.25” wrap to back cover

WINTER 2013

Works Visit

Le Mans Rollercoaster

Art of Jill Reger

Issue No. 37

$12.50 US / $12.50 CDN

ASTON MARTIN OWNERS CLUBNorth America Quarterly Journal

WINTER 2013

Works Visit

Le Mans Rollercoaster

Art of Jill Reger

Issue No. 37

$12.50 US / $12.50 CDN

ASTON MARTIN OWNERS CLUBNorth America Quarterly Journal

1

FROM THE EDITOR

INSIDE THIS ISSUEASTON MARTIN: the first inflection point in the second century

On the cover and above photos courtesy of Jill Reger. 1965 Aston Martin DB6 Short Chassis Volante at Copperstate 1000,

Arizona 2011, owned by Steve & Camilla Brauer. Only 37 DB6 SC Volantes were made.

T H E V A N T A G E PO I N TT H E V A N T A G E PO I N T

THE VANTAGE POINT aspires to reflect the values and

spirit of Aston Martin: Innovation, Quality, Performance.

We are committed to both inform and entertain our membership,

but moreover to provide context for connection and exploration, and fanning the flames of our

common passion.

www.amoc.org

AMOC NA East Chair & Publisher Tom Smith

Editor-in-Chief Richard “Nick” Candee

Managing Editor—West Guy Simpson

Editor—West Coast Kohei Saito

Art Director / Designer Bruce Crocker / Heather LaPierre

Advertising Director Jim Hazen

(617) 515-3695

Copy Editors John David, Robert Obie

Mark Ransome, Jane Ransome

Photographers Robert Dennis — West

CJ Gutch — East Tim Cottingham — UK

Aston Martin Owners Club North America Quarterly Journal

Winter 2013

The Vantage Point (formerly the AMOC Quarterly) is the official publication of the Aston Martin Owners Club—North America, and published by the AMOC-NA Section East. Statements appearing in The Vantage Point are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the position of the Aston Martin Owners Club or its officers. We reserve the right to edit all materials as necessary and may refuse content that is not Aston Martin Owners Club related, or otherwise not deemed relevant, at the discretion of the Editor. The Vantage Point is published quarterly for members of the Aston Martin Owners Club, a non-profit corporation.

Submissions to the Editor: nickcandee@aol.com

Deadlines are 30 days after the start of each calendar quarter, for the next quarter issue.

As Aston’s centenary year closes we have been schooled in events of the first century: triumphs on the track, the brilliance of the product, the failures as a going business, and the eventual flour-ishing of what has been dubbed “Britain’s Coolest Brand.”

Feltham to Newport Pagnell product design was quite a leap: a pre-war chassis became the DB2, with the pre-war engine designed by Wilfred Owen Bentley inter alia for the 1930s Lagonda. That cast-iron twin cam 6 cylinder inline managed to power Aston road cars, from the DB2 through the DB2/4 Mark III of 1959, and to power race cars from the DB2 through the DB3, the DB3S, and finally the DBR1 to victory at Le Mans, the Ring, and finally the World Championship of 1959. Meantime Aston’s first postwar chassis/ body, the DB4, and the aluminium—block DB4 motor which was produced from the DBR2 race car through the DB4 to the DBS ages later, was a platform for 10,000 engines—before being stretched and widened for the V8 and the Lagonda —quite a run.

North American members are proud to have been part of the forward momentum of Aston Martin since WW II, not just in enthusiasm in our markets, victory on our tracks, and iconic moments in our cin-ema; our intellectual capital and financial capital renewed Astons in 1975, thanks to Peter Sprague and George Minden, then again with Ford Motor Company in 1987.

Those were positive “inflection points” in the sinus curve of Aston history. That phrase comes from calculus, now applied to business history: an inflection point is where the curvature or concavity changes from plus to minus or from minus to plus. As

the clock starts on Aston’s second century, we are optimistic for new success.

The VH / Vertical Horizontal platform has had a great run, from the DB9 through the current Vanquish, and cheers to Mr. Bez and team for their brilliance. [NB: in my country, the ‘doctor’ title is reserved for those in the healing arts.] There is discussion in the press that CEO Bez may move on, that 2012 ended with a loss, that AMG/ Daimler Benz may replace FoMoCo as strategic partner in develop-ment of new engines. So we have a sense of an inflection point coming on.

We do have a memory of the Teutonic hubris in the failed “merger” of Daimler Benz with Chrysler, under Prof. Dr. Jürgen E. Schrempp, memorable for the account in the pages of the FINANCIAL TIMES of him singing “Bye Bye American Pie”. The 2000 book TAKEN FOR A RIDE addressed how that worked out for stake-holders all around. We do hope there was “global learning” on many fronts.

Meantime we hope the Aston Martin family fares well as the second century rolls forward.

—Nick Candee

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 FROM THE EDITOR

Nick Candee

4

BACKFIRE!

5 OUT WEST

George Wood

5 BACK EAST

Tom Smith

6

NEWS OF THE MARQUE

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RACING LINE LeMans 2013 — James Edmonds

18

LA CHARTRE SUR LE LOIRE TIME WARP James Edmonds

21 PHOTO FEATURE

Jill Reger Photography

30 AMELIA ISLAND 2013 Antoine T. Crettol

32 36TH AULT PARK CONCOURS D’ELEGANCE Steven Reubel, MD

34 ASTON MARTIN ‘WORKS’ VISIT James Edmonds

39 JONATHAN METCALFE & WILLIAM SHAWN

NEW DC DEALERSHIP Jim Hazen

44 VILLA D’ESTE CONCORSO D’ELEGANZA

Jim Utaski

48 BEST OF BRITAIN TRIBUTE TO ASTON MARTIN SIMEONE MUSEUM, PHILADELPHIA Don Rose and Len Levin

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NEW MEMBERS

54

UPCOMING EVENTS

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HOTWIRE!

55

CLASSIFIEDS

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CLUB DIRECTORY

Photo courtesy of Jill Reger

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To the Editor:

Thanks a lot for your kind attention to send me several issues of your wonderful magazine The Vantage Point. The article concern-ing Brian Joscelyne is specially interesting, whereas his pictures taken at Le Mans and La Chartres/Loir in 1957, 58 and 59 are really breathtaking! The Hotel de France was really the center of the world for all Aston Martin people...

Thank you so much again.With my best regards.—Jacques-Louis Bertin

[Mr. Bertin is the leading author of books on Aston Martin in the French language; we have been delighted to review his works in these pages.—Ed.]

BACKFIRE!

Please direct all correspondence for publication to the Editor: vantagepointamoc@gmail.com

Above: Courtesy of Jill Reger.

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AMOC-NA/WEST

OUT WESTAs Aston Martin transitions into its next cente-nary, Section West is also going through tran-sition. Longtime registrar Chet Floyd is resign-ing from the Board. Along with his wife Joan, Chet has been a huge supporter of the club, heavily participating in AMOC events where their table for food and drink at the end of a drive is always a favored one. For many of us,

Chet has been the first point of contact when we joined the club, always with welcoming words and helpful advice. Chet had, I believe, hoped that progress on our website would make his posi-tion redundant, but to be honest we couldn’t do without Chet, and trust that he and Joan will continue to be active members.

New to the Board are Michael Green whose family has a long history with Aston Martin, and Robert Dennis, whose photogra-phy has featured in many of our publications.

We also have a full compliment of area reps, with new addi-tions of Luc Trudel, a former Canadian area rep who has now resurfaced in our Mountain area, Victor Lanz, who has volun-

teered to head the San Diego area, and Ritch Julian who will organize events for Northern California, taking over for Don Lovasik, who did a fantastic job for us. They join John Mutlow (Southern CA), Brian Greenstone (Red River), Robin Bolz (Northwest) and John Fairclough (Western Canada) in keeping our calendars busy with track days, pub nights, concours, week-end drives, and everything else that pulls us together as a club, and moreover as friends.

Mid-August, August 15-18, many of us will be in Monterey, our anchor event on the West Coast. In this special year, we will be welcoming more guests from afar, and look forward to a very memorable weekend.

Finally, there is the matter of a new Section West chairman... my successor will write about that in the next issue.

Cheers,—George Wood, Chairman – Section West

AMOC-NA/EAST

BACK EASTI write this just after returning from the London celebrations for the 100th Anniversary of our Aston Martin marque. Over 70 North America—East Members took advantage of what we all can only describe as an unbeliev-able experience in the UK. From factory and Works Service tours to parties at Kensington Palace, to the Centenary Timeline show at the

palace, a truly magnificent time was had by all! Look for more stories and pictures from our members in future issues.

I’d also like to use this opportunity to recognize one of our members and make an important announcement. As we all know, Club Historian and TVP Editor Nick Candee is perhaps NA East’s most well-known member in the world. He’s been recog-nized time and again for his outstanding contributions to AMOC

here and abroad. I have asked Nick to re-join the BoD of Section East as a Vice-Chairman, to serve alongside our other board members and to represent me in the world at events where I can-not attend. Nick will join our other Vice-Chairman, Don Rose, in assisting me in continuing to represent our Club and benefit its members in all ways. I hope you will reach out to Nick to offer your thanks for all his service.

So now I am off to Monterey, California for the “Pebble Week” festivities including several additional celebrations of the Centenary of AML hosted by the company and AMOC Section West. Stand by for more to come!

See you on the road!—Tom Smith, Chairman – Section East

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NEWS OF THE MARQUE

For those that have been fortunate enough to visit, a trip to Newport Pagnell is an experience that engenders strong and wonderful emotions. When I was first there a number of years ago, before the move to Gaydon, I was in awe at the breadth of Astons in one place and I was equally amazed with the craftsmanship put forth by the people that built and main-tained the cars. That craftsmanship and the hand-built quality is the hallmark of an Aston Martin, and is inherent in any car that has passed through Newport Pagnell. It is truly British and truly Aston Martin.

This past March the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust announced that it received a grant to fund a new project that will record and catalogue the oral histories of both current and former Aston Martin employees. “Aston Martin—A Century of Craftsmanship” will explain the craft of making world-famous motorcars. The result will be a two-year exhibition at the Heritage Motor Centre in Gaydon that will combine the contributions of Aston Martin craftsmen and women, with never-before-seen archive material.

BMIHT are custodians of the Roger Stowers Collection donated by Aston Martin when Mr Stowers, their Company Historian, retired in 2001 after over 35-years working for the Company. The Roger Stowers Collection includes origi-nal build records, photographs, design and engineering drawings, business records and Mr Stower’s own correspondence with customers including Royalty, Celebrities and documents relating to the use of Aston Martin cars in Film and TV. The project is receiving support from Aston Martin Lagonda Limited and the Aston Martin Heritage Trust.

“ASTON MARTIN—A CENTURY OF CRAFTSMANSHIP” PROJECT

Photos courtesy of BMIHT

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Emotional. That was Le Mans 2013 in a word. A fickle and demanding mistress, Le Mans. She celebrated her

90th anniversary this year and to be sure, a lot has changed since 1923: track layout, equipment, safety measures, rules and regula-tions, infrastructure…the list goes on. But besides obvious differ-ences between that first race and that of this year, much is still the same: The long battle, fatigue, elements, unknowns. Risk.

None of us today were at that first race, but it seems to me that this year, Le Mans threw as much at us as she has in many a long year—a sentiment echoed by the Le Mans fraternity with more firsthand knowledge than your scribe. And that was just from my perspective. I can only imagine how it was for those who were actually taking part, although it has to be said that at La Sarthe, more than any other race—perhaps any other sporting event—that the fans are as much participants in the event as anyone.

To be on the track after 3pm on Sunday when the race just ended, and to share in the mutually held emotions: the head-spinning feeling from the sleep deprivation; the cold; the wet; the heat (although not much this year); of having come through it all, along with hundreds of thousands of Le Mans veterans and

RACING LINE

LE MANS 2013. A ROLLERCOASTER RIDEBy James Edmonds

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virgins alike, is a feeling of elated accomplishment truly shared by one and all.

I planned my first trip in 2008 with information from www.Beermountain.com and I made many friends on the forums. One Beermountaineer I met was David Talbot aka Artherdaily. I won’t bore you with details of his online ‘handle’ but—if you recall an English TV show (Minder) of the early ‘80s featuring a shifty East End used car salesman, then you get the idea! He was picking me up at Heathrow for the drive down to France. My usual race partner Dave Lobou planned on making the trip, but could not.

A fortuitous meeting with ex-Aston works driver Adrian Fernandez at Miami airport during my lengthy delay bode well (or so I thought) for the rest of the trip. But I missed my connection to the UK, so poor David hung around Heathrow for five hours longer than planned. So we missed our ferry, Dover to Calais, but thankfully the English were accommodating and they let us on the next crossing. Our planned sojourn to the Tyne Cot war graves, Belgium, was the only casualty to our itinerary—all was not lost.

Arriving at Le Mans Saturday—we enjoyed the only sunshine for the entire week. We did the requisite lap (or five) of the public part of the circuit; I was amazed again how deserted the roads were—I imagine hundreds of eager race fans emulating their heroes on the roads prior to the The Track opening! After touring the excellent museum we sorted our tickets before sneaking into the circuit gates which gave a real sense of the magnitude of the logistics necessary to put on such a huge event.

Only days before the onslaught of the (mostly) British fans, there was still a huge amount of work to be done, with all the vendor booths, restaurants, hospitality buildings and track barriers still to be finished. The place looked to be in total chaos, but in that Gallic laid back fashion, good because it took security guards a few minutes to throw us off the track, but not before we had snapped our pictures in the shadow of the iconic Dunlop Bridge. I was proud: my record was still intact as I don’t feel that I’m really trying until I’ve been removed from a restricted area, or stopped by the authorities for questioning!

Because our camp site—the excellent 1st Tickets enclosure also home to AMOC campers—was not open until the following day, we stayed at the quaint family owned hotel south of Mulsanne where Dave and I stayed on our last trip. Host Philippe Cauchois informed us before dinner that he had overbooked the place due to

a large wedding, but this turned out to be fortuitous in two ways. Firstly, he had arranged for us to stay with his friends at the

most rural French farmhouse imaginable. The rooms were most quiet and comfortable. We discovered at breakfast the next morn-ing, the owners spoke not a lick of English. Imagine the nodding going on as I tried to grapple with the fast paced francais fired my way, interspersed with uncomfortable silence as we followed suit dipping our baguettes with delicious farm-made confiture in our bowls of coffee. Regaining my composure, the best conversation I could muster in Franglais was that “I once lived in Maidstone and we had the world’s best strawberries”. It felt appropriate at the time, given the excellent jam!

Secondly, even more fortuitously, I realized while dining at Philippe’s excellent restaurant that the adjacent church bells, still chimed twice every hour on the hour! I thought that this would have been fixed since my last stay, but at least we got a good night’s sleep! 24 chimes at midnight on serious jet lag does nothing for one’s slumber. It is only as I write that I realize the symbolism of this and that perhaps the tower bells are set deliberately to chime twice during race week!

Over dinner we met up with Tom Murray, a friend from home; the three of us drank until late chatting about the merits of Canon DSLRs and how best to use them to good effect over the next few days.

Next morning after bidding “Au revoir” to the delightful cou-ple at the farm amid much waving and faire la bise, we retreated to the safety of town to see scrutineering. This used to take place on Monday and Tuesday but has been moved ahead to Sunday/Monday and (we hope) temporarily away from Place des Jacobins where construction in the traditional setting prohibited the event. Still being quite early and with not much action we decided that lunch and a beer at the Oak Racing official restaurant would be a good idea. With traditional Morgans alongside one of the new LMP2 cars it made a great setting; we enjoyed soaking up the atmosphere and the remains of the good weather.

Tom was the only stalwart who decided to see out the after-noon there and he fought the crowds to be rewarded with some great pictures, while David and I retreated to the camp site. On the way past the circuit I noticed the huge iconic Ferris wheel—which makes up part of the Le Mans skyline—under construction and it struck me as odd, as I always thought that it was a permanent fix-

10

ture. We set up the tent and gazebo kitchen just prior to the first of many down—a large part of the week’s story.

It rained and it rained. And it rained. And the wind blew. Hard. And it got cold.

Tuesday evening is the first time that the public gets sees all the cars, drivers and teams up close and together as the popular autograph session in the pit lane gets under way. As people line up in queues rivaling those at Disney, the drivers are only too pleased to take pictures and sign treasures from years past that have been brought along for the occasion and the teams are able to do pit stop drills and practice driver changes. Audi, Corvette and Aston Martin always have the longest lines, so we weren’t quite sure what was up at the Porsche # 77 garage until we spotted Patrick Dempsey aka Dr. Dreamy! I think his team beat the Audi record!

The autograph event is open to the public; many of the locals go along even if they do not make the race itself. Although still early in the week, the place is electric with life and you start to get excited as your adrenaline starts to flow. Hey…we’re at Le Mans!

Wednesday—practice sessions start followed later that evening by the first qualifying runs. It’s very hard to get used to in Europe at this time of year as night falls so slowly and so late. Qualifying starts at 10pm, but it doesn’t actually get dark until closer to 11. Qually takes place over two nights and all drivers have to complete laps in the dark to be allowed to race. Although it never rained for hours at a time, the rain was on and off all week long and seemed to just hang in the air. Each time the track would start to get ‘rubbered in’ again, the rain would come and wash it clean. This caused more than a little angst with many teams as frequent

spins and accidents caused prolonged safety car periods—even Audi were hard pressed to get English new-boy Oliver Jarvis out.

One of the perks of this assignment was the all important Press Credential. At most races here in the States you get access to the press room, the briefings and into the pit lane. What I didn’t real-ize until I was there was that you also get photo access which is a completely different credential at home. As one who attends these types of events just so as I can taste the rubber dust and exhaust gasses, getting this kind of pass gave never-before-seen access to the “other side of the chicken wire” and the photo ops that come along with it. One of the enduring memories I will have of this trip is being so close to the cars as to be able to feel the wind as they rush by. And taste them too. What about the noise you say? Sorry…my hearing isn’t too good any more.

Thursday afternoon was the Beer Mountaineers AGM at the camp site marquee. This affair is traditionally a meeting of all the club members and gives a chance to mingle with old friends and many of the on-line acquaintances that have been made over the years. Speeches are made with tongues firmly planted in cheeks and (mostly joke) prizes are handed out as the club raises money for charity via donations, a raffle and auction items as the afternoon progresses.

Brian Sheehan, owner of 1st Tickets and our camp host had organized Audi works driver Oliver Jarvis to come along and speak. How he managed to do this I’m not sure. Although a large group, it was certainly a coup for him to be able to liberate a driver from the Audi camp with only a few hours to go before qualifying! The young English driver had already won Sebring and Daytona

11

this year and gave some fascinating insight into the inner workings of a drivers mind during a long race.

Tom had managed to organize a treat for us that evening. He had booked his trip with Bam Motorsports, the owner of which had invited him to dinner during qualifying at the Hotel Arbor which is on the Mulsanne just south of the second chicane. Tom had managed to get David and me on the invite list and it turned out to be one of the trip’s many highlights.

Firstly, the company was great and we all enjoyed swapping our many war stories over a bottle of wine or two. It was a nice way to unwind after the stress of actually finding the back roads to the place, as obviously the main entrance was now closed off to all except the local race car traffic! Secondly, the culinary delights which we were to enjoy that evening were on a par with any I’ve had in recent memory. Thirdly, when I say that the hotel is on the Mulsanne, I mean that it is on the Mulsanne. During dinner we were treated to the world’s best soundtrack and then afterwards we just took a few steps and were able to watch night qualifying liter-ally right in front of us. Friends, conversation, dinner, Mulsanne…could life get any better?

Friday is a rest day for drivers, although not for teams. Teams spend months preparing cars and then after the cars have been thrashed, crashed, blown up or otherwise dilapidated during qualifying, the cars have to be completely stripped and rebuilt in time for Saturday morning warm up. It was especially tough on the engineers this year as changeable weather wreaked havoc on set-up. It also gave mechanics short nights as cars were had to be repaired almost constantly due to the inclement weather.

David and I visited La Chartre-sur-le Loire for the sights and sounds of very special Aston Martins at the AMOC luncheon. Notable thrills were seeing the new CC100 and listening to com-pany chairmen. Ulrich Bez and David Richards speak. Please see photos in a separate piece.

After lunch we headed back to the paddock hoping to visit some team garages. The driver parade is in town on Friday eve-ning, so the paddock is relatively quiet, although the pit lane is still swarming with crowds watching their favorite teams preparing for the long battle ahead.

As an old friend of Audi car #2 crew chief Brad Kettler (the winning car as it turned out), I was lucky to catch him with a small window in his hectic schedule and he got us into the Audi garage for a behind-the-scenes-tour of The Machine. With mechanics and staff rushing around, bodywork going back and forth and gearbox tests going on all around us, we had to be careful to stay behind the marked lines to avoid getting run over. It is hard to describe in a few words how utterly incredible is the level of detail that goes into this race for Audi. I would say F1 teams have noth-ing on this extraordinary unit of specialists and NASA would be hard pressed to keep up. Try to think of the minutest detail of the smallest system on the car or garage set up and not only is there a plan for it, there is also a Plan B and a Plan C. The efficiency really does boggle the mind. I could write a thesis on it.

With a whole race to prepare for, Brad was gracious in spend-ing time with us and answered all of our questions with alacrity even when he had to be prudent with his answers! With the small matter of a race to run, we left him to it and stepped back into the paddock and spent a few minutes beaming while we discussed what we had just seen. If you are still reading along you are a race

12

fan and can appreciate what a thrill this had to be. Where to next? Still light-headed from our most recent thrills, we walked to the

Aston garage undaunted. The intimidating, tattooed, Terminator-esque security guard looked at our AMOC VIP passes from the earlier event and with a broad smile invited us in to take a look around! In stark contrast to the confines of the Audi garage we meandered on our own at leisure, taking photos of pretty much everything. With five cars starting the race, the Aston garage was huge and was the most impressive. Whilst chatting to a team member I knew, David delighted in taking pictures of the crowd behind the velvet rope who all had the same thing on their mind: “Who are those guys?” Tom took pictures of everything else!

Race day dawned wet and cold. Again. We meandered over to the track after lunch for the start of the race. Tom and I enjoyed the festive atmosphere of the grid walk and my pulse started to quicken as cars were pushed into position. I perched myself at the top of the stairs leading to the ACO building at the front of the pit straight, overlooking the podium for the dropping of the Tri-coleur at 3pm.

The start of any race is always a joyous and emotional moment, but there is a certain uncanny je-ne-sais-quoi as the flag drops at La Sarthe. To see the world’s top teams racing for the Dunlop Bridge as the ground shakes beneath you is a spectacle on the bucket list of any race enthusiast. I find myself thinking, “I’m at Le Mans” over and over as I rub away goose bumps and tears. There really is nothing like it.

After only a few laps of racing and again on a damp surface, safety cars came out for what we heard was a bad crash by one of the Astons. Not being glued to a PC in the press room, it is dif-ficult to hear all goings-on, but no one was yet aware of what had transpired. David and I took a ride on the Ferris wheel and headed back to camp for a break. It was only then that we learned along with everyone else that the Danish driver Allan Simonsen had not survived injuries sustained in the crash at Tertre Rouge.

The mood of the entire place turned morose. Losing a driver happens so rarely these days that the reality and dangers of racing slapped me in the face as I grappled with the emotions of actually being there on one of these occasions. It’s strange that you feel as if you know these guys; that all of us are part of a big family. In a way we are. We travel all over and run into the same people time and again although at locations thousands of miles apart. It was a very sobering time, but in the tradition of Le Mans, the race went on. And so did we, albeit with heavy hearts.

Did I mention the rain?I had scheduled photo time in the pits at midnight as I always

enjoy the late night most. Although track action is just as frenetic as ever, the pit is a little quieter as many of the press and TV people take time to recharge—figuratively and literally. I might sound like a parrot, but it was another box ticked on my personal list: to be down in the pits at Le Mans during the race. Taking pictures and being shoved out of the way by Ferrari mechanics during a stop painted an almost permanent smile on my face. I’m a kid in a candy store on Halloween.

While traversing the pit lane, I stopped at the Aston garage. I happened to be there as Astons were rotating through. It was business as usual as the cars slammed to a stop and then thundered away in what seemed like an instant as the mechanics performed the drills that they have practiced. It was after the pit stops that I

Photos top to bottom:

Author Edmonds interviews

David Richards.

Edmonds with Mike Salmon at

La Chartre.

Blower Bentley also at La

Chartre.

Photos by David Talbot.

15

noticed the heavy atmosphere. The jubilant mood and high expec-tations of the previous day stood in stark contrast to the feeling in the camp now. Where the crews might have been high fiving and fist pumping as they completed their stops successfully, the body language now spoke volumes. The loss of Simonsen was weigh-ing heavy, and although it was palpable, the professionalism of the team kept them bonded together.

Getting to sleep after such a rush was tough, but we all took a good nap at about 2 am in preparation for early morning reveille to see cars racing through the sunrise. As roads were deserted at 4am it was easy to get to Arnage and then Mulsanne to take in the sights at what is known as ‘Happy Hour’. As the sun comes up, your body naturally awakens and cobwebs seem to vanish as day breaks. It is always strange to look at your watch and to see that we still have nine hours of racing to go!

After another nap and breakfast we headed to the Dunlop curves amidst on and off rain to take more pictures and get ready for the race-end festivities. It’s a hike to Dunlop from our camp opposite the Ferris wheel, but a great viewing spot, and the walk gave us a chance to peruse wares on offer in the village.

Tom took up his station above the pits and I walked to the pit lane from Dunlop on the photographer’s path for the race end. As I did so I stopped at the fenced off area with all of the retired cars and got a shiver as I looked at Simonsen’s covered car. David headed to the Ford chicane. I think our cache of photos would collectively rival anyone’s as we covered an awful lot of real estate during the event.

Seeing my friend Brad in rapturous applause as the Audi of McNish/Kristensen/Duval claimed an unlikely victory gladdened my heart as it crossed the line. It in no way made up for the loss of the fallen Dane, but it added some poignant emotion.

The British/French Oak Racing Morgan team held up our end by finishing a fantastic first and second in LMP2 with aid of English drivers Alex Brundle and Martin Plowman along with my favorite epicurean named driver, Bertrand Baguette, or Bertie Breadstick as one of my friends fondly calls him! How his name never made it

into the movie ‘Cars 2’ I will never know. The Aston team was not quite so lucky. After more attrition, two

cars remained with four hours to go: the full works cars #97 and #99. Again caught out by the damp, Fred Makowiecki lost control of #99 coming out of a Mulsanne chicane and just like that, the car was done. Safety cars out again. The special ‘art car’ #97 soldiered on and made up ground on the leading 911 to the point where they were swapping the lead in pit stop rotations towards the very end. Victory was so close that it could be tasted, and what a fitting tribute that victory would have been. But alas, in the last hour another rain shower along with a minor body issue caused a stop just long enough to relegate the crestfallen team to third.

So in the end, the Aston team did not do what was predicted, but instead they did write some poetry which perhaps was a more fitting end to their unforgettable weekend, and be in no doubt that they will be back again next year.

I reached David Richards after the event and he was very gra-cious in offering me his thoughts on what had to have been the most difficult race of his life and also for those on his team.

“As you can imagine the race was a very tough and emotional event for everyone in the team that was completely overshadowed by the loss of one of our drivers.

“We all knew that we had a competitive car that was borne out by the qualifying times and I’ve never seen the team better prepared or in a more positive frame of mind as we started the race on Saturday afternoon.

“As the true enormity of Allan’s accident on lap four unfolded we were left with a real dilemma. However, it was Allan’s family, his father and two brothers who were at the track with us, who felt the best thing to do for the team and in tribute to Allan was to continue and try and win.

“The Bruno Senna, Rob Bell and Fred Makowiecki car held a dominant 90 second lead until Fred made a very uncharacteristic mistake only a few hours from the finish. I can truly say that I’ve never seen a driver so upset about an incident like this as Fred was. Emotions were running high and he knew the enormity of

Noel Pasteau of the Hotel de France.

Photo by David Talbot.

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responsibility that lay on his shoulders as we tried to secure a win for Allan and Aston Martin on our Centenary year. The Darren Turner, Stefan Mucke and Peter Dumbreck car was still in conten-tion up until the last hour when a rain shower, along with a minor technical problem, dropped them behind the two Porsches who they’d been fighting neck and neck with throughout the night and this put an end to the Aston Martin challenge that had looked so promising 24 hours earlier.

“It was only when the podium ceremony finished that everyone allowed their true feelings to come to the fore and a team that had behaved so professionally embraced each other and allowed the tears to flow not for a lost race, as there will be many more of those in the future, but for a lost member of our own team, Allan Simonsen.

“This sums up a weekend at Le Mans that I’ll never forget.”And so it was. Another race over and what a memorable one it

was too. For all the right and all the wrong reasons. The demanding, beguiling and savage mistress that is Le Mans

has her hooks in those who attend, and like thousands of others I too will return. The story that I write next time will be completely different, as it is every year. You just can never tell.

The next morning as we pulled out of the camp site, the place was almost empty again, save for the deconstruction crews and it wasn’t the cold morning air that gave me a chill as we left.

As I said goodbye to the stationary Ferris wheel I couldn’t help thinking that they should have had a roller coaster there this year instead.

Right: Green DBR9 in Le Mans museum.

Below: Vantage #96.

Photos by David Talbot.

Can you imagine driving a DBR1 for half an hour through the French countryside on your way to the Le Mans paddock? How about a GT40 or even a 917? Back in the days when racing cars were still road legal (if you could call them that!) they were driven to and from the team’s base to the track. What a great reward for the mechanics and what better way to start your day?

I tried in vain to imagine it, but no mat-ter how hard I tried, I was unable to make the sound of the diesel in my friend’s Ford truck sound like a finely tuned race engine, so I just enjoyed the ride down and the countryside instead!

John Wyer discovered the lovely Hotel de France at La Chartre in the 1952 when heading home from Monza test-ing. Searching for a more accommodating team base, what he found fitted the bill perfectly: a serene setting right on the river and away from the noise and stress of the circuit, and ideally, a large garage space and courtyard where the cars could be prepped away from prying eyes. The hotel was opened in 1900 and the hospitality offered by the Pasteau family (still the proprietors to this day) along with the good food and atmosphere added to the legend that if John Wyer and the Aston team were stay-ing there, it had to be good!

It has now become a tourist attraction for many race fans who make the pilgrim-age every year. They are able to savor a beer or a glass of wine outside, mingle with others trying to soak up the history and breathe in the same air that was once breathed by the gods of our sport.

On the Friday prior to the 24 Heures du Mans, the AMOC had organized a Champagne lunch at the fabled hotel, and for fans of the David Brown racing cars it offered an experience not to be soon for-gotten. With Astons of all types gracing the parking lot, ex-Aston driver Mike Salmon and even Noel Pasteau milling around and with special team cars right in front, it was like a scene right out of “Back to the Future”. Adding to the dream-like scene, 1950s works mechanic Roy James who

had worked alongside legendary engine man Jack Sopp was there, and Aston CEO Ulrich Bez and team owner/Aston Chair David Richards were even there filling in for DB and JW.

A little old lady on her scooter com-plete with head scarf and baguettes in her basket was politely escorted from the forecourt, but she needn’t have felt too put out…notably a 1930s Blower Bentley, a Lamborghini Murcielago and a Bugatti Veyron were also denied access to the Aston-only parking area.

One car that certainly wasn’t denied access was the jaw-droppingly gorgeous and freshly minted one-of-a-kind CC100. The car was carefully placed on the side of the hotel in the same space that was occupied by the race cars decades ago. Resplendent in its Aston Racing Green (no one was sure of the actual name of the

hue!) trimmed in yellow, this car was pro-duced specially by the ‘Works’ to celebrate the centenary year and it perfectly echoed the cars of yore with an ultra-modern twist.

Prototype Build Supervisor Zorin Cvijanovic only recently started at Astons and CC100 was his first project. He drove the car in and didn’t require much arm

twisting to get talking about his baby. “When I came aboard they had already done the styling and design of the car, so my group was asked to put it together before the Nurburgring. We had five weeks of very long days! This car is not road-going and is already sold to a collec-tor. It’s based on a modified V12 Vantage Roadster tub with an ASM gearbox.

“It’s a show car/track car and works very well on the track. It was built to cel-ebrate the centenary but it’s also a way to show what we are looking at in the future and to show what we are able to do.” I asked Zorin what was in the pipeline, but he was understandably cagey, “I can tell you that we are currently working on new things which we will see in two or three years and we have more things coming up, but there’s not much that I can tell you at this moment” he laughed. I tried.

A second similar car is slated and will be marginally road legal. Although based on the existing car there will be some obvious concessions to safety and roadability. Based on the CC100 if front of us, I for one can-not wait to see the result.

David Richards had a bounce in his step as he glad-handed all the club mem-bers and why shouldn’t he? With the front

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A little old lady on her scooter complete with head scarf and baguettes in her basket was politely escorted from the

forecourt, but she needn’t have felt too put out…notably a 1930s Blower

Bentley, a Lamborghini Murcielago and a Bugatti Veyron were also denied access

to the Aston-only parking area.

FRANCE

LA CHARTRE SUR LE LOIRE TIME WARP

By James Edmonds

row of GTE Pro and pole position in GTE Am for the following day’s main event secured he had every right to be pleased. Did he have any comment on the future cars coming out of Gaydon? “The CC100 is an incredible car. It gives cues as to the future and that was always the intention—to represent the past but give a glimpse into the future. If you look at the sales and the apprecia-tion from the customers of the current cars, you say, ‘why change something that’s so popular?’ but at the same time you have to move forward. (Chief designer) Marek (Reichman) has got ideas of where he’d like to take the brand and this gives a nice window into the future.”

Maitland Cook regaled us with fabulous stories of when the team stayed here 60 or so years ago, and how wives intermingled with mistresses and girlfriends; how drunken soirees that lasted until 3am resulted in team meetings that started late as pajama clad and hungover drivers stumbled down from their slumber; how Noel Pasteau persuaded the local gendarmes to overlook the local laws being bent severely as the team would block off local back roads to do testing at up to 180 mph! When David Richards took the stand he joked that these were the very reasons why his team did not stay there and woe betide any club members who told his drivers of the antics they had missed!

CEO Bez was next up and showed his obvious passion for the marque as he talked about the centenary. “I have participated on this journey for only 13 years. My target was to give this brand a future. Without a future, history is just history. With a future it becomes heritage and a legend. What better way to celebrate the centenary than with a car! The question was, should we celebrate with a Vanquish? A Rapide S? A V12 Vantage—a car which is

a little bit common(!)? A DB9? But the company deserves more. Combining history with heritage and the future, because this is something that nobody can copy. A lot of companies are copying us today. Our designs, what we do, how we do things and we cannot stop that. But what nobody can copy is our 100 years of history. I started talking to Marek Reichman about what we can do to celebrate the biggest success in the history of our cars—the World Championship in 1959, the Le Mans win in 1959 and the Nurburgring 1000. Something minimalistic, pure, simple in what it should do, but very successful. But how can we finance some-thing like this? We had to sell it! I went out and talked to a few people and said, ‘Would you give me a few hundred thousand pounds? And in six or nine moths you will get something very exciting.’ We found two people who said, ‘yes we believe you’ and this is what allowed us to build the CC100.”

He finished with a quip about how much fun it would be to beat the Porsches at Le Mans, and given his well-documented prior employ with the Stuttgart firm, his comments were met with rapturous applause and laughter.

To round out the afternoon and bring us back to present day, we left at 2 o’clock to head back to the circuit. We couldn’t believe our luck when we were welcomed into the AMR garage, and still on cloud nine from the earlier events, it was not easy to come back down after being given the green light to wander around freely. I have to say that I felt like a goldfish in a bowl with the throngs of fans behind the velvet rope looking in. You could almost see the thought bubbles, “Who are those guys?”

A day I shall lock away in the memory vault and remember fondly for many years to come.

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START AT THE TOP…with an ad in The Vantage Point.

Our readers are at the very top of the busi-ness and professional world; there’s no waste circulation. If your target is the top 1 percent of decision-makers by income or net worth, our fellow members could be prospective customers for your products or services.

TVP is cost efficient; just $450 a page for high quality, four-color ads next to world class editorial content four times a year.

Plus, 100 percent of what you spend with The Vantage Point goes to AMOC North America. Your support of TVP helps us cover increased production and postage costs, leaving more funds for club events and promotion.

Of course, our Aston owners love their cars—and to spend for new Astons and other

collectible cars, as well as accessories and services as diverse as car transport, restoration, and leasing. The Vantage Point readers include buyers of the latest Astons as well as owners of classic Astons that may be in the value range of six to seven figures.

While the magazine’s art director is a retained professional, our editorial team is a set of club volunteers—which does not preclude professional handling of your advertising! Several members of our team have career publishing and editorial experience—and we’ve worked hard to produce a car club quarterly that is as “uncommon” as the Aston Martin brand itself, and a great show-case for your company’s ad.

ASTON MARTIN OWNERS CLUB NORTH AMERICA

QUARTERLY JOURNAL

n Please contact Jim Hazen, Director of Advertising.

n TEL: 617-515-3695 n EMAIL: vantagepointamoc@gmail.com

A N A D V E R T I S E M E N T f o r A D V E R T I S E R S

PHOTO FEATURE

JILL REGER PHOTOGRAPHYThough I’ve been a professional photog-rapher for 25 years, I only started shooting cars 3 years ago. A friend of mine asked if I would come shoot members of their club at a Christmas party. The club happened to be CCCA Arizona. So I’m sure you can imag-ine what was parked outside. I wandered around taking photographs in the style I use for architecture, graphic details. I was so enthralled by the cars and so excited to go home and see them on the computer, I completely forgot why I was there, failed to do the group shot and never said goodbye. I was instantly addicted and have been shoot-ing everything from horseless carriages to supercars ever since.

The opportunities are rare when it comes to photographing Aston Martins, so if you live in the Scottsdale area. Give me a call.

My non-car background

After attending Brooks Institute of pho-tography, I returned to my home town (Phoenix) to pursue a career in com-mercial photography. For over 15 years I’ve enjoyed photographing a wide vari-ety of subjects: Classic Cars, Children, Architecture, Animals, Nature, Fashion and Families. While attending Brooks Institute of Photography, I was a member of a small team which produced a holographic portrait of President Ronald Reagan.

I also had an incredible opportunity to be one of only three photographers, in the world, to photograph the first sunrise of the millennium from Pitt Island, New Zealand (population 45), while 12 miles northwest the world’s media recorded the sunrise moments later from Chatham Island.

I am the photo-illustrator of the chil-dren’s book, “The Twelve Gifts of Birth,” (published by Harper Collins).

Coordinates for Ms. Reger: Jill Reger(602) 791-7048jill@jillreger.comhttp://jill-reger.artistwebsites.com/

Green DB4GT/0103/L of Terry Hefty on Colorado

Grand. In 1959 this GT had just been delivered to Frank

Ramirez de Arrellano of Puerto Rico, and was borrowed out

of the paddock when Stirling Moss’s race car had not arrived.

Stirling won that event with fastest lap

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Ex-Salyer 1955

DB3S/118 1955.

Ordered new by Dutch

racing car driver Hans

Davids and finished in the

appropriate national racing

livery of “Dutch Racing

Orange.” Davids made

his debut at Goodwood 14

April 1956, arriving in a

white Chrysler 300 with

his bright orange DB3S in

tow in an orange trailer.

Owned by Scott & Jody

Rosen, photographed at

Copperstate 1000, 2013.

#97 Aston Vantage GTE Pro driven by Darren Turner, Peter Dumbreck and Stefan Mucke. 3rd in class/17th overall.

Photo by Thomas Murray.

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Amelia Island weekend is a great event and has been for 18 years. Bill Warner has assembled some of the world’s finest and rarest automobiles and this year was no exception. Honoring 50 years of Porsche 911, 50 years of the Ford GT40, and Sam Posey, the field was filled with some very special cars.

For the last couple of years Amelia Island has been an event that always keeps me very very busy!! We typically bring down several cars for the concours as well as the auctions. And while the cars are always gorgeous, they are old machines after all and like anything mechanical, are prone to breaking at the least opportune times…and Amelia Island always seems to be one of those times.

A few years ago we had a Ferrari 250GT lightweight prepared and ready to be displayed on the lawn when the axle broke just after arriving at Amelia Island. I was very lucky to find a local garage who agreed to lend us their lift so that we could remove, repair & reinstall the axle. Another year I found myself rebuilding a brake master cylinder on the lawn behind the auction tent…I can’t make this stuff

up! So as this year’s event approached, I was expecting and planning for what was sure to be another exciting and heart wrenching preparation.

We had four cars on the lawn for the weekend festivities, a 1934 1.5 Liter Aston Martin (belonging to Tom Papadopoulos), a 1962 DB4 Aston Martin (belonging to Jim Taylor and fresh from paint and new interior re-trim by Autosport Designs Inc.), a 1964 DB5C Aston Martin (belonging to Randy and Kathy Poliner and completely restored by Autosport Designs Inc) and a 1964 Ford GT40 Prototype Racecar (dis-played by Autosport Designs Inc) which was also in the featured marque road tour on Friday driven by our own Tom P. All the cars were prepped and ready to go, the GT40 was the first to strike with it not wanting to start coming off the transport truck, but after some diagnosing and sort-ing, she came alive and all was happy again!! But wait, all others started and seem to be OK…could this be? “Waiting for the other shoe to drop” as they say but for now all was ok, and as the weekend progressed, all was going well with the cars on the lawn as well as the cars in the Auction.

We were able to put the cars on the field Saturday afternoon, this way all would be set for Sunday morning. It turned out that the only item we really had to deal with was the morning dew (and daylight savings time) but once the sun came up Mother Nature took care of that. It was a spectacular day, 70 degrees and sunny with a collection of the world’s best cars and car people to go along with it.

The judging started early as teams of judges, draped in their blue blazers circled the cars in all classes, asking questions, inspecting and scrutinizing every aspect of the cars they were assigned to judge and report on. Once the judging was com-pleted, two of our four cars were award-ed trophies, Randy and Kathy Poliner were awarded Best in Class with their 1964 Aston Martin DB5C and Autosport Designs 1964 Ford GT40 was awarded a trophy for the most historically significant Daytona 24 Hour racecar.

So with all the worry and heart burn, the 2013 Amelia Island Concours D’Elegance turned out to be one of Autosport Designs best showings to date.

A M E L I A I S L A N D 2 0 1 3FLORIDA

By Antoine T. Crettol

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Row 1: Nina Simonds and Don Rose with 1953 Bentley R Type; Melanie and Duke Steinemann’s DB5, Tom’s 1934 Aston 1.5 Liter. Row 2: James Taylor 1962 DB4; Antoine Crettol and Tom Papadopoulos 1964 Ford GT. (Winner of GT40 award: most historically significant Daytona 24 hour

racecar. Chassis # 104. 07/64: Le Mans, 12, Attwood/Schlesser, DNF. 12/64: Nassau, 97, Mc Laren, DNF. 02/65: Daytona, 72, Ginther/Bondurant, 3rd. 03/65: Sebring, 10, Hill/Ginther, DNF. 04/65: Le Mans Trials, 10, Bondurant. 04/65: Monza, 68, Amon/Maglioli, DNF. 05/65: Nürburgring 11, Amon/Bucknum/Hill/Mc Laren, 8th); Randy & Kathy Poliner 1965 DB5C (best in Class Winner).

Row 3: Mitch and Wendy Gross, 1925 Aston Martin 16 Valve Grand Prix, Amelia Award—Race Cars (Pre-War); 1931 MB SSK with period dress; Melanie and Duke Steinemann’s 1965 DB5.

Row 4: Peter Conover and Kristi Sloniger, 1957 DB MKIII; Randy and Kathy Poliner DB5C; Melanie and Duke Steinemann DB5. Row 5: Rose Bentley, Papadopoulos Aston Martin 1934 1.5 Litre.Photos by Antoine Crettol

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OHIO

36TH AULT PARK CONCOURS D’ ELEGANCE IN CINCINNATI:

ASTONS INVADE THE QUEEN CITY!

By Steven Reubel, MD

The 36th Ault Park Concours d’ Elegance in Cincinnati was held 7-9 June, featuring 100 years of Aston Martin, 50 years of Porsche 911, and 50 years of Corvette.

Friday night the party started; my wife Carol and I were joined by our Chairman Tom Smith for dinner at Pinecroft, the former mansion of Powel Crosley Jr, of Crosley Radio, Crosley Cars fame, and even more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Powel_Crosley,_Jr. Dinner included a tour of the mansion and a live auction.

Saturday: a country tour ended at the American Sign Museum www.signmuseum.org with examples ranging from 19th century signs through neon to the recent past. Carol and I cheated a bit,

taking our Morgan+8, since I didn’t want to clean the Aston again. We had our second party at the local Porsche/Maserati dealer,

with cars, drinks and a tapas buffet. Carol, Tom Smith, and I snuck out early to meet the Chicago gang down from The Windy City for another dinner. The five Astons from Chicago (vintage 1957-2012) made the 300 mile trip together down to the Ohio River Valley. Present were Henry Matson, Mid-West rep., Peter Conover, Jon Hauser and Jean Stone, Eddie Manelis, and Joe and Joan Maira. During dinner Tom proposed we tie a yearly Aston Martin club event to the Ault Park Concours; discussion will continue as the year progresses. After dinner we introduced the group to Graeters famous Cincinnati ice cream, arguably the best in the country.

Sunday morning we gathered at Ault Park, as sunny warm weather continued. The show was largest in history with 6,000+ attendees. Everyone seemed to have a good time and most of the Aston Martin group left Sunday night, Carol and I introduced Tom Smith and Peter Conover to more famous Cincinnati cui-sine—Skyline Chili.

Thank you to all AMOC Members who attended making it a wonderful event. Of the current Astons, only the Stone/Hauser DB9 made the inner circle, but the red Matson V8 Vantage and the triple-black Maira 2012 Virage Volante were also there. ASTON MARTIN class Ault Park 2013 included the following:

1939 Speed model Sue & Eric Jeffries Cincinnati, OH

1952 DB2 coupe Tom Smith Nashville, TN 1st place

1953 DB2 DHC James F. Causey Philo, IL Award of Distinction

1957 DB MK3 coupe Peter Conover Oak Park, IL Best in Class

1957 DB MK3 Coupe R.H. Grant III Dayton, OH 1st/Best British Sports Car

1965 DB5 Coupe R.H. Grant III Dayton, OH Award of Distinction

1965 DB5 Coupe 007 The Auto Museum Cincinnati, OH Peoples choice

1965 DB6 Coupe Carol & Steven Reubel Cincinnati, OH

1976 V8 Series 3 Eddie Manelis Chicago, IL

2011 DB9 Coupe Jean Stone & Jon Hauser Geneva, IL

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34

FEATURE

ASTON MARTIN ‘WORKS’ VISIT

By James Edmonds

Whenever I see the sign that reads, ‘Welcome to Newport Pagnell. Home of Aston Martin Lagonda’ I always get a shiver as the memories come rushing back. Memories of being a kid and tagging along with my older cousin, Carl, on summer holidays when he worked at the factory; of watching first DB6s and then V8s being built; of being mesmerized by tales from Roger Stowers. Of rides to Brands Hatch in a works Vantage with Carl. Of the smell of steak and kidney pudding wafting through my family’s house on Tickford Street just a stone’s throw from The Factory when Auntie Isabel and Uncle Bert knew I was coming.

Last time I visited, Vanquish produc-tion was ending and an eerie still had settled on the place as the noisy tools of hand production were winding down their chaotic hum. It felt as though I was at a funeral and I remember being saddened by the pallor that I perceived had fallen on this, my favorite place.

What a delightful change this time. Like the company itself, the whole place feels rejuvenated and reinvigorated. Not con-tent to rest on its laurels and wax nostalgic, Astons have ploughed a lot of money into the place, breathing new life into the old buildings. I was thrilled to be given a tour by ‘Works’ managing director, Kingsley Riding-Felce who has been there for many years now and I’m sure that the future has been set in no small part due to his huge efforts. It gladdened my heart to hear him say “It took a lot of persuading, but we had to get it done. Now the future of Newport Pagnell is set for the next 20 years.”

Tradition is strong in here though, and the place still has that Olde Worlde feel. The craftsmen who were rolling alumin-ium sheets on the English wheels when I was younger may still be the ones doing it there today. The trim shop too shows what a real upholsterer can do with a piece of cow hide—although the colors being used in some of the newer cars might not sit quite so well in your DB4! The run down

‘Olympia’ building has been restored and turned into a showroom; it was quite a stark comparison to see a barn find DB6 sitting across the room from a late ‘70s Lagonda. There are also new conference rooms with floor to ceiling book cases housing rare models – I could easily have spent a day just looking through them all!

Equally impressive is the new car show-room (a first for this location) and the revamped service department where my heart started to beat a little faster as I swooned over a voluptuous blue One-77. Or maybe it was the V12 Vantage Zagato. I can’t tell.

The switch in moniker from ‘Works Service’ to ‘Works’ is due to this new change, where one can now make Tickford Street the sole location for all AM needs. From buying a new or previously cherished Aston to restoring your DB3S to mak-ing outlandish modifications to your new Vanquish. ‘Works’ can do it all and with the aplomb, skill and discretion that have always been the hallmarks of Kingsley’s fine team of craftsmen and service personnel.

Having just returned from Le Mans and the hour being rather late, I thanked Kingsley for staying late to accommodate me, but of course, this was all in the line of duty for this consummate professional.

I walked back to the same house just up the street from the ‘Works’ while feel-ing elated at the new developments, and as I entered the house I realized that some things thankfully never change: Isabel had taught my cousin well. As the smell of steak and kidney once again tantalized my nostrils, we sat down to eat and talk Aston. It almost brought tears to my eyes.

Clockwise from top left: Salmons building. Now gutted;

New forecourt; The Decision Making room!; Sunnyside

looking a little less bright; Renovated Olympia building

now Heritage showroom. All photos James Edmonds

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Clockwise from top left: SIII Lagonda looking sharp(!); Not your traditional color choices;

Superleggera frame revealed; Bertone Jet, DB4GT/0201/L; Standard color palette;

Kinglsey Riding-Felce keeping it all in place. All photos James Edmonds

Opposite, clockwise from top left: DB3S chassis; Bertone Jet interior; Panel beaters art-

work; Revamped service department; DB3S body in primer; DB2 or Vantage? Hmmm;

Breathing new life into a DB5. All photos James Edmonds

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TVP– Gentlemen, thanks for taking time to speak to The Vantage Point. JM/WS– Our pleasure.

TVP– How you did you decide to get involved with an Aston Martin dealership? JM– It all started with you, Jim.

TVP– Really? Uh oh. It’s my fault? JM– Honestly it really is. I don’t know if you recall but in December of 2008 I went to my first AMOC annual luncheon up in New York. At the cocktail recep-tion I introduced myself and said let me know if you need any help in Washington DC, let me know. 15 minutes later when you convened the meeting you said your first order of business was to introduce the new Representative for the Mid-Atlantic Region, Jonathan Metcalfe!

TVP– Yes I do remember that. It does have a tendency to happen. JM– I turned around and was looking for another Jonathan Metcalfe in the room and was wondering how I just volunteered for that? I went back and thought what the heck, let’s do it.

TVP– How did that go?JM– Well our first event was at the Willard Hotel and we had a great turnout. I found initially that most of the members in the area had classic Astons but that began to change. As we got more new car owners I got to know Pieter Bastiaans at the dealer-ship and he was a great help and enthusias-

tically encouraged his customers to join the AMOC. Because of Pieter’s enthusiasm we became close.

We scheduled more and more events—track days, social events and weekend getaways.

There was always a core group of people, Bill being one of them, that were always there. It was a good group and we also got to know Beth Paretta from Aston Martin well.

In August 2011 Beth asked me if I would go out to lunch with her and a counterpart from Aston Martin who was in charge of dealer relations. They explained that they were looking for alternatives in the DC area to the company that was cur-rently representing Aston Martin. They asked me if I knew of any dealers that might be appropriate for them to talk to. They also asked if there was an outside chance that a group of us might be inter-ested in becoming the dealer. I was a bit surprised, but my next call was to Bill.

We got together and discussed the idea and started looking around at facilities that might be appropriate. It was very, very preliminary thinking. Our expectation was that the possibility was a long shot. Even Aston Martin explained that they had never awarded a dealership to a group that did not already have experience in the business.

We crafted a proposal that showed we would bring in a high level of experience in the business and that we hoped to retain key staff. We also picked a location that was very agreeable to Aston Martin. We

arze literally across the street from the pre-vious location.

TVP– Is that a good thing? JM– Yes. It has good street presence and it is in an area dominated by wealthy neigh-borhoods. WS– In a small world coincidence, the owner of the property where the dealership is located is himself an Aston Martin owner. JM– After much negotiating and a lot of back and forth, the franchise was ultimately awarded to us.

TVP– So none of the partners had any experience in the car business?WS– No, none at all.

TVP– Interesting. In talking with the Aston Martin people at our Lime Rock event, they said they were very excited that a group of enthusiasts had purchased the dealership.JM– Yes and what is also unique about us is that we are a single brand store. And since we are with a low volume car company like Aston it is a unique challenge in itself. Who knows, we may have to eventually have more than Aston Martin at some point.

TVP– I assume that the Washington DC market is very competitive. How do you differentiate from other dealers?JM– First we are a single point store. Second we really try to engage with our clients. It is not just about buying a car. We believe buying from us is or can be a

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INTERVIEW

ASTON MARTIN WASHINGTON DC: JONATHAN METCALFE AND WILLIAM SHAWN

By Jim Hazen

When you think of an automotive dealership what may come to mind is overload! The mega store or a large network of stores typifies this. If you visit, you may see multiple car brands with product presented in vast lots. It can be overwhelming; it can be frustrating. Often the person or people you talk to have limited interest in what they sell.

For a brand like Aston Martin there’s the potential to get lost in the mix of brands, most of which generate higher unit volumes. Buying an Aston is a personal decision. Owning an Aston Martin is a personal experience, which is enhanced through relationships with other like-minded individuals.

Aston Martin Washington, DC is the truly unique touch point for the marque. What started as a passion for the cars has turned into a business for the owners. Two of the Managing Partners, Jon Metcalfe (AMOC Mid Atlantic Area Representative) and William Shawn sat down to discuss how a lunch meeting turned into an opportunity.

lifestyle choice. We are constantly doing events and trying to engage with our cus-tomers with more than just gear talk.

TVP– I saw that on your site with your event videos. I’m not sure that other Aston Martin dealers do the same, or to the extent that you guys do. JM– We had event last winter where we had Peter Sprague down. We had 60 – 70 people attend. We set up a dinner in the showroom. Peter spoke and told stories of some of the travails that the company had been through. He was a lot of fun.

Ultimately we think our current cus-tomers are our best customers. We hope to have repeat business and we are always looking for ways to engage with the people that have purchased from us.

TVP– I assume being in Washington DC you have a fairly eclectic client base.JM– You know it’s interesting; they do come from backgrounds that are not nec-essarily what you might expect. We get a lot of intelligence-oriented people, quite a few entrepreneurs. Their age is younger, in the mid 40’s.

TVP– How do the buyers split male vs. female? JM– It is more a matter of influence. As

an example, we had a buyer recently that wanted a Ferrari and his girl friend strongly recommended he reconsider and get the Aston. He got the Aston.

TVP– What are the more popular models? Is it more Volantes vs. Coupes?JM– We do higher volume on the Vantage and we have always been (even when the previous owner had it) a strong seller of the top end cars like the DBS. Now with the new Vanquish I know we will see sales of that as well as the new Rapide.

TVP– Bill, how do you involve yourself in the business?WS– WS - Well I seem to do a huge amount of free legal work (laughs). Actually I am one of three managing principals. I helped to round up our group of investors and I put together the documentation for the company.

I’ve also tried with some success to interest my friends and colleagues in Aston Martin. Many of them are great candidates and they are beginning to come around. These are people, in a number of cases that have extensive car collections, but no Astons. It was one of the points we made to the Aston Martin people when we discussed the business. And now I think it is begin-ning to pay off, as more of the people we

know are becoming Aston Martin owners. I attend (as we all do) as many events as

I can and even my son has gotten involved and is working at the store in the summers selling and he’s really good at it.

TVP– I have heard so many good things about your staff. Did you keep the core group intact?WS– We are very happy to have them. Especially Pieter Bastiaans. He has a tre-mendous personality and we’ve tried to build the team around him. JM– He is an excellent ambassador for the company. WS– In many ways Pieter was the mid-wife in all this. I guess you could say that through his relationship with Jon there was an introduction to the brand. Then a few years later I bought my first Aston. All of our owners, except one, had an Aston and knew Pieter before we had this oppor-tunity. And we made sure the one that didn’t have an Aston got one. Pieter and his fabulous way with people was a large reason that all of this happened. JM– He was definitely was the one that coalesced it. TVP– I’m sure that the decision to become involved in a new business, where you lacked direct experience must have been one to which you all gave a great deal of

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consideration? In making your decision, how much was driven by the right side vs. the left side of the brain?WS– You must have been talking with my wife! Speaking for myself, it was driven by the left side and somewhat supervised by the right. We’re all cars guys; all the own-ers are car guys through and through. We wanted this to be a great opportunity. I guess you could say we used the right side of the brain to make that happen.

It’s such an incredible brand. And a brand, at least in our area, that attracts such phenomenal people, a really interest-ing mix. We so enjoy spending time with each other. I felt like we really knew what we were doing and from perspective there wasn’t a moments hesitation. JM– The other issue, to some extent, was to maintain what we felt was appropriate for the dealership. That’s the people and the facilities. We were concerned that if we weren’t involved then would a new owner have the same level of interest or passion about the business that we do.

TVP– What are the trends you see in the interests of your customers? Do they order their cars with custom touches? How picky are they?JM– We do have that and we have buy-ers that are very, very particular. Recently

we had a guy that was extremely detailed in how he wanted the car built. When it came in, he was not satisfied and did ultimately did not take delivery. We had to reorder.

TVP– Oh my!JM– It worked out OK because another customer took the first car and our meticu-lous buyer got what he wanted.

TVP– I saw that you guys have a GT4 race-car. What is the story behind that? JM– Well as it happened TRG invited us down to Palm Beach to test out the GT3 and the GT4. We took Pieter’s son who is a very successful professional racecar driver in Europe to test the cars. Prior to his com-ing over he was made aware of a car that had been run for two seasons and was on the market for a reasonable amount. The success of the test convinced us that we should go for it. We decided to invest and bring the car over from Europe with the idea we could ultimately resell it. We’ll put our livery on it to promote our store.

TVP– Are you guys going to campaign the car? JM– No we’ll take it out and enjoy it and see what happens.

TVP– How do you guys sum up your business?WS– Our theme is that we’re enthusiasts. We’ve opened an Aston store and we want to keep it as a place owned by enthusiasts for enthusiasts. It’s a great brand and I think there are few like it that inspires such admiration and loyalty.

You made the point in your questions that we had never been in this business and that is true. But we all are reasonably suc-cessful in doing what we do as our day jobs and none of us had a moment’s pause. The first four people that Jon and I asked to join us in this enterprise said yes and we literally have a waiting list of people that would like to become involved if they could. JM– This is kind of funny. I have a high school friend whose family owns several different car dealerships – Lexus, Caddy and others. I heard through a mutual friend that when he heard that I was part of this, he wondered if I had lost my mind! But a year later I certainly don’t feel like I’ve lost it just quite yet.

TVP– Well we wish you great success and thanks taking time to talk about a business founded by enthusiasts for enthusiasts.

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ITALY

THE ROMANCE OF VILLA D’ESTE CONCORSO D’ELEGANZA

By Jim Utaski

If the objective of the key organiz-ers, BMW, the title sponsor, and the Nominating Committee was suspense on which classic would win the coveted title of Best in Show, it was lost for this reporter on the simple act of entry in the secluded, secure, Villa parking area for the historic cars. On arrival, there against a garage wall was a tight-fitting custom car cover, which showed the unmistakable top rib trade-mark of a 1938 Bugatti 57 S(C) Atlantic. I casually remarked to a colleague, “If that is Ralph Lauren’s Bugatti, I think we know who will win ‘Best in Show’.” It turns out this was the Ralph Lauren car fresh from a long stay as the star of the show in Paris at the Museum Les Arts Décoratifs. My wife

and I clearly recall seeing it on a white platform beneath the chandeliers properly lit and looking for the entire world to see that, in fact, cars at the apex of potential design are a true art form.

Thus, the real suspense arose from the totally unplanned acts of Mother Nature. A wet, cold spring of northern Italy con-tinued deep into May. Our driver, nearing our Lake Como arrival with windshield wipers at full tilt, announces, “It is 5°C. Spring is not yet here.” The snow on top of nearby hilltops of the pre-Alpine land-scape, confirm the report. Will this be the event best known for its perfect weather failing to match expectations for display-ing rare machinery with their perfectionist owners? The weather issue was undecided until well after judging was completed on Saturday in an Irish-style intermittent cold mist. Then, the weather gods tired of their play, and the sun came out for the Parade of Cars past the sea of photographers with patrons seated at choice white linen tables nearest the route. The best seating for the rolling beauty pageant could then be enjoyed with Champagne glass in hand, and camera at the ready for the special ones. Of course, all of this set to music

in front of the beautiful people many in sartorial splendor. This year’s female mod-els, dressed in exquisite black and white themes, made all the cars look even better.

To understand Villa d’Este “Concorso d’Eleganza”, you must distinguish its spe-cial characteristics. Amelia Island Concours had over 230 entries with over 20,000 patrons. We must wait for Texas to catch on to this level of interest in the eclectic mix of classic car auctions, tours, and Concours to imagine a bigger party. By contrast, the group of historic classic cars at Villa d’Este numbered only 49 cars this year divided into nine classes. There is no public access. All entry opportunity is pre-arranged for entrants and support staff along with a small group of “Friends of the Concorso” who prepaid for the entire schedule of events. The very knowledgeable public, over 6,000, is invited on the following day (Sunday) at nearby estate Villa Erba. They too, must all be very patient. The access roads were built in the time of Romans, thus certain roads passing through quaint villages are one-way only with alternating right of way. Locals are rewarded with a modest entry fee, more music and Lake Como as a background. The car owners

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1961 Aston Martin DB4GT Zagato Coupe – Winner Premio de Onore Award

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are generally happy to answer all questions and even give autographs on the formal program with their car if asked. Very per-sonal. Villa Erba venue is very expansive, so the grounds provide the chance to see the R&M Auction cars in static display with their startling euro/dollar estimates on the windshield. Estimate prices usu-ally were well exceeded for the rarest cars, continuing that now well-established value trend. BMW offers a very impressive dis-play of motorcycles and its own company history. Yachts, seaplanes and busy ferries on Lake Como provide the tableau on a finally sunny and warm Sunday afternoon, a climate most welcome after the sodden first days. This unique place where the lake effect creates air conditioning was also a summer stop during the early Roman era. The beauty of Lake Como is no secret. 2,000 years ago in the time of Nero, the Roman Emperor (60 AD) Pliny, one of his youngest senators was from the region and returned often for the magical mix of climate and scenery.

The other characteristic of Villa d’Este dictated by the gorgeous lakefront site and historic architecture is the choice of night-ly entertainment. Boca Raton Concours,

less than 10 years old, in Florida features an entertainer such as Bob Newhart. Other venues can successfully use remarks by legends of the motor sports racing era. This year’s Villa d’Este Saturday evening program was the orchestra and the lead-ing soprano and tenor of the famous opera house in Milan, La Scala. They performed selected scenes from La Traviata. Even a non-opera going classic car enthusiast has to be touched if the sampler size perfor-mance is kept under one hour while the assorted desserts still are on the table. It reminded me of Julia Robert’s first visit to the opera house with suitor Richard Gere in the movie Pretty Woman, about a tramp becoming a lady brought to tears by the extraordinary opera given the emo-tional love songs.

Then, it is a Concours so let’s go to the show itself. The variety of historic cars in nine classes was narrowed somewhat by two special anniversary classes. The Concours was celebrating 100 years of Aston Martin and 50 years of Lamborghini. Another special class featuring the rivalry of Ferrari and Maserati, both using their on track success to sell cars useable on public roads. The “Kings of the Road” Class A

Pre-War provided the most variety. In most cases, the examples being shown were all built between 1928 and 1930s. The Depression years – yet Mercedes, Hispano-Suiza, Isotta Fraschini, Rolls Royce, Alfa Romeo, BMW and Bugatti were all represented. Only two of these fabled ¬Marques failed to survive the Stock Market Crash, the Depression and World War II.

Turning to the area of most interest to The Vantage Point readers is, of course, the Aston class. I take writer’s prerogative to feature the car I’ve only read about or seen in photographs, and there is a vast amount to read! The 1961 Aston Martin DB4 Zagato, or simply 2 VEV is arguably the most famous Aston Martin for col-lectors. The Bond DB5 takes most well known honors. Currently, the owners or shall I say “caretakers” are Toni and David Eyles of Berkshire, United Kingdom. They were most generous with their time and delighted to present the fascinating history of 2 VEV. The car is brutal, perhaps even ferocious in the flesh, yet the slippery light Zagato body holds the eye for a long, long, time even after seeing so many other clas-sic shapes.

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Left, top to bottom:

Aston Class at Villa

Erba early arrivals; Brian

Morrison’s 1962 DB4

Drop Head Coupe used

by Sir Michael Caine in

“The Italian Job”; Jean-

Pierre Slavic’s Award

Winning 1962 DB4 SS

in Aston Class;

Right, top to bottom:

U.K.’s Edward

Stratton’s 1970 DBS

in “Bahama Yellow” as

seen in the TV Series

The Persuaders; Toni and

David Eyles enjoying the

Red Carpet at Villa Erba

in their 1961 DB4GT

Zagato

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With far too much to report, I sim-ply catalog the statistical evidence of this machine’s milestones and its drivers, including Jim Clark:

• Entrant in nine major races in peri-od 1961 to September 1964, including Le Mans, Goodwood, Spa, Montlhery, Silverstone and its 1961 Checkered Flag British Grand Prix at Aintree.

• During the period, it suffered two major race crashes/rebuilds: at Spa Grand Prix, Driver Bianchi crashed while lead-ing in May 1962, and at Goodwood, Jim Clark, August 1963 with a Ferrari GTO driven by Surtees while attempting to pass Clark.

• Best Finishes 1st: British Grand Prix Support Race July 1961.

4th: Tourist Trophy Goodwood Jim Clark August 1961.

• A second career in historic races, its best year 1972 U.K. club races—in 11 races, eight top three finishes with four outright wins.

• The definitive evidence of press and public fascination is the 22 significant feature articles in motoring and traditional press.

All of the above statistics summarized

from a compilation reference paper by owner Toni Hart Eyles – The Life and Time of Aston Zagato 0183R (2 VEV). Toni Eyles is quite frank in describing the true nature of 2 VEV. After each accident and rebuild, ever-lighter weight is sought. Less weight equals thinner sheet alloy with no soundproofing creating a “noisy” car to drive with great purpose. I have heard other Zagato owners say the same of their Astons, as well as the Maserati A6G/2000 Zagato owners of their mid 1950s cars of which an equally small number were built for racing.

For reasons only the judges (called Jury) understand, the winner of the Aston Martin Concours class is a standard-appearing Aston Martin DB4SS owned by Jean Pierre Slavic. The very first Vantage engine was part of this car’s history. Perhaps the last of the three major accidents for 2 VEV, a very serious one on public roads thirty years later in 1993 on the Isle of Man was an issue. The repair charter at Newport Pagnell was to return the car to 1963 specifications rather than as built in 1961 for the John Ogier Essex Racing Stable with factory support. These two “highly” modified Zagatos, 1 VEV and 2 VEV, had

winning major international races as their goal. With a history of these three signifi-cant crashes, the result must be something close to a complete re-body, with even the most skilled artisans at the English wheel repair process working the 30-year-old alloy in 1993. The even simpler explana-tion is 2VEV is a racing car wearing racing paint. Villa d’Este is a competition stressing Elegance.

Each of the cars selected after invitation to Villa d’Este will have FIVA papers. Still a thorough authenticity inspection takes place on Thursday afternoon and Friday morning before the Saturday Concours itself. A brief note on each of the other Astons present appears below their photo-graph. A small, but impressive class. This year, with all of the entrants waiting until the last hour in the hope of a break from the constant wet, no one succeeded in avoiding the rain.

A brief comment on the 1948 Aston Martin “Spa Replica”. Don’t be put off by this official name. This is a “one off” authorized by David Brown for his then newly owned Aston Martin Company to produce the first Post War II car paying homage to a very successful 1930s racecar,

A magic moment for the man who has everything – Ralph Lauren

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the Aston Speed Model. Or, more com-monly “The Black Car” driven by John “Jock” St. John Horsfall where it won the 1st Race it entered in 1948, the 24 hours of Spa. In an early post-war marketing plan, the Spa Replica was created with a new body to be made in quantity for pub-lic sale, but no one had sufficient interest to part with £3,100 for one as shown at the London Motor Show.

The world will see 100 significant Astons in an age appropriate lineup later this year in the U.K. Club Celebration of the 100th Anniversary.

The king of setting style and taste in fashion in the USA, if not in the world, Ralph Lauren, is truly a car guy. He was around throughout the long weekend. I actually felt stressed for him when the Jury showed up at his Bugatti. The otherwise tasteful attendees had kept their appropri-ate distance until the Jury started the Q&A process on his car. Something of a scrum of enthusiasts and photographers immediately appeared pressing ever closer to him to hear his remarks. I trust they are reprinted somewhere, as I turned back around so as not to add another body to the crowd. At the Closing Ceremony upon the car

receiving the “Best in Show” award, he noted a full 20 years had passed since his last appearance at Villa d’Este. He was quite gracious. His efforts to define classic cars as art should be appreciated by all of us. New jobs are being created every day as valuation of the best examples increase, and the best restoration shops react to the state of now being short-handed.

Having had the privilege of attending Villa d’Este now for a repeat visit, car talk buddies ask, “What is it like?” You can expect great Italian food, service, usually blue bird weather and an extravagantly beautiful location. If George Clooney bought a house there, it must be beautiful, right? It is season-al: Villa d’Este is open April to November. To me, the truly distinguishing characteristic is the chance to make new international col-lector friends, and see a few old ones who share the passion. I routinely return with a goodly set of business cards with “To Do” notes of my own. Where else can you meet 49 owners from around the world who have surprisingly often exactly the same taste in classic machinery as you do? Entrants come from most of Europe and this year in my class, an owner from China. In my case, perhaps this mutual interest is less surprising

since my focus is in European sports cars of the 1950s, early 1960s having started with DB Series Astons decades ago. This year, fit-tingly, I brought a 1955 Siata 208S back to its country of origin for a holiday to many admiring glances during the two days of Concours and parades. Everyone interested in classic cars in Italy apparently knows the Siata’s famed freelance designer, Giovanni Michelotti. I learned a museum dedicated to his designs is in the development stage from no one other than his son, Edgardo Michelotti.

I close with a brief nod to Simon Kidston, the Master of Ceremonies. What a gift to give accurate commentary, without notes on each and every car, usually in the language of the owners, and then again in Italian for the large Sunday public gather-ing. Hence, even with fewer than 60 cars, including the new class for fresh concept cars, the presentation to the audience takes more than two hours. Good cars get good applause. Great cars get great applause. The trophies and awards are relevant as it is a competition, but it’s the full experience that makes the classic car passion so infective at Villa d’Este. And the rain didn’t spoil the romance of it one drop.

Top row, left to right: Aston from The Italian Job returns to Italy in one piece; Author’s 1955 Siata 208S born in Italy makes a nostalgia visit; Standing Room Only at Villa

d’Este for 2VEV.

Bottom row, left to right: Aston Class Line Up early under leaden skies; David Waltenberg’s 1948, 2-Liter “Spa Replica”, ex David Brown Jr.; Ralph Lauren needs more than two

hands to hold all the Gold and Silver for his Bugatti.

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PENNSYLVANIA

‘BEST OF BRITAIN – TRIBUTE TO ASTON MARTIN’ BY SIMEONE FOUNDATION MUSEUM, PHILADELPHIA, PA

By Don Rose and Len Levin

Dr. Frederick Simeone, a renowned Philadelphia neurosurgeon, is a towering figure among car collectors, tracing his affection for old sports cars to the ‘clunker’ Alfa Romeo 6C2500 his father gave him—with hope of keeping him off the road as it required fixing up! Later, they together found an old Duesenberg race car in bits—

in which state it remained for 20+ years.Thus began his lifelong pursuit of old

racing cars, in the ‘Spirit of Competition’ which became the title of Dr. Simeone’s 2009 book published by Coachbuilt Press. This is a fascinating chronicle of his col-lecting aesthetic, his strong belief in the preservation, as opposed to restoration, of important automobiles—and all related thrills, spills, design, smells and courage that accompany the history of motor racing.

In 2008, Dr. Simeone moved his aston-ishing collection to a dedicated museum now open to the public. Cars are displayed alongside others each may have raced against, often before imaginative dioramas depicting the milieu of each group. For example, one can imagine the entire 1959 Le Mans starting grid in the section for late 1950s sports racers. You will find a pon-toon-fendered Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa, a Jaguar D-type and a Maserati 300S, as well as the iconic Aston Martin DBR1/3 which played the critical strategic role in the 1-2

victory at Le Mans for Aston Martin that year, all but clinching the World Sportscar Championship for Aston Martin.

In addition to the 60-plus cars on permanent display from the Simeone Collection, the Museum hosts thematic exhibits which regularly change to keep the experience fresh and allow the public to access a greater variety.

From March 23rd to April 14th, 2013, the theme was ‘Best of Britain—Tribute to Aston Martin’ commemorating Aston’s centenary year, opening with a reception the evening of March 22; an impressive number of AMOC members attended from as far south as Florida and as far north as Massachusetts.

25 Astons were displayed, including two from the permanent collection, the forementioned DBR1/3 and the 1936 Le Mans-prepared racer. The lineup ranged from a significant 1930 International Series One through the latest Astons from local Aston Martin dealer F. C.

1. 1930 Aston Martin Series One International—Richard and Philip Rader, Briarcliff, NY

2. 1934 Aston Martin 1.5 Liter Mk ll—Tom Papadopolous, Huntington Station, NY

3. 1935 Aston Martin Ulster—David L. Van Schaick, Palm Beach, FL

4. 1936 Aston Martin Le Mans LM 22—Simeone Foundation Museum

5. 1939 Aston Martin 15/98 Open Sports-Don Rose, Salem, MA

6. 1955 Aston Martin DB 2/4 Mk l—Don and Harris Brodie, Rosemont, PA

7. 1958 Aston Martin DBR1/3—Simeone Foundation Museum

8. 1959 Aston Martin DB 2/4 Mk lll—Rich Myers, Voorhees, NJ

9. 1959 Aston Martin DB4 GT/0151R—James L. Freeman, New York, NY

10. 1961 Aston Martin DB4 Series IV—Michael Staines, Radnor, PA

11. 1964 Aston Martin DB5C—Randy and Kathy Poliner, Merritt Island, FL

12. 1964 Aston Martin DB5—George Bunting, Hunt Valley, MD

13. 1967 Lola T-70 Mk 3/Aston Martin—James L. Freeman, New York, NY

14. 1969 Aston Martin DBS—Leonard Levin, Blue Bell, PA

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Kerbeck, a gracious sponsor. AMOC members loaned vehicles rep-

resentative of significant development in Aston Martin’s rich history. In the ‘Spirit of Competition,’ former AMOC East Chair Jim Freeman brought three race cars, each a significant mile post in Aston’s postwar glory years, and each raced today at track events:

- 1959 DB4GT/0151/R or 17TVX, driven by Jim Clark, Innes Ireland, Roy Salvadori, and Tony Maggs;

- 1967 Lola/Aston Martin T-70 Mark III, SL 73/121, driven by John Surtees and David Hobbs at Le Mans;

- 1989 AMR1/4 driven by Brian Redman, David Leslie and Michael Roe.

Dr. Simeone welcomed everyone, pre-senting an overview of Astons in competi-tion including histories of the Museum cars. Followed was a panel discussion organized by noted historian Jonathan Stein, featuring Jim McHenry and David Linfoot, longtime Aston Martin employees

at headquarters in King of Prussia, PA in the ‘60s and ‘70s, and Dr. Simeone.

There is much more to say about the Simeone Foundation Museum and I encourage anyone interested to visit. You will see many of the ‘best of the best’ competition cars in more-or-less ‘as raced’ condition, and will not be disappointed. I will leave you with words by Dr. Simeone, whose purist approach to the preservation of important automobiles is compelling food for thought (although somewhat controversial within the concours com-munity):

“The desire to respect well-preserved great automobiles is not a new idea. For decades, closet conservators have not come out because of the pristine restoration focus that dominated the hobby. They worried that their scruffy treasure would pale on the show field. They were told a ground-up [restoration] is mandatory. Was the preservation motivated by parsi-mony? And of course a trophy was out of

the question. The mainstream seemed to abhor imperfection. While acknowledging their vehicle was technical jewelry in every way, they shamelessly changed its colors, trim, and even its design. Scores of unusual animals were sacrificed to add wow to the trim. No nut, bolt, or tie-rod arm escaped the chrome plater’s tank. Wire wheel spokes scintillated on the podium. Novel colors were protected with clear coat. When it was easier to replace than fix, the choice was easy. [From my point of view,] racing damage was a badge of courage.”

The Simeone Foundation Museum6825 Norwitch DrivePhiladelphia, PA 19153(215) 365-7233 Fax: (215) 365-8230Tues – Fri: 10AM – 6PMSat – Sun: 10AM – 4PM , Closed

Mondays. Please call for holiday hours, or check the website for updates. www.simeonemuseum.org

15. 1976 Aston Martin V8—Thomas Williams, Horsham, PA

16. 1989 Aston Martin AMR1/4—James L. Freeman, New York, NY

17 1991 Aston Martin Virage Wide Body 6.3 L—Josh Mazer, Annapolis, MD

18. 1997 Aston Martin DB7—Don and Harris Brodie, Rosemont, PA

19. 2003 Aston Martin DB AR1 Zagato—James La Mariana, Perkasie, PA

20. 2007 Aston Martin DB9—Sunir Ghosal, Baltimore, MA

21. 2012 Virage Volante—F. C. Kerbeck, Palmyra, NJ

22. 2013 Vantage Roadster—F. C. Kerbeck, Palmyra, NJ

23. 2013 Vantage Coupe—F. C. Kerbeck, Palmyra, NJ

24. 2013 DB9 Coupe—F. C. Kerbeck, Palmyra, NJ

25. 2014 Vanquish—F. C. Kerbeck, Palmyra, NJ

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AMOC MEMBERS IN ATTENDANCE:

Whit & Lynne BallNick Candee & cousin Gretchen CareyJon ClerkLance Evans & daughter JessicaLen & Barbara LevinDavid & Margot Linfoot Josh Mazer

Bob & Sue NydickChuck PittRandy & Kathy PolinerDon RoseMike Staines James La Mariana Stefan Stas

Lance Sterman John & Jane StinsmenTom WilliamsJim Utaski

ASTON MARTINS ON DISPLAY:

1930 Aston Martin Series One International—Richard and Philip Rader, Briarcliff, NY1934 Aston Martin 1.5 Liter Mk ll—Tom Papadopolous, Huntington Station, NY1935 Aston Martin Ulster—David L. Van Schaick, Palm Beach, FL1936 Aston Martin Le Mans LM 22—Simeone Foundation Museum1939 Aston Martin 15/98 Open Sports-Don Rose, Salem, MA1955 Aston Martin DB 2/4 Mk l—Don and Harris Brodie, Rosemont, PA1958 Aston Martin DBR1/3—Simeone Foundation Museum1959 Aston Martin DB 2/4 Mk lll—Rich Myers, Voorhees, NJ

Left: L-R: Nick Candee, Gretchen Carey, Kathy &

Randy Poliner

Right: Round Table presentation. L-R: Jonathan Stein,

Jim McHenry, David Linfoot, Dr. Fred Simeone (Jim &

Dave worked for AML in King of Prussia)

Above:

Bottom Right: L-R: David Linfoot, Jessica Evans,

Lance Evans, Jonathan Stein *, Tom Williams, Lance

Sterman, Lynne & Whit Ball*, Dr. Simeone, Len &

Barbara Levin, Kathy Poliner, Nick Candee, Stefan

Stas, Gretchen Carey, Randy Poliner, Kevin Kelly

(mechanic for the museum).

1959 Aston Martin DB4 GT/0151R—James L. Freeman, New York, NY1961 Aston Martin DB4 Series IV—Michael Staines, Radnor, PA1964 Aston Martin DB5C—Randy and Kathy Poliner, Merritt Island, FL1964 Aston Martin DB5—George Bunting, Hunt Valley, MD1967 Lola T-70 Mk 3/Aston Martin—James L. Freeman, New York, NY1969 Aston Martin DBS—Leonard Levin, Blue Bell, PA1976 Aston Martin V8—Thomas Williams, Horsham, PA1989 Aston Martin AMR1/4—James L. Freeman, New York, NY1991 Aston Martin Virage Wide Body 6.3

L—Josh Mazer, Annapolis, MD1997 Aston Martin DB7—Don and Harris Brodie, Rosemont, PA2003 Aston Martin DB AR1 Zagato—James La Mariana, Perkasie, PA2007 Aston Martin DB9—Sunir Ghosal, Baltimore, MA2012 Virage Volante—F. C. Kerbeck, Palmyra, NJ2013 Vantage Roadster—F. C. Kerbeck, Palmyra, NJ2013 Vantage Coupe—F. C. Kerbeck, Palmyra, NJ2013 DB9 Coupe—F. C. Kerbeck, Palmyra, NJ2014 Vanquish—F. C. Kerbeck, Palmyra, NJ

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Steven Anderson Girard, OH 1969 DBS

Duncan Bastin Stamford, CT 2011 V12 Vantage

Peter M. Bernholtz Vero Beach, FL 2008 DB9

Toby Bishop Chicago, IL 2008 V8 Vantage

Ross Bletsoe Lakefield, Ontario Canada 2009 V8 Vantage Roadster

Walter Boehringer Redding, CA

John M. Bonifas Carmel, CA

Denise E. Botticelli & Peter H. Pickslay La Mesa, CA 1998 DB7 I6 Coupe

John K. Bouckley Brielle, NJ 2001 DB7

Nicole Charron & Luc Trudel Louisville, CO 2006 V8 Vantage

Saurabh Chaudhary Chicago, IL 2013 V8 Vantage

Aldo A. Cipriano Southborough, MA

Lyndon Anthony R. Co New York, NY 2008 V8 Vantage

Grier Colter Toronto, Ontario, Canada 2010 V8 Vantage

Stuart P. Cresson Murrells Inlet, SC 2006 V8 Vantage

Dennis T. D’Antonio New York, NY 1987 V8 Volante

Al DeMarzo Flower Mound, TX 1997 DB7 I6 Volante

Bill Dunbar Terre Haute, IN 2007 DB9 Volante

Lawrence Durocher Woodbury, CT 2002 DB7 Vantage Volante

Thomas C. Fatur Londonderry, NH 2008 V8 Vantage

Neal Feldman New Rochelle, NY 1997 DB7

John Fisher Laflin, PA 2012 V8 Vantage

David & Sheridan Foster Los Altos, CA 2014 Rapide S

Peter Bradley Freund Bedford Hills, NY 2010 DBS Volante

Sunir Ghosal Baltimore, MD 2007 DB9

Khalil J. Ghosn Houston, TX 2005 Vanquish S

Donald Gleasner East Hampton, NY 1977 V8

Mike Goodall Acworth, GA 2008 DB9

Andrew Gutowski Barnstable, MA 1976 V8 Series 3

Tony Haralambos San Marino, CA 2009 V8 Vantage

James Hewson Potomac, MD 2009 V8 Volante

Harold Ho Cupertino, CA 2011 V8 Vantage S Rdstr

Steven Hoffman Norridge, IL 2006 Vanquish S

Chieh Huang Edison, NJ 2008 V8 Vantage

Darren Jirsa Des moines, IA 2013 V8 VantageS

Dylan Keith Santa Clara, CA 2007 V8 Vantage

Paul Kitchen San Francisco, CA 1977 V8

Richard J. Klingaman Hilton Head Island, SC 2012 Virage

Warren Kumari Sterling, VA 2009 V8 Vantage

Stanley W. Lane Delray Beach, FL 2006 DB9 Volante

Dr. John C. Li Vancouver, BC Canada 2012 V12 Vantage

John Lydon Portsmouth, NH

James Mapson Laguna Hills, CA 2009 V8 Vantage Roadster

Christopher P. McClancy Darien, CT

David Joseph McIntyre Jr. Scottsdale, AZ 2012 DBS Volante

Robert J. Mirabile MD Blue Bell, PA 1932 Le Mans Prototype

Jackrit Mongkollugsana Westerville, OH 2006 V8 Vantage

Sonny Morgan The Hills, TX 2013 V8 Vantage

Marc W. Myette Merrimack, NH 2003 Vanquish

Nancy & Doug Norberg Seattle, WA 2003 DB7 Vantage Volante

Robert L. Oatman Belair, MD

J. Chad Odom Greenville, SC 2009 DBS

David Ponemon Atascadero, CA

Herbert Posner Chapel Hill, NC 2007 DB9 Volante

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS

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Kaj Rawstron Houston, TX 2012 V8 Vantage

John Rosevear Berlin, MA

Gagan Sarkaria Maryhill, Ontario Canada 2010 V8 Vantage

Bebe Schudroff Greenwich, CT 1965 DB5C

Lynn Schutt Alexandria, VA 2009 DBS

Richard Seidlitz Manassas Park, VA 2007 V8 Vantage

E. Andrew Shaffer Syracuse, NY 2001 DB7 Vantage Volante

Robert A. Smalley Paradise Valley, AZ 2012 V12 Vantage

Tony Soares Toronto, Ontario Canada 2009 Vantage

Edward & Marissa Solis La Canada, CA 2010 DBS

Monte Solovy Bellevue, WA 2014 VH310 Vanquish

Lance Sterman East Windsor, NJ 1954 DB2/4 Mk1, 1959 DB2/4 Mk3

William Thomas McLean, VA DB9

EJ Tracy Dana Point, CA 2013 DB9 Coupe

Eduard Van der Geest New York, NY 2005 DB9

Jon M. Vogel Robbinsville, NJ 2006 V8 Vantage

Paul Witteman Chevy Chase, MD 2010 V8 Vantage

Connie J. Wodlinger Palm Beach, FL 2012 DB9 Volante

Warren Wood East Lansing, MI 2011 V8 Vantage

James D. Zahringer Palm Beach, FL 1961 DB4 Series 4

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS

54

UPCOMING EVENTS

2013 AMOC NORTH AMERICA EVENT SCHEDULEPlease contact your Area Rep for additional details and information.

OCTOBER

Canada-East 8 Pub Night (TBA). Contact Tom Appleton tea@cogeco.ca

NOVEMBER

Canada-West 12 Pub Night (TBA). Contact Tom Appleton tea@cogeco.ca

NY 20 Art and the Automobile. Sothebys/Lotos Club Preview and Dinner. Contact Susan Laskey for details slaskey@freeman-co.com

DECEMBER

NY 6 AMOC Annual Holiday Luncheon, Le Perigord, New York City. Contact Susan Laskey for details slaskey@freeman-co.com

ONGOING

AMOC Chicagoland Pub Night – Continuing our 4th Thursday of the month informal meetings at a pub spot near O’Hare for dinner and conversa-tion. Restarting on February 23, monthly through October 25. Contact Henry Matson henry.matson@gmail.com

The Specialist in all Vintage Aston Martins

Registered Office • 53 Stilebrook RoadYardley Road Industrial Estate • Olney • Bucks

MK46 5EA • United KingdomTel: +44 (0) 1234 240024 • Fax: +44 (0) 1234 240054info @ecuriebertelli.com • www.ecuriebertelli.com

This well known MKII has just come to the UK from Australia, where it has been used regularly over its past 35 year ownership, and so has proven reliability. Restored in the late 1970's it was winning concours in the 1980's. The only modification from standard are hydraulic brakes, but it does have its original matching number dural rod engine. This is a car that runs very nicely and handles well and can be used straight away for what is the remainder of the Centenary Year. Having made only fifty or so of these short chassis cars, a good usable MKIIs in this sort of original condition is now very difficult to find, so this car does represents very good value for money.

I will have another example arriving soon in freshly rebuilt concours condition, but this will be considerably more expensive.

Contact Andy Bell for details.

1934 1.5 LITRE SHORT CHASSIS MKIIChassis no. E4/434/S Guide Price £165,000

Photo courtesy of Jill Reger

55

HOTWIRE!

THE KLEMANTASKI COLLECTION BLOG

We are now writing a weekly “blog” that has become quite popular in which we discuss the background to some of our photographs.You may review it here:

http://klemcoll.wordpress.com

If you wish you may enter your email and click on “Follow” on the right side of the page to be notified whenever we make a new posting.

ONE-77 SQUAD CAR IN DUBAI

http://www.drivearabia.com/news/2013/05/05/dubai-police-gets-aston-martin-one-77-mercedes-benz-sls-amg-bentley-continental-gt-cop-cars/

1950S ASTON RACING

Mike Green’s old racing pics from the era of Dickie Green in the 1950s as Aston’s West Coast Guru:

www.offroadexperience.com/wcb/aminfo

CLASSIFIEDSWANTED 5 chrome wire wheels, 16” for DB4; complete tool roll; jack. After 30+ years my DB4C is finally being restored! Tom Fuller, Ohio, tfuller2@gmail.com Home (216) 529-1313 or Mobile (216) 337-4548

WANTED Period photos/information on Mark III AM/300/3/1672 in bronze, off-white interior, whitewalls, bought new by Saul Pollack of Sunset Strip, LA (brother-in-law of Debbie Reynolds). Current steward: Pascal Andre Maeter in London: maeter1@me.com

PAYMENTS VIA PAYPAL for events, etc: amoceast@aol.com

AMOC EAST CLUB STORE on eBay: amoceastclubstore

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING IS NOW FREE FOR AMOC MEMBERS! Ads for non-members are $100.00 at the discretion of the Advertising Manager or Editor. Please forward all ads to Editor, The Vantage Point via email: editor@amoc.org. For more classified ads, check out the Market Place section of the Club website: www.amoc.org

56

DIRECTORYAMOC EAST OFFICERSCHAIRTOM SMITH881 Tyne Boulevard Nashville, TN 37220 (615) 297-0350 amocts@gmail.com

VICE CHAIRSDON ROSE37 Warren Street Salem, MA 01970 (617) 513-0388 Fax: (978) 744-7678 007@donrose.com

RICHARD “NICK” CANDEE21 Anis Road Belmont, MA 02478 (617) 484-2561 (617) 962-2498 NickCandee@aol.com

SECRETARYTOM GIBB120 E. 75th Street New York, NY 10021 (212) 628-7448 76aston@gmail.com

DIRECTORS AT LARGEJIM FREEMANSUSAN LASKEYc/o Freeman & Co 645 Fifth Avenue, Suite 900 New York, NY 10022 Jim tel: (212) 830-6177 Susan tel: (212) 830-6160 Fax: (212) 265-4350 jfreeman@freeman-co.com slaskey@freeman-co.com

TREASURERBREWSTER MINER73 Beekman Road Summit, NJ 07901 (908) 522-1054 amoceasttreasurer@yahoo.com

COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTORSCOTT FAIRLEY42 Strathgowan Crescent Toronto, Ontario M4N 3A2 Canada (416) 483-2855 (evening) sfairley@theallgroup.com

MEMBERSHIP DIRECTORCHARLIE ROSE4531 Den Haag Road Warrenton, VA 20187 (703) 847-3631 crose77@aol.com

ADVERTISING DIRECTORJIM HAZEN268 Beechwood Street Cohasset, MA 02025 (781) 383-6007 jwhazen@comcast.net

REGISTRARVACANT

COMPETITION DIRECTORJIM FREEMAN(see Directors At Large)

CONCOURS DIRECTORSCOTT RUMBOLDAutosoport Designs, Inc. 203 West Hills Road Huntington Station, NY 11746 (631) 425-1555 scottrumbold@hotmail.com

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/ THE VANTAGE POINTRICHARD “NICK” CANDEE(see Vice Chairs)

HISTORIANRICHARD “NICK” CANDEE(see Vice Chairs)

DESIGN CONSULTANT/ THE VANTAGE POINTBRUCE CROCKERc/o Crocker Inc. P.O. Box 470858 17 Station Street, 3rd Floor Brookline Village, MA 02447 (781) 237-5632 bruce@crockerinc.com

AMOC EAST AREA REPRESENTATIVESEASTERN CANADATOM APPLETON3300 Lakeshore Road West Oakville, Ontario L6L 6S6 Canada (905) 847-9197 Mobile: (561) 827-2830 tea@cogeco.ca

FLORIDARUSSELL GLACE1006 N. Federal Hyw. Lake Worth, Fl 33460 (561) 762-2908 amocflorida@gmail.com

MASSACHUSETTS/ NEW ENGLANDDR. BOB WELCH105 Upland Road Cambridge, MA 02140 (617) 864-6936 rjwelch1@verizon.net

MICHIGANNORB KAMINSKI1023 Bedford Road Grosse Pointe Park, MI 48230 (313) 882-2366 njkamin@aol.com

MID-ATLANTICJONATHAN METCALFEOne Freedom Square 11951 Freedom Drive Reston, Virginia 20190 (703) 464-8807 jonathan_metcalfe@ml.com

MIDWESTHENRY MATSON1946 N. Freemont Street Chicago, Illinois 60614 (773) 871-8370 matsonht@yahoo.com

NEW JERSEYLANCE STERMAN, MD16 Woodland Drive, East Windsor, NJ 08520 (609) 610-8513 medtreat@aol.com

WIL WONG292 Locktown Road Flemington NJ 08822 (609) 273-6051 wwongdesign@earthlink.net

NEW YORK/CONNECTICUTANDY WILLIAMS165 Gun Club Road Stamford, CT 06903 (203) 321-7088 willpubs@aol.com

PENNSYLVANIA—EASTLEONARD LEVIN239 Winged Foot Drive Blue Bell, PA 19422 (610) 272-3812 levin2391@verizon.net

JOHN STINSMEN3436 Lincoln Avenue Allentown, PA 18103 (610) 432-7254 j3stinsmen@aol.com

AMOC WEST OFFICERSCHAIRGEORGE WOOD2771 Camino Venadillo San Ramon, CA 94583 (925) 969-7698 onefastaston@aol.com

VICE CHAIRLARRY FROMM233 Avenida Princesa San Clemente, CA 92672 (949) 492-5933 l.fromm@att.net

SECRETARYJANE RANSOME101 North Delphia Brea, CA. 92821 (714) 529-4439 foransome@aol.com

REGISTRARCHET FLOYD664 18th Street Manhattan Beach, CA 90266 (310) 545-5409 cfloyd24@juno.com

TREASURERGARY D. MOOREG.D. Moore & Co., Inc. 2222 Foothill Blvd., Suite E-605 La Canada, CA 91011 gmoore@gdmoore.com

COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTORGUY SIMPSON22402 Citation Court Los Gatos, CA 95033 (408) 353-8682 Mobile: (408) 813-3303 guy.simpson@verizon.net

AMOC WEST AREA REPRESENTATIVESCALIFORNIA—SOUTHERN & LOS ANGELESJOHN V. MUTLOW FAIA2658 Glendower Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90027 (323) 509-7747 mutlow@gmail.com

CALIFORNIA—NORTHERNDON LOVASIK6723 Corte Tercera Martinez, CA 94553 (925) 228-9191 donlovasik@juno.com

MOUNTAINLUC TRUDEL & NICOLE CHARRON657 West Pine Street Louisville, CO 80027-1084 (720) 890-8774 (303) 522-8400 luc_trudel@hotmail.com

TEXAS/OKLAHOMABRIAN GREENSTONE12405 John Simpson Court Austin, TX 78732 (512) 773-3010 brian@briangreenstone.com

NORTHWEST/WASHINGTONROBIN BOLZ24917 NE 20th Place Sammamish, WA 98074 Home: (425) 836-9194 Mobile: (425) 503-7242 rbolz2@comcast.net

SAN DIEGOVICTOR W. LANZ3250 Venado Street Carlsbad, CA 92009 (760) 943-9708 (760) 688-6462 lanzvictor8@gmail.com

WESTERN CANADAJOHN FAIRCLOUGH 28875 Marsh McCormick Rd Abbotsford, BC Canada, V4X 2B4 Home: (604)856-6264 johnfairclough@shaw.ca

www.amoc.org Password access to Members Area available by contacting Webmaster with your membership number: amocweb@amoc.org

JOIN THE AMOC!US and Canada. For information on 2013 membership please contact:

SECTION EASTTOM SMITHMembership Director (615) 297-0350

TOM GIBBSecretary (212) 628-7448

SECTION WESTCHET FLOYDRegistrar (310) 545-5409 cfloyd24@juno.com

JANE RANSOMESecretary (714) 529-4439 foransome@aol.com

.25” wrap to back cover

WINTER 2013

Works Visit

Le Mans Rollercoaster

Art of Jill Reger

Issue No. 37

$12.50 US / $12.50 CDN

ASTON MARTIN OWNERS CLUBNorth America Quarterly Journal

WINTER 2013

Works Visit

Le Mans Rollercoaster

Art of Jill Reger

Issue No. 37

$12.50 US / $12.50 CDN

ASTON MARTIN OWNERS CLUBNorth America Quarterly Journal