Last weekend the Interclassics-Topmobiel fair was held in Maastricht, the Netherlands and one of its’ two themes was “100 years of Aston Martin”. Sadly I couldn’t attend the fair because I was in London for … Aston Martin’s 100 year anniversary. Oh well… However, two photographer friends of mine (Jim Appelmelk and Willem Verstraten) did go and allowed me to use their photos here.
Last Tuesday, on the exact day of Aston Martin’s 100-year anniversary, a Centenary Dinner was organized at the Hilton Park Lanel hotel in London. 800 guests were invited for champagne, food and alas, the obligatory speeches. Having been a good boy during Aston’s first 100 years, I was invited to join the party. Here’s some pictures of the event and, of course, of the Astons that were present.
Okay, so this is what all the hype was about. Today Aston Martin has put a Vanquish on the helipad on top of the Burj Al Arab tower in Dubai.
According to this morning’s Bloomberg post, Aston Martin is talking with Daimler AG “and other manufacturers” about jointly developing high-end engines and other electronic parts. Andrea Bonomi, Investindustrial’s chairman, said that they’re aiming to reach an agreement within 2 months. I’m all for it. More modern V8 and V12 engines are very welcome, if only to make them more fuel-efficient and to reduce CO2 emissions. Let’s hope they will also discuss creating a better automatic, preferably double-clutch gearbox (at the top of my wish list for future Astons).
The Aston Martin page on Facebook is currently teasing their fans with this preview video. It shows a red Vanquish being transported to some kind of harbor location, then put on a platform (to be lifted into the air?). What’s going on here? Should be revealed today (in a few hours).
Aston Martin has just announced that to celebrate their 100-year anniversary, they will create 400 special Centenary Edition models, 100 each for the Vanquish, the DB9, the Rapide and the V8 Vantage. Today, the first Centenary Edition has been revealed: a very special Vanquish:
Happy anniversary to Aston Martin and all Aston fans all over the world! Exactly 100 years ago today, the company was founded by Robert Bamford and Lionel Martin. During the year, there will be many anniversary events, starting today with: Centenary diner at the Hilton Park Lane in London Today, 800 Aston Martin drivers will gather in the Grand Ballroom of the Hilton hotel on Park Lane in London. This black-tie event will start with a champagne reception, following by a diner and speeches. Actor Sir John Standing will perform as Lionel Martin telling the story of his early days and his experiences of making the first Aston Martins in Lionel Martin’s own words. On display at the event will be the classic A3, the new Vanquish and an Edwardian tricycle of the type raced by Lionel Martin. Of course, I will be present at the event. Yes, in full black-tie outfit!
The new Rapide was spied again, without any camouflage. Is it the replacement of the current Rapide or is it a new Rapide S model, to be introduced next to the existing Rapide? Time will tell, but my guess still is that this will be a replacement.
A very cool spot just appeared on Autogespot.com. A Cobalt Blue new Vanquish, together with a Tungsten Silver “old” Vanquish. What a pair!
Last Sunday all members of the Dutch Aston Martin club, the Power Beauty Soulmates, were invited to enjoy a High Tea at Kroymans, our local Aston Martin dealership. Here’s a photo impression of this High Tea event (photos taken by yours truly).