to complete a lap below the two-minute mark, and even beats the fastest GT3 record, which was set in 2019 by a Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo at 1:58.165. On-board video of…

When the magazine debuted in early 2022, Kelsey Publishing bought an Aston Martin DB7 3.2 which, as editor, would be my responsibility. Initially more excited than a kid at Christmas, the car quickly proved to be more of a disappointment than unwrapping several pairs of paisley socks. Immediately needing the supercharger to be rebuilt, it took until the summer before it was ready. But with my family and I taking our first family holiday since the Covid-19 pandemic, it wasn’t for another three weeks before I finally collected the car from Kelsey’s Kent head office where it had stood motionless for some time. Unsurprisingly, the battery was dead, requiring a trip to a well-known automotive parts shop to buy a new one. With the black DB7 having power once again,…

1968 WAS an important milestone for the British motoring industry. Jaguar launched their iconic XJ saloon and Ford unveiled their similarly successful Escort, although at the time, nobody expected these cars would make such a mark in the history books. Aston Martin had launched the DBS the year before at Blenheim Palace on the 25 September, which was similarly groundbreaking. Designed by William Towns, the muscle car-inspired four-seater was longer and heavier than the DB6 it eventually replaced (axed in 1970) but it evolved to become as iconic and desirable as the DB range. It changed the direction of Aston Martin, helping it to switch from sports car to supercar stardom. When the Earls Court Motor Show was held in October 1968, Aston Martin’s stand displayed a DBS which, according…

MANUFACTURED BETWEEN 2001 and 2007, the first generation of the V12 Vanquish was a supercar in every respect, from its £157k price tag (for the entry-level model) to the 460-520bhp at the flywheel that could propel each car from stationary to 60mph in under five seconds and on to a top speed in excess of 190mph. Only 2,588 of these hand-assembled Astons were sold, which were packed with the latest technology including a Tremec six-speed auto-shift manual gearbox and a bonded aluminium and carbon fibre chassis that was designed by Lotus. So what is it like to own, drive and look after one of these cars that is now around two decades old? We meet two owners to find out the answers. Owner profile: Chris Shrubb Car: 2007 V12 Vanquish…

Q: What differentials do you cater for when it comes to Aston Martins? A: We specialise in the Salisbury 4HA and 4HU. Q: What’s the difference between a 4HA and 4HU? A: A 4HA is a beam axle. Typically, this is on the older cars such as the Aston DB4/5/6. The 4HU is a differential for an independent rear suspension, such as on the DBS, AMV8 and DB7. Q: So, you don’t work on modern electronic differentials? A: No. Q: In brief, how exactly does a differential such as a Salisbury 4HA work? A: It converts the drive from the gearbox/propshaft to the wheels. This transmits the power at a 90-degree angle. It uses a mix of gears and shafts, the main one being a hypoid gear for the crown…