Table of contents for Issue 35 in Vantage

RICHARD STEWART WILLIAMS, who has died at the age of 75 after a long illness borne with great dignity, was one of the best-known figures in the Aston Martin world. His Aston connection began in 1960 when, as a 15-year-old school leaver, he secured an apprenticeship at the Feltham works, quickly gravitating towards the engine build shop. After transferring to Newport Pagnell, he met film star Peter Sellers, who offered him a job looking after his fleet of cars, including a number of Astons, which Richard did for the next six years. In 1968 he felt confident enough to set up his own workshop as RS Williams underneath a railway arch in Brixton, to restore, race and sell Astons. Thus was born a business that would go on to become…

1:8-scale DB4 GT Zagato model by Amalgam £11,935 | amalgamcollection.com The model is still in development, obviously, but this is sadly the last chance we’ll have to bring you news of Amalgam’s latest project: a perfect likeness of 1 VEV as driven by Roy Salvadori in the 1961 Tourist Trophy at Goodwood. When the prototype is complete it will represent 5000 man-hours of painstaking work. Fender Tone Master Super Reverb guitar amp £1299 | fender.com The valve-powered Super Reverb was a favourite of Stevie Ray Vaughan and chiropractors everywhere. This new digital version gets as near as dammit to the sound of the original, but weighs almost half as much (36lb), and thanks to a power attenuator you can use it at home without getting an ASBO. AMR zip-up hoodie…

Forget the F1 Edition nomenclature. Yes, this is a civilian-spec Formula 1 Safety Car, but it is so much more than merely a stickers-and-stripes special edition. And it needs to be, for it’s no secret that the AM6 Vantage has been something of a problem child for Aston Martin. Divisive styling and punchy pricing compared with the outgoing model posed significant challenges at launch, but the greater problem was a conflicted character and a shortfall in all-round capability compared with that perennial class benchmark, the Porsche 911. The good news (great news, actually) is that the F1 Edition addresses the character and capability issues, transforming the Vantage from a car that confounded those who buy with head or heart into a machine that connects on an emotional level and truly…

With the long-awaited and oft-delayed first customer deliveries of the Valkyrie finally looming large, Aston Martin has revealed two more derivatives of its epoch-making hypercar: the open-top Valkyrie Spider and the track-only Valkyrie AMR Pro. Given the extreme nature of the regular Valkyrie, which has already pushed the limits of what is possible in a roadgoing machine, both new variants will set new benchmarks in their own respective niches, the Spider immediately raising the bar for open-cockpit road cars, the AMR Pro givingAston customers the opportunity to experience a car with the performance of a modern-day Le Mans winner. Though it has only just been announced, a Spider version of the Valkyrie was always in the plan. Thus all the myriad detail changes were considered in parallel with the coupé…

‘The doors go on today,’ says Nigel Woodward, head of Classic Motor Cars of Bridgnorth where the Bulldog is undergoing the most painstakingof resurrections. It’s not the first time the powered gullwing doors have been on during the Bulldog’s time at CMC. There was the first fit when the doors had been repaired, de-rippled and painted in primer, and the second after any necessary adjustments and corrections had been made. Now, resplendent in their final colour coat, comes their final fit. As Nigel takes me into the workshop where the Bulldog half-hides under a multicoloured spider’s web of wiring awaiting a home and final taping-up, I see that the rearhinged tail section, also in its final finish, is already attached so its alignment with the doors can be checked. It…

Finding myself in reflective mood the other day, I began leafing through issue 1 of Vantage from early 2013, Aston Martin’s Centenary year. Amongst the celebratory features was a news piece on AML’s then-fragile finances (plus ça change and all that), which reported that CEO Ulrich Bez was on the verge of securing the investment needed to develop crucial new models. ‘Media reports have already suggested that Astons will be switching to Mercedes-AMG V8 and V12 engines in the near future,’ it went on, ‘and Dr Bez has made no secret of his continuing ambition to build an SUV…’ They were words to strike fear into the hearts of sad old traditionalists (yep, that’s me – maybe you too), who felt Astons should always have Aston engines and that an…

NOTHING EXPRESSES the rapid and far-reaching changes that have taken place at Aston Martin since Tobias Moers’ arrival better than Valhalla. First announced as a concept in 2019, the dramatic ‘Son of Valkyrie’ was planned to be a continuation of the close technical partnership between Aston and Red Bull Advanced Technologies. With plenty of input from Adrian Newey and a bespoke, clean-sheet, turbocharged 3-litre V6 supplemented by hybrid electric, it was to command an asking price of £1.2 million and be built in limited numbers. Then events overtook it: the impact of Aston’s troubled IPO, strained finances, a new cadre of investors, the formation of a factory Aston Martin F1 team and a new management team led by Moers resulted in a rethink. And Valhalla v2 is a very different…

IT IS NOT a stretch to say that, without Rex Woodgate, Aston Martin would not exist today. Born in Cricklewood, London, Rex was immersed in motor cars from an early age, having visited Brooklands and met Prince Bira. The lure of cars continued after the war, and at Prescott in 1947 he met Stirling Moss and became one of Moss’s first mechanics, the two forming a lifelong friendship. He had a stint at HWM and with an F2 Alta team, including a spell as a driver, but it was working on Reg Parnell’s Ferrari that led to Rex meeting John Wyer and in 1955 joining Aston Martin. He starting working on DB3Ss before moving on to DBR2s, heading out to the States in 1958 to run a DBR2 for Elisha…

email us eds@vantagemag.co.uk write to us Vantage Magazine Editorial, Dennis Publishing, 31-32 Alfred Place, London WC1E 7DP DB2 Dropheads at the double I read with great interest your cover story on 70 years of Vantage (issue 32). My attention was centred in particular on the ex-Prince Bertil DB2 Drophead. It’s wonderful to see her returned to her original baby blue colour, three-piece front grille and the chromed front and rear strips. Since 2004 I have owned and enjoyed another historic DB2 Drophead, chassis LML/50/10, the first ‘prototype’ demonstration drophead, originally owned by David Brown Tractors Ltd and later by David Brown himself. Apparently George, DB’s chauffeur, drove ‘the old man’ to the South of France in her on a number of occasions. Both cars share a lot of details, including…

‘Barnard bought it in 1965 when he was just 19 years old. The engine blew up soon afterwards, so he installed a Chevrolet V8’ This is a tale of four Johns, if you include the one telling it. Its thread begins in early 2019 when I saw a fine-looking Aston Martin DB2/4, freshly painted in metallic grey, nearing completion of its restoration at Feltham-era Aston specialist Four Ashes Garage. Owner John Martin, there that day to do some work on his car and hurry the process along because he wanted to enter it in the Mille Miglia, told me that the Aston had a Ford Zodiac engine when he bought it, but it now had a correct 2.9-litre LB6. That Ford engine had been fitted long ago by one of…

It’s not often that a DB5 Vantage coupé in gleaming Silver Birch is the least remarkable car in a group of three, but in this exalted company the coupé – or Saloon in period Aston parlance – is very much the common or garden variety, as a glance at the build numbers will confirm. The silver car is one of only 60 DB5 Vantage coupés built in period, but that’s positively commonplace compared with the Convertible, of which just five (or possibly six) were made to Vantage spec. Five? Pfft. If you want real exclusivity you need to direct your attention to the DB5 Vantage Shooting Brake. Specifically, the car you see here. The one and only ’Brake that was equipped with the more powerful Vantage engine in period. These…

We take historic racing for granted these days, but there was a time when old racing cars were just that: yesterday’s cars, superseded by new machinery; uncompetitive and largely unwanted. So how did historic racing begin and who was behind it? One of the prime movers, one of the handful of people who established historic racing in the 1960s and ’70s, was Neil Corner. Anyone who attended Silverstone or Brands in that era will have seen Neil winning races at the wheel of some of the all-time greats – including some of the most celebrated Astons. In some cases he was able to demonstrate their full potential years after they officially retired from racing. As I personally witnessed many of his triumphs from the 1960s onwards, it was a pleasure…

ANY LINGERING DOUBTS about the resilience of the top end of the market in the Covid era were put to bed during Monterey Car Week: between them, RM Sotheby’s, Gooding & Co, Bonhams, Mecum and Russo & Steele sold $347m worth of cars. For context, that is a 37 per cent increase on the total from the 2019 Car Week auctions, and is more in line with the average haul achieved between 2013 and 2018 ($363m). Some cars came to the block with no reserve, and perhaps some bidders came to Monterey in high spirits and with cash to burn after a year of being stuck at home, but the overall sell-through rate of 80 per cent – 21 per cent up on 2019 – can largely be attributed to…

The Aston Martin Formula 1 team endured a difficult start to the 2021 season as it struggled to maintain the sort of form that it showed under its previous Racing Point identity. However, more recently some charging performances from Sebastian Vettel on days when opportunities opened up have indicated that there is some momentum behind Lawrence Stroll’s ambitious plan to one day challenge for the World Championship. Those races also demonstrated that the decision to hire Vettel, a man who knows how to win titles but was struggling for form in his latter days at Ferrari, was a wise one. Any questions about the 34-year-old German’s motivation have been answered, and it’s evident that he is also helping the team to raise its game. As previously recounted in Vantage, the…

It’s hard to review any car from the passenger seat, something that hasn’t stopped many motoring journalists from trying to do so over the years. Usually such invitations are dead-batted by all but those with the most pressing need to fill editorial space. Yet sometimes, very rarely, the offer is special enough to make accepting it worthwhile. Like the chance to have a first experience of the Aston Martin Valkyrie at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, with none other than company CEO Tobias Moers in the driver’s seat. The plan has already taken a couple of knocks when I arrive at Goodwood on the Saturday morning. The Valkyrie publicly failed on the the 1.16-mile course the day before, and Moers has unsurprisingly opted out of the day’s first Supercar Run…

You may not have heard of McKeel Hagerty, but if you own a classic car the chances are you’ll be familiar with the business that bears his family name. Founded almost four decades ago by his parents in Traverse City, Michigan, Hagerty Insurance has grown under McKeel’s leadership from a provincial insurance provider offering specialist cover to Michigan’s boating community into the world’s largest insurer of classic vehicles. Hagerty’s ascendance from humble beginnings to insurance powerhouse is straight from the American Dream, and an example of how hard work and smart moves can create multi-billion-dollar business success. The really interesting thing, at least if care about your cars, is that the business is founded on a deep and genuine love of cars and driving. A love that starts with the…

Paul Richards is one very driven individual. As a teenager he seemed destined for a career as a professional golfer until injury struck. Instead, he taught himself the craft of coach-trimming and began to take commissions from local classic car owners – all while still living at home in Lincoln with his parents. When the business outgrew the family home, he rented a unit on an industrial estate on the edge of town, took on more and more work, and began to recruit. Today his company, Richards of England, employs a team of eight, stretches across five units on the same gated estate, and encompasses full ground-up restorations, mostly Astons. As a mark of how well-regarded its work is, its latest resto was accepted for this year’s prestigious Salon Privé…

We couldn’t close this issue without saying thank you to everyone who has supported and contributed to Vantage over the last nine years and 35 issues. So, with apologies for any omissions, our thanks go to: Sir Gerry Acher, Chris Adams, Dave Adams, Tom Alexander, Tim Andrew, James Arbuckle, Stephen Archer, Keith Artus, Rowan Atkinson, Marc Aylott, Michael Bailie, Tony Baker, John Barker, Ben Barry, David Barzilay, Mike Beake, Matt Becker, Steven Behrens, Andy Bell, Roger Bennington, Ulrich Bez, Chris Bietzk, Robert and Ali Blakemore, André Bloom, Jethro Bovingdon, Dave Brassington, Mark Brayson, Martin Brewer, Adam Brown, David Burgess-Wise, Simon de Burton, Tim Butcher, Ian Callum, Henry Catchpole, Paul Chase-Gardener, Paul Chudecki, Eric Clark, Chris Clougher, John Colley, Robert Cook, Tim Cottingham, Bruce Cox, Bob Creese, Gavin Culshaw, Alan Curtis,…