Aston Martin Magazine Winter 2009 2c0b581d-53f3-41db-9c02-Fbf5dcb77bb9

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A S T O N M A R T I N M A G A Z I N E

Sunseeker Seychelles Ltd

SUNSEEKER SEYCHELLES LTD

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Tel: +248 52 34 34

Web: www.sunseeker-seychelles.net

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A WORLDCLASS LIFESTYLE AWAITS YOU IN SEYCHELLES

INTRODUCES

Unique piece for Kronometry 1999

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(1) Brand not available in Monaco • (2) Brand not available in Monaco & Paris • (3) Brand only available in Cannes • (4) Brand only available in Monaco • (5) Brand only available in Lyon • (6) Brand not available in Courchevel

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LONDON • PARIS • CANNES • MONACO • LYON • BORDEAUX • ST-TROPEZ • COURCHEVEL

Aston Martin decembre_Mise en page 1 10/11/09 15:59 Page1


W E L C O M E

Dear Reader

A very warm welcome to the winter edition of Aston Martin Magazine.

This issue, you find us keenly anticipating first deliveries of our new four-door sports carRapide, constructed at our new Aston Martin Rapide Plant (AMRP) in Austria. As with ourfactory in Gaydon, Aston Martin welcomes customers to its production facilities with opendoors, as we believe that seeing your Aston Martin progressing down our high-tech lines isan essential part of the ownership experience. The new AMRP facility is well equipped to dealwith such visits, thanks to a dedicated showroom and customer specification area. You cantake an exclusive tour of the factory from page 20, but of course we look forward towelcoming you there in person.

Here at Aston Martin, we are constantly looking for new ways to innovate, and as aresult our technological abilities and design skills have become great strengths of our brand, allowing us to push the boundaries of what is possible. On page 32 you will receivean exclusive insight into one of our most radical proposals yet, the Cygnet city car. This is an intelligent way of bringing Aston Martin brand values to a whole new sector of themarket – as well as creating something genuinely unique to complement existing customers’ownership experience. As we enter the New Year, I do hope you enjoy following theevolution and development of a concept I personally am very excited by.

The Aston Martin driving experience is hard to convey in just words and pictures, but I believeour magazine does an excellent job of conjuring up the atmosphere and allure of the journey.True to form, this issue features the concluding episode of our Pony Express story – a majesticjourney across America in our three convertible models, equally at home in their naturalenvironments. I also hope you’re inspired by our sumptuous cocktailwear fashion story, frompage 40, which demonstrates how Rapide’s versatility and elegance will always ensure aspectacular entrance for you and your three friends, out on the town.

With the festive season almost upon us, the evening entertainment continues throughout ourwinter issue, with features exploring the new breed of luxury-branded hotels springing upacross the globe, the resurgence of the pearl as her jewellery of choice, plus – for those whoprefer to play host instead of guest – an enticing menu of the very latest products from theworld of culinary technology and style.

Naturally, we also feature a round-up of Aston Martin’s recent activity on the track, includingthe 007-numbered Aston Martin LMP1’s hugely impressive victory in the second round of theAsian Le Mans Series in Okayama, Japan, this November, plus of course our 2009 Le MansSeries championship. These results cement a truly amazing year for both Works and privateracing teams.

As we prepare to launch one of the world’s most eagerly awaited sports cars, we hope youwill share our optimistic view of the year ahead and enjoy the latest issue of our magazine.

DR ULRICH BEZCHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER


C O N T E N T S

1 6 T H R O U G H T H E LO O K I N G G L A S S

Anna Sansom is enchanted by Dale Chihuly’s monumental glass sculptures – bright, colourful,organic forms, imbued with Alice in Wonderland mystique

2 0 R A P I D E O N T H E L I N E

Richard Meaden takes us on a tour of Rapide’s new production facility in Graz, Austria, and asksjust how Aston Martin overcame the challenges of establishing a ‘little Gaydon’ abroad

2 5 T H E P O N Y E X P R E S S R I D E S O N

Patrick Paternie saddles up for the concluding episode of our epic drive across Nevada andCalifornia, following the final stages of the Pony Express. Unlike the trailblazing 19th-centurymailmen, however, his means of conveyance boast rather more than a single horsepower each time

32 R U N N I N G C I R C L E S

The city has evolved into a place where expressways abut medieval alleys, parking is scant andthe environment is front of conscience. Aston Martin’s new Cygnet might just be the solution

3 5 K I TC H E N C O O L

Any cook worth his salt will appreciate our menu of culinary tools, brought together from allcorners of the globe to suit your taste for design as much as your taste for food

4 0 BY I N V I TAT I O N O N LY

Out on the town, how you make your entrance is just as important as how you accessorise thatkiller dress. It’s party season, and Aston Martin knows exactly how to get the four of you there

5 0 B E A U T Y I S S K I N D E E P

A Berluti shoe, an Hermès wallet, a Dunhill bag – each a tantalising microcosm of the mostrarefied items in the world. Renowned connoisseur Roja Dove sinks into the world of leather

5 4 H A U T E H OT E L I E R S

Examining the rise of luxury-brand hotels, Jake Townsend checks into some of the mostspectacular catwalks on Earth. Plus, enter our draw to win three nights of pure indulgence at Palazzo Versace, Australia

5 8 FA S H I O N F O R WA R D

Josh Sims asks three major players in the fashion industry to give their recommendations forspring/summer 2010 and comment on how they see fashion shaping up over the coming years

6 1 O U T O F T H E I R S H E L L S

Pearls are officially cool again. Avril Groom hails a welcome revival, explaining how prize pearlsfrom the South Seas are firing imaginations and slowly becoming a girl’s new best friend

6 6 A S TO N M A RT I N C O L L E CT I O N

Aston Martin’s Collection is an exclusive range of accessories and luxury goods encompassing the very essence of the marque. Where better to find that last-minute Christmas gift?

6 8 A S TO N M A RT I N W O R K S

Steve Wakefield reports from an exuberant Vanquish Celebration Day at Aston Martin WorksService’s Newport Pagnell facility, where the last Vanquish rolled off the line in 2007. We alsoshowcase the latest accessories available from Parts Operations – stylish ways to enhance thelook and feel of your pride and joy

8 0 A S TO N M A RT I N R A C I N G

Aston Martin Racing and the many independent privateer teams racing their GT racecars havehad an incredible 2009. Brian Laban reports on a season whose highlights include both the 2009Le Mans Series LMP1 and FIA GT3 European championships

A S TO N M A RT I N M O D E L R A N G E

Our regular product catalogue at the rear of Aston Martin Magazine gives the full rundown ofAston Martin’s formidable production-car line-up, including full specifications and optional extras

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Reserve your place in luxury

where we preserve your privacy.

Aston Martin Magazine ispublished on behalf of Aston Martin Lagonda Limitedby Affinity Publishing. For allpublishing and advertisingenquiries please contact:

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A S TO N M A RT I NE D I TO R I A L T E A M

JANETTE GREEN Director of BrandCommunications

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KEN HUTTONManaging Director, Affinity Publishing

STEVEN EGANGeneral Manager MarketingCommunications

JOHN MUIRHEADMarketing CommunicationsManager

A S TO N M A RT I NH E A D O F F I C E S

ASTON MARTIN LAGONDABanbury RoadGaydonWarwick CV35 0DBUnited Kingdom

T: +44 (0)1926 644644F: +44 (0)1926 644333

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ASTON MARTIN LAGONDANORTH AMERICA9920 Irvine Center DriveIrvineCA 92618USAT: +1 949 3793100

ASTON MARTIN LAGONDAOF EUROPE GmbHUnterschweinstiege 2-1460549 FrankfurtGermanyT: +49 (0)69 770752001

ASTON MARTIN LAGONDAMIDDLE EASTPO Box 79680DubaiUnited Arab EmiratesT: +44 (0)1926 644644

ASTON MARTIN LAGONDAASIA PACIFICArk Mori Building 12F1-2-32 Akasaka, Minato-KuTokyoJapan 107-6012T: +81 (0)3 43609244

CONTRIBUTORSJonathan Bell, Simon de Burton,Roja Dove, Avril Groom,Kevin Hackett, Brian Laban,Patrick C Paternie, Anna Sansom,Josh Sims, Jake Townsend,Steve Wakefield

THE EXPRESS RIDES ONPhotography: Joe Windsor-Williams; transport: STI FleetServices. With special thanksto Aston Martin North America

VOLANTE EXPRESSPhotography: Joe Windsor-Williams; transport: STI FleetServices. With special thanksto Aston Martin North America

KITCHEN COOLPhotographer: Andrew Penketh;photographer’s assistant: Anna Stathaki; stylist: Pei-Ru Keh.With special thanks to Darren Miller and all at Pedini.Stockist info:pedini.it typhoonhousewares.comjapaneseknifecompany.comdavidmellordesign.co.uknico.or.jp/hyaku zaniezani.itserafinozani.itdaylesfordorganic.comevasolo.comwedgwood.com fatduck.co.uk divertimenti.co.ukemilehenry.comiittala.com rosendahl.comglobalknives.uk.comarabicafoodcompany.com

BY INVITATION ONLYPhotographer: Eric Frideen; stylist:Niki Brodie; hair: Matthew Wade;make-up: Rosie von Spreckelsen;models: Andrea (FM), Howard (Models1), Martina (Nevs),Stuart (Models1). With specialthanks to Carlos Almada andall at 17 Berkeley Street.Stockist info: brioni.com cartier.com versace.comvancleef-arpels.com missoni.com ralphlauren.com rogervivier.com pringle-of-scotland.comrichardjames.co.uk sergiorossi.comcarl-f-bucherer.comgievesandhawkes.com jaeger-lecoultre.comterencetrout.netcollettedinnigan.com lanvin.com quentinmackay.com burberry.com

OUT OF THEIR SHELLSPhotography by Richard Foster.Stockist info: www.vancleef-arpels.comwww.adler.chwww.mikimoto.com

CREDIT ALSO GOES TO:Stewart Charles Cohen (p14); Charlie Magee (pp32–33, 72–79);www.dailysportscar.com (pp80, 83)

©COPYRIGHT 2009 ASTON MARTIN LAGONDA LIMITED All material strictly copyright and all rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without prior permission of Affinity Publishingand/or Aston Martin Lagonda Limited is strictly forbidden. All content believed to be correct at time of going to print. The views expressed are not necessarily those of Affinity Publishing orAston Martin Lagonda Limited. Aston Martin Lagonda Limited does not officially endorse any advertising material or editorials for third party products included within this publication.

DATA PROTECTION STATEMENT Aston Martin Lagonda Limited (Aston Martin) respects the privacy of every individual who receives the Aston Martin Magazine. Any information collected about you willbe used to fulfil the delivery of the magazine, for readership profiling purposes and for further marketing of Aston Martin products and events. We do this by making appropriate use of the information.This information will not be disclosed to anyone outside of Aston Martin, its affiliated or associated companies, its agencies, dealers, partners or licensees. It will be treated in accordance with therelevant legal provisions concerning data protection and may initially be stored and processed inside or outside the European Union anywhere in the world. You have the right as an individual to findout what information we hold about you and make corrections if necessary; you also have the right to ask us to not use the information. We will make all practical efforts to respect your wishes.

A S T O N M A R T I N

8 I S S U E 1 0 / 0 9

RICHARD MEADENCo-founder and regular contributor

to ‘evo’ – one of the world’sleading enthusiast car magazines –

Richard reviews the most excitingand desirable cars on the planet.

This also entails racing, andRichard has a strong affinity with

Aston Martin, having driven for thefactory team in three consecutive

Nürburgring 24-Hours races. On page 20 he tours the four-door

Aston Martin Rapide’s history-making high-tech production

facility in Graz, Austria.

ERIC FRIDEENBorn and raised in Stockholm,

Sweden, Eric took up photographyaged 11 after being given a

camera on holiday in Crete by hisgrandfather. He moved to the UK

in 1997 after working for‘Wallpaper’ magazine, and has

since shot editorial fashion featuresand celebrity portraits for ‘Harpers

Bazaar’, ‘InStyle’, ‘Elle’ and ‘USVogue’. You can enjoy his account

of two couples’ glamorous nighton the tiles from page 40.

NIKI BRODIEStyling our fashion shoot with Ericwas Niki. Having cut her teeth asfashion editor at ‘Wallpaper’, shebecame an independent stylistworking for an eclectic range ofinternational publications such as‘Elle’, ‘Tatler’ and ‘Sunday TimesStyle’, as well as clients includingClaudia Schiffer and Pierce Brosnan.She is currently working as fashioneditor for global fashion and artmagazine ‘Stimuli’ and has justcollaborated with renownedphotographer John-Paul Pietruson ‘Bag’ (Laurence King).

AVRIL GROOMExamining the prolific revivalof pearls as jewellery of choicefor the great and good from page61 is Avril, who has been writingabout fashion and luxury goods,including watches and jewellery,for more decades than she caresto admit. She writes for a widerange of publications including the‘Financial Times How to Spend It’magazine, ‘The Australian’newspaper and American Express’‘Centurion’ magazine.

ISSUE 10

CONTRIBUTORS

COVER: Aston Martin Rapide

W O R L D P R E M I E R E

O N E - M I N U T E F L Y I N G T O U R B I L L O N · 6 0 - M I N U T E O R B I T

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A S T O N M A R T I N A S T O N M A R T I N

1 0 1 1I S S U E 1 0 / 0 9

ASTON MARTIN LIFE ASTON MARTIN LIFE

ANTWERP CELEBRATES SILVER

On 23 September, the Aston Martin Antwerp dealership, headed by René Michiels,celebrated its 25th Anniversary in the rooftop hospitality suite above the newFormula 1 paddock at Francorchamps circuit in Spa, Belgium – an event marked in spectacular fashion by a record-breaking 215-strong parade of Aston Martinsaround the legendary grand prix circuit. Attended by more than 500 VIP guests,the day’s festivities were an appropriate way to mark the quarter-century long listof achievements by the small family-owned dealership. Father and son Michiels ledthe line-up in the brand new DBS Volante with Marcel Beci, General Manager ofAston Martin Lagonda of Europe GmbH, following in a V12 Vantage.

OPEN HOUSEThe doors of Aston Martin’s UK headquarters were thrown open on26 and 27 September, for the third Gaydon Open Weekend since thefacility’s ribbon cutting in 2003. About 4,500 people, predominantlyemployees and their families, plus Aston Martin Racing employees andthe local community, toured the administrative, design and manufacturingbuildings over a glorious autumn weekend, with approximately 90employees from various areas of the business showcasing what they doin Trim and Final, Body in White and Body Frame. Over 40 cars wereon display including the One-77, 009 LMP1 race car, the currentAston Martin range and the complete Aston Martin Racing GT range.Children were well catered for too, with Scalextric sets replicating thelegendary twists and turns of Silverstone, the latest Xbox and Playstationgames featuring Aston Martins, and face painters, balloon modellersand a magician adding a carnival atmosphere to proceedings.

FOUR DOORS IN LAAston Martin played host to over 300 special guests at the SLS Hotel inBeverly Hills, Los Angeles, on 11 November, for Rapide’s North Americandebut. Welcoming the customers, VIPs and local media to the luxurioussurroundings of the Garden Terrace – where Aston Martin’s new four-doorsports car drew avid admirers throughout the night – were Dr Ulrich Bez,new Chief Commercial Officer Michael van der Sande and Julian Jenkins, the Vice President and General Manager of Aston Martin North America. SLS was the perfect venue for such a high-profile launch – a landmark ofsleek sophistication just steps from The Beverly Center, the sparklingstorefronts of Rodeo Drive and favourite celebrity haunts, ideally situated at the crossroads of Beverly Hills and Los Angeles. The interior designthroughout is contemporary but sumptuous – each of its 297 guest roomsand suites are designed by Philippe Starck for Cassina, for example – but on that balmy Wednesday evening, Aston Martin’s guests found theimpeccably mixed cocktails and house chef José Andrés’ canapés to be the star attractions away from Rapide, partying well into the night.

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FOUR DOORS IN FRANKFURTSome three and a half years after the Rapide Concept won global acclaim at the 2006 NorthAmerican Auto Show in Detroit, the production Rapide made its international debut at the 2009IAA Frankfurt Motorshow on 17 September. Unveiled to capacity crowds by Chief ExecutiveOfficer Dr Ulrich Bez and Design Director Marek Reichman – with the help of two Afghan houndsas their rear passengers – the first four-door, four-seater sports car from Aston Martin in manyyears drew unanimous plaudits from the gathered media and trade representatives.

The evening prior to Rapide’s official launch in its ‘nautilus shell’ enclosure at the FrankfurtMotorshow, Aston Martin hosted over 250 special guests at Roomers Hotel in the city centre,for a special preview. Rapide took centre stage on a glass pedestal, while 2009’s otherbig debuts, the DBS Volante and V12 Vantage, dominated the patio area. Furthermore,a V8 Vantage and DB9 Volante greeted the arriving VIPs, media personalities and Aston Martincustomers by the main entrance of Roomers – a stylish hotspot for Frankfurt’s cool set.

From its inception, the Rapide project has inspired superlatives. The production car’s globalunveiling at the Frankfurt Motorshow – this year attended by 845,000 visitors – was equallypraised, with few left in any doubt that Aston Martin had indeed crafted ‘the world’s mostbeautiful four-door sports car’.


1 2 I S S U E 1 0 / 0 9

ASTON MARTIN LIFE

WELCOME TO GRAZTo coincide with the first cars coming off the line at the Aston Martin Rapide Plant(AMRP) in Graz, Austria (see Richard Meaden’s report from page 20), customers are beinginvited to the manufacturing facility to complete the specifications for their new sportscar, due for delivery this spring. While regular customer tours are set to start in mid-January, approximately 50 customers attended the preview week in October, travelling infrom a number of mainland European destinations to enjoy a factory tour followed byindividual specification consultations. The all-new customer showroom fronting the AMRP building reflects Aston Martin’s distinctive modernism across 300 square metres,with a travertine-clad reception area and two dedicated customer specification rooms.

If you are interested in arranging a tour at any Aston Martin site, please contact your local Aston Martin Dealer who will make a booking on your behalf.

TOKYO SHOWCASEOn the Tuesday ahead of Aston Martin Racing’sremarkable victory at the Asian Le Mans Seriesin Okayama on 31 October (see page 83),Aston Martin Asia Pacific hosted a very specialevening in Tokyo, Japan, showcasing the LMP1works racecar, alongside the new V12 Vantageand DBS Volante. Specially invited guests of thelocal Aston Martin dealerships, Bollinger andAston Martin Racing sponsors Jaeger-LeCoultre,Immun’Age, Bang & Olufsen, Hackett and Gulfwere all treated to a lightning-fast pitstopdemonstration outside the Musée Tomo artgallery as well as the opportunity to chat withTeam Manager George Howard-Chappell.

EYES ON THE PRIZE

This year has seen the launch of no fewerthan four stunning new Aston Martins, andsuch prolificacy has not gone unnoticed. As 2009 draws to a close, Aston Martin’s canboast at least 12 major awards, includingthe Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este’s designaward for One-77, Robb Report China’saward for DBS Volante as the best luxuryconvertible, the V12 Vantage topping TopGear Magazine’s online poll for Car of theYear, plus a double victory thanks to readersof German magazine, Auto Motor und Sport.They voted the Rapide and DBS Volante themost beautiful cars of 2009 in the ‘PremiumClass’ and ‘Convertibles’ categories. Receivingthe award personally (pictured), ChiefExecutive Officer Ulrich Bez commented, ‘Thefact that the Rapide was voted one of thebest design innovations in 2009, even priorto its launch, demonstrates that Aston Martinsets standards in automotive design.’

RIDING RAPIDEAston Martin’s Gaydon headquarters played hostto 18 journalists in September – 8 all the way fromJapan, Singapore, China, Hong Kong and Australia,another 8 from the Middle East and 2 from Europe– all of whom enjoyed passenger rides in the newRapide, as well as experiencing Aston Martin’scurrent model range first-hand along the windinglanes of the surrounding Warwickshire countryside.Feedback from all the drives was very positive, andinitial impressions from riding the Rapide bodeextremely well for the four-door sports car’smarket entry in spring 2010.

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ASTON MARTIN LIFE

Aston Martin is pleased to announcethe appointment of Michael van derSande into the newly created positionof Chief Commercial Officer. Based atthe company’s headquarters in Gaydon,Van der Sande, 44, will take responsibilityfor all commercial areas to furtherdevelop and strengthen these key areasof the business.

Van der Sande joins Aston Martin fromTesla Motors, but is perhaps betterknown for his 12 years with Harley-Davidson, where he held a variety of senior roles in marketing, dealerdevelopment, product development andcommercial operations. His most recentrole was Vice President and ManagingDirector of Harley-Davidson Europe.

DEALERS’ WEEKFrom 12 to 16 October, Aston Martin hosted Dealership Ownersand Principals from all corners of its global dealership network atheadquarters in Gaydon. This hugely successful conference was entitled‘Road to Success’, with a busy schedule of presentations and meetingsdesigned to reinforce and refresh the Aston Martin dealers’ existingknowledge and expertise. The occasion also afforded many of thedelegates who hadn’t been to the Frankfurt Motorshow in Septemberto see and experience the four-door Rapide for the first time, ahead of its market debut in spring 2010. The One-77 supercar was also ondisplay, and the concept and strategy behind the forthcoming Cygnetcity car (see page 32) was unveiled to an enthusiastic response. Held inthe spacious and light surroundings of the Design Studio, Ulrich Bez led the programme, followed by a global sales review, economicoutlooks, presentations of Rapide by Design Director Marek Reichmanand Product Development Director Ian Minards, among others.

PEACE OF MINDAston Martin has launched an exclusive ‘Assured’ seal of approval to endorseofficial products and services for its customers. The first products receiving thisendorsement will be Aston Martin’s Pre-Owned and Extended Warrantyprogrammes, both of which have undergone recent refreshments. All ‘Assured’services carry a logo featuring the distinctive front grille; a design signature ofall Aston Martins. ‘The growth of our business over the last eight years has beenconsistent and by virtue of an extended but still exclusive model line-up wehave been able to make the Aston Martin brand accessible to just a few morepeople,’ says Chief Executive Officer, Ulrich Bez. ‘It is now right that we extendour capability to cater for this extended group of Aston Martin owners.’

This initiative adds to the successful introduction of the Aston MartinPre-Owned locator, found at http://used.astonmartin.com

ON TRACK AROUNDTHE WORLDAston Martin’s busy schedule of track days continues apace this year, withowners and prospective customers having enjoyed no less than six thrillingtrack days since July, at some of the world’s greatest circuits. On 1 July, it was Aston Martin’s first visit to Autodromo Nazionale Monza in Italy, where22 owners and 50 prospects took the unique opportunity to drive their cars inan exhilarating, safe and supported environment. This was quickly followedby a track day at Donington in the UK on 10 July, before an event at theNürburgring in Germany from 31 August to 1 September also provedimmensely popular with 37 owners and 27 prospects driving the Grand Prixcircuit. On the following day the owners had the opportunity to tackle theinfamous 13.5-mile Nordschleife circuit. On 22 September, a one-day eventfor 51 owners and 45 prospects was held at the home of the Belgian GrandPrix in Spa and was tied into the Antwerp dealership’s 25th anniversary (seepage 10). Then 11 October saw Aston Martin’s dealer in Dubai, Al HabtoorMotors, host a track day for 32 customers at the Dubai Autodrome, an eventmade doubly special by the arrival of the region’s very first V12 Vantage. Most recently, closer to Aston Martin’s home in the UK, 23 owners and 20 prospects took on the legendary corners of Silverstone, on 14 October.

To find out more about attending Aston Martin’s ‘On Track’ driving days,visit www.astonmartintrackdays.com

NEW CCO TO DRIVE GLOBAL SALES

ASTON MARTIN LIFE

YOUR CAR AWAITSThroughout the IAA Frankfurt Motorshow, which ranfrom 15 to 27 September 2009, Aston Martin’sEuropean regional office hosted a successful ‘ride-and-drive’ event for prospective Aston Martincustomers visiting the show. Taking place on bothtrade days and on the first two public days, these‘hot prospects’ enjoyed test drives alongside anAston Martin instructor in their desired car along the autobahns and country lanes that surround thecity. Drawn from the EU demo fleet, the impressivearray of Touchtronic DBS Volante, V12 Vantage, DB9 Coupe Touchtronic and V8 Vantage Sportshiftawaiting them outside the show venue left Aston Martin’s guests spoilt for choice, to say the very least.

LAKESIDE LUXURYThursday 27 August saw Aston Martin’s Safenwiland Zurich dealerships team up with Bollingerand UK-based yachtbuilder Sunseeker’s Swissdealership for a suitably luxurious day on LakeZurich, Switzerland. Each of the three brands’ 80 guests enjoyed a full hour’s test drive of thenew V12 Vantage at some point during the dayalong sweeping lakeside roads, with theopportunity to pilot a Sunseeker Superhawk 43(star of the recent James Bond film, Quantum ofSolace, alongside Aston Martin’s DBS) on LakeZurich itself. Away from the high-octane pursuits,Bollinger’s Lounge offered guests the chance torelax and network with champagne & canapés.

PDC IN THE USA

Twelve members of the US automotivemedia were recently entertainedcourtesy of Aston Martin North Americaat one of the brand’s famously thrillingPerformance Driving Courses (PDCs).Designed to demonstrate the fullcapabilities of Aston Martin’s cars inan exhilarating, safe and supportiveenvironment, the PDC has received agrowing number of monthly bookingsin the USA this year. The recent pressevent, held at the Michigan ProvingGround on 23 and 24 September,served to showcase the course further.

To book your Aston Martin PDC inNorth America, phone Sarah Perishon +1 949 379 3100

LIMELIGHT INLOUISVILLEForming a highlight of its recent DBS Volante Tour –whereby customers have been invited to sampleAston Martin’s new performance convertible at aseries of dealerships throughout the US – Aston MartinNorth America sponsored a cocktail party in Louisville,Kentucky, on 28 September to introduce the AstonMartin model line to the Louisville market, hostingdrives in the DBS Volante the following afternoon.Held at the beautiful new Park Grande Residences inCherokee Park, Louisville, 75 VIPs enjoyed the jointhospitality of Aston Martin and the local Aston Martindealership, Lake Forest Sportscars, whose DBRS9racecar is raced by Nick Mancuso in the Pro SpeedWorld Challenge GT. The car itself, sporting itssignature stars-and-stripes roof, formed an impressivestatic display as guests arrived at Park Grande.


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The feel of Dale Chihuly’s glass sculptures is optimistic and fearless, daringand dramatic. His work has been included in the Venetian Pavilion ofMaking Worlds at this year’s Venice Biennale, and has been exhibited at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and the Victoria & Albert Museum inLondon, where he had a solo show in 2001. But such an illustriousglassmaking career has its roots in the simple curiosity of an eagerstudent: ‘I was taking a weaving class at the University of Washington in 1965 and started incorporating bits of glass into a woven tapestry,’ hesays. ‘Then one night, in my basement at home I melted stained glass by placing it between two bricks in a ceramic kiln. And I blew my firstglass bubble using a metal pipe. I was about 24 and I was so excited. I had never seen glass being blown before and, after having just inventedthat more or less on my own, I felt that becoming a glassblower waswhat I was destined to be.’

This moment of revelation came soon after the modern glass movementhad kicked off in the US. A few years later, after receiving a Masters ofFine Art from Rhode Island School of Design, Chihuly was awarded aFulbright fellowship that enabled him to become the first Americanglassblower to work in the esteemed Venini factory on the island ofMurano in the Venetian lagoon. Murano is famous the world over for itshistoric glassmaking and the ideal place to learn the craft.

After losing the sight of his left eye in a car accident in 1976 anddislocating his shoulder in a bodysurfing accident in 1979, Chihulystopped blowing glass himself and started making drawings tocommunicate his designs that the ‘gaffers’, or glassblowers, wouldinterpret. Rather than working in a solitary way, like classicalglassblowers, Chihuly began working collaboratively to realise his artisticvision. One of his breakthroughs was developing asymmetrical designs,contrasting with symmetrical tradition. He orchestrates a team andsometimes has 12 people working with him on a piece.

‘I often compare what I do to what a film director does,’ he says.‘I’m lucky in that my position allows me to work with everyone on theteam simultaneously whereas the gaffer is concerned with finishing offthe big form.’ Chihuly, 68, draws fast and realises the majority of hisdrawings on watercolour paper directly in his ‘hot shop’, the factory-likeplace where his glass sculptures are made in his hometown of Tacoma inSeattle, Washington. ‘I just make a simple drawing as an explanation,’ he says. ‘We begin working on a series and if I like it we continue and if I don’t I usually destroy the pieces. It’s one of the important things thatan artist has to do: decide whether to carry on working on something or stop and work on something else.’ Besides art, another of Chihuly’sinterests is cars. ‘I bought my first Aston Martin, a DB4, in 1982,’ heenthuses. ‘I’ve owned 25 Aston Martins and my wife has a DB7.’

But Chihuly’s art keeps him so prolific that he hardly has any time to takehis cars for a spin, these days. From exhibitions in museums, botanicalgardens and commercial galleries, through to public and privateinstallations all over the world, Chihuly’s work is in high demand. One ofhis current projects is for a new resort casino in Singapore, where he isdeveloping around 25 installations – hanging pieces, tower pieces, wallpieces, you name it – throughout the complex. Da le Ch ihu l y ’ s monumenta l g l a s s

scu lp tu re s and i n s t a l l a t i on s haverevo lu t ion i sed the a r t o f g l a s smak ing .B r igh t , co lou r fu l , exube ran t , tower ingl i ke t r ee s , hang ing l i k e chande l i e r s ,w i th o rgan i c f o rms r eca l l i ng p l an t sand f l owe r s , o r unde rwa te r shapesin sp i r ed by sea f o rms , h i s wo rk s a r eimbued w i th the ‘wow’ f ac to r andA l i ce i n Wonde r l and mys t i que .Anna Sansom i s enchan ted

THROUGH THELOOKING GLASS

RIGHT: Jerusalem Wall of Ice(1999), Tower of David Museum ofthe History of Jerusalem, Jerusalem.

Photo by Terry Rishel.BELOW: Fiori di Como (1998),

The Bellagio, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Photo by Teresa Nouri Rishel.

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In his hot shop in Tacoma, Chihuly is working on a series called Venetiansthat he initially began 20 years ago with the Italian maestro Lino Tagliapietra.This time, Chihuly is creating a mirror effect on the inside of the form,another way of experimenting with the transparency of glass. ‘Whenyou’re working with transparent materials – glass, plastic, ice or water –you’re looking at light itself,’ he says. ‘The light is coming through andyou’re looking at the light and the colour mix together.’ Since his 1981Macchia (Spot) series, Chihuly has explored the full spectrum of the 300 different colour rods making up the glassmaking palette. Deciding touse all the colours in as many variations and combinations as possible, hestarted making sculptures with one colour inside and another colouroutside, with opaque white clouds between the two layers to clarify thecolours and keep the two sides separate.

Chihuly’s most ambitious undertaking is at The Children’s Museum ofIndianapolis; it is a flamboyant tower containing 3,278 pieces of glass.The most surprising, though, is his Jerusalem Wall of Ice from 1999, forwhich he shipped 64 tons of ice from Alaska to Jerusalem to build an ice wall formed from gigantic blocks outside the citadel. Chihuly hadworked on a kibbutz in his early twenties and returning to Israel as anartist felt significant.

‘I think it’s my favourite project, because it was the weirdest,’he explains. ‘I liked it so much because it was such an absurd notion totake ice from Alaska to the Middle East.’ Chihuly also exhibited a varietyof his glass sculptures all around the citadel the following year. In the UK,his last exhibition was at Kew Gardens in 2005, where his sculpturesshimmered like reeds, flowers and plants, and floated in the fountainsand on lotus ponds. ‘Dale Chihuly’s magnificent glass sculptures help us see the natural world in a new way,’ says Professor Sir Peter Crane,director of Kew Gardens. ‘They challenge us to compare the eleganceand beauty of man-made form and man-made materials with the shapes,colours and textures of plants.’

Chihuly’s contribution to art is reflected by how he was invited toparticipate in this year’s Venice Biennale. It is the most important eventon the art world calendar. Chihuly’s lustrous pieces from his Mille Fiori(Thousand Flowers) series were on show until 22 November 2009. ‘I wasin Venice on holiday and doing a bit of work when I heard that I’d beenaccepted,’ he recalls. ‘I look at being invited by the Venetian Pavilion as afluke.’ The invitation meant that 40 years after training on Murano,Chihuly is regarded as being at the top of his game. And he’s enjoyingevery minute of it.

THIS PAGE: Fireworks of Glass(2006), Children’s Museum of

Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. Photo by Terry Rishel.

OPPOSITE PAGE: Thames Skiff(2005), Royal Botanic Gardens,

Kew, Surrey, UK. Photo by Terry Rishel.

‘We beg i n wo r k i ng on a s e r i e s and i f I l i k e i t we con t i nue and i f I don ’ t I u sua l l yde s t r o y t he p i e ce s . I t ’ s one o f t he impo r t an t t h i ng s t ha t an a r t i s t ha s t o do : dec i de

whe the r t o ca r r y on wo r k i ng on s ome th i ng o r s t op and wo r k on s ome th i ng e l s e ’

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The ambience is reassuringly familiar. Clean architectural lines defined in glass, steel and the warm,honeyed tones of polished travertine marble. Beautiful materials artfully combined to create theunmistakable look and feel of an Aston Martin building.

But this isn’t Aston Martin’s award-winning UK headquarters in Gaydon, Warwickshire. Nor is it thecompany’s Nürburgring Test Centre in Germany, or any of the worldwide dealerships from Adelaideto Zagreb. This is Aston Martin’s brand new production facility in Graz, Austria: home of the four-door Rapide and the starting point for a new chapter in Aston Martin’s illustrious 95-year history.

The Rapide story began as a concept at the Detroit Auto Show in January 2006. This debut wasfollowed in mid-2007 by a commitment from Aston Martin’s shareholders, as soon as they acquiredthe company, to put the Rapide into production. Which makes it a mere two and a half years tobring the project to fruition – no mean feat for a car this revolutionary.

RAPIDE ON THE L INE As the f i r s t g leaming examples o f

Aston Mart in ’s new four -door spor t s car s ta r t to come of f the l ine ,

Richard Meaden takes us on a tour o f Rap ide’s new product ion

fac i l i t y in Graz , Aust r ia , and asks jus t how Aston Mart in overcame

the cha l lenges o f not on ly es tab l i sh ing a ‘ l i t t le Gaydon’ abroad, but

a l so re f in ing the product ion process fo r a brand-new car – usua l l y

enough of a headache at home. The answer , as we d i scover , i s down

to Aston Mart in ’s ever - innovat ive and ever - r igorous approach to

research and deve lopment

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With the burgeoning success of the Vantage, DB9 and DBS model lines,and many new projects in the pipeline, it soon transpired that the growthof Aston Martin’s range would be compromised in the long term ifRapide’s build was absorbed by the Gaydon facility. This led the companyto search for a suitable manufacturing partner. After a rigorous selectionprocess, Aston Martin decided Magna Steyr’s industry-leading qualitystandards set the company apart. Their reputation for peerless quality andexperience working with other luxury manufacturers made the choice arelatively easy one. An agreement was reached in March 2008, and laterthat year work began in Graz creating a dedicated production facility forAston Martin’s eagerly awaited four-door sports car.

Second only in size to Vienna, which lies some 120 miles to the northeast,the city of Graz is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Its ‘Old Town’ featurescountless buildings of architectural significance, from Gothic toContemporary, while youthful energy abounds courtesy of the studentpopulation attending Graz’s six universities. For a company that respectsits history and tradition by continually striving to achieve exciting newgoals, Graz is a wholly appropriate home for the Aston Martin RapidePlant (AMRP), where the very latest manufacturing methods combine withtime-honoured craftsmanship.

This ambitious project – the first Aston Martin model to be built in itsentirety outside of the UK – has required the coordination of efforts froman international team, with key Aston Martin engineers from the UKworking in Graz alongside their colleagues from the AMRP.

Establishing the AMRP has required an unprecedented level of cooperation,coordination and a rigorous commitment to regular communication, as Aston Martin’s Product Development Director, Ian Minards explains:‘This is a big project and we have only been able to succeed by workingclosely together and maintaining strong lines of communication betweenGaydon and Graz.’

For the launch of Rapide, Aston Martin seconded a dedicated team ofaround 100, of that number a team of 20 specialist engineers were based at Graz permanently with a further 75 engineering and productionpersonnel operating from Graz on a part-time basis. Minards’ man on the ground in Graz was Nick Miller, General Manager of the NewModel Launch team. As leader of the core team of Aston Martin engineerson secondment from the UK, it was Miller’s task to ensure the AMRP mirrored the values and standards achieved at Aston Martin’sGaydon headquarters.

To achieve this Miller and his team worked closely with the AMRP personnel.Together they adopted a holistic approach to the numerous challenges of theRapide programme. It was a process that drew heavily from the skills andhighly specialised knowledge of both teams. For Miller it was a rewardingand refreshing collaboration: ‘It’s very much been a partnership: our intimateproduct knowledge and the AMRP team’s fresh perspective.’

Some 240 technicians and craftspeople work at Graz building the Rapide.As Miller explains, it’s a challenge that highlights what separates making anAston Martin from any other car: ‘The fine tuning and finessing of theproduct is fundamental to building an Aston Martin and therefore a bigchallenge for the technicians. The fit and finish of the body panels andpaintwork, the precision of the leather and its stitching, the fact that our quality standards are right at the top-end makes working on Rapide so demanding.’

The AMRP – like Aston Martin’s production facility at Gaydon – places anemphasis on absolute quality and craftsmanship, shunning the constantlymoving production line typical of most other car factories in favour of aseries of static workstations. Here time can be lavished upon each stageof hand-building the Rapide: only once work is completed at one stationare the bodies moved to the next along the line, in a total build processthat takes approximately 220 man-hours per car.

From the preparation of the Rapide’s aluminium VH platform structure, itsbody panels, Body-in-White (BIW) and the painstaking paint processesthat make Aston Martin’s paint finish the best in class, to the Trim Shopwhere highly-skilled craftspeople shape and stitch finest leather to createthe Rapide’s magnificently upholstered interior, the AMRP is a centre ofautomotive excellence.

Nathan Leeming, Quality Manager for the Rapide programme, sums it upthusly: ‘Ultimately it’s our job to make this car as good as it can be, andthere’s no doubt what we’ve learned on Rapide will be carried over intonew projects. For example we’ve made a significant investment in whatwe call an ‘Environmental Cube’. Essentially this is a body that’s been

machined from solid with absolute precision. We can then use it to checkthe tolerances of interior and exterior components by attaching to the‘cube’ as a reference. It’s something common in large volume production,but almost unprecedented on low-volume cars like the Rapide. It’s aninvaluable tool and an illustration of how serious we are about achievingthe very high standards. The Rapide might be built in Austria, but it’s anAston Martin through and through.’

Just as Vantage, DB9 and DBS customers are invited to Aston Martin’s UKheadquarters at Gaydon, prospective Rapide customers are encouraged tovisit Aston Martin’s new production facility in Graz to see the AMRP forthemselves. Not only are guests assured a warm welcome and amemorable experience, the airy customer atrium provides the perfectspace for the grace and powerful presence of the display Rapide to workits magic. Should temptation strike – as it surely will – there are twodedicated specification rooms, which contain everything clients require toassist them in creating their ideal Rapide in privacy and comfort.

Of course, if that isn’t enough, the epic roads of the Austrian Alps anduninhibited autobahns of Germany lying right on the AMRP’s doorstepshould provide the ultimate inspiration for visiting customers.

The AMRP – l i k e As ton Mar t i n ’ s p roduc t i on f ac i l i t y a t Gaydon – p l ace s an emphas i s onabso lu te qua l i t y and c ra f t smansh ip , shunn ing the cons tan t l y mov ing p roduc t i on l i ne

t yp i ca l o f mos t o the r ca r f ac to r i e s i n f a vou r o f a s e r i e s o f s t a t i c wo rk s t a t i on s

2 5

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THE EXPRESS RIDES ON Exper ienc ing some d ramat i c changes in scenery , no t to

ment ion As ton Mar t in conver t ib le s , we cont inue our ep ic d r i ve

th rough Nevada and Ca l i fo rn ia re t rac ing the rou te o f the

brave cowboy ma i lmen o f the Pony Expres s . In i s sue 9 , we l a s t

saw our ve ry own ‘ma i lman’ Pat r i ck C Pa te rn ie c ru i s ing in to

Fa l lon in the DBS Vo lan te a f te r a ga l lop th rough the dese r t .

Here , he sw i tches to a f re sh DB9 Vo lan te and onwards to h i s

f ina l s teed , the V8 Vantage Roads te r

The CFB A1000 automatic caliber with peripheral rotor. Leaves conventional movements behind.

The CFB A1000 caliber, developed and produced by Carl F. Bucherer, writes watchmaking history.

Innovative use of traditional watchmaking expertise transforms this unique micro-mechanical device

into the movement of the future. The ingenious self-winding system with its peripheral rotor

provides an unimpeded view of the detail inside. This is craftsmanship at its finest, expressed through

state-of-the-art technology and, in the Patravi EvoTec DayDate, set off to its best advantage.

Its unmis takable design, with the large date and day-of-the-week display, places it fi rmly in the

Carl F. Bucherer tradition of only making watches as unique as the people who wear them.

www.carl-f-bucherer.com

i t th t f th f t Th i i lf i di t ith i

The CFB A1000 caliber, developed and produced by Carl F. Bucherer, writes w

Innovative use of traditional watchmaking expertise transforms this unique m

i t th t f th f t Th i i lf i di t ith i

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Unl ike the mounted postmen of the Pony Express , our Vo lante Express cou ld a f ford tooccas iona l l y s low down the pace to en joy the sur roundings , espec ia l l y sur roundings l i keVi rg in ia Ci ty , which matched our miss ion of l ink ing the pas t wi th the present .

Rumbling down C Street, Virginia City’s main drag, basking in the reflection of the DBS Volante as it slipped along thestorefront windows of the Gold Rush-era buildings, we were pleased to note that others were admiring the Aston Martin’smuscular physique. Most impressive in a town that has seen its fair share of unique and captivating sights in its 150-yearexistence. Starting with seven miles of gold mines along the road that winds up aptly named Gold Hill and transitions intoC Street. The mines were part of the Comstock Lode gold and silver strike that occurred from 1849–60, which led to thefounding of Virginia City. It boasted of a population of over 25,000 during that era making it one of America’s largest cities,until the ore, and the miners, petered out in the 1880s.

It was home to the Territorial Enterprise, the archetype Wild West newspaper noted for its creative news reporting and talltales, especially those of a young reporter who had been swept up in the gold rush from San Francisco. He arrived in VirginiaCity known as Samuel Clemens but soon became known around the world by his nom de plume Mark Twain.


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The road snakes th rough ta l l p ines and bou lde r -cove red

canyons , bu t the DB9 made shor t work o f the 100-mi le t r ip ,

i t s pe r fec t 50 :50 we igh t d i s t r ibu t ion a l l ow ing i t to g l ide

a th le t i ca l l y th rough the tw i s t s and tu rns

h i g h w a y 5 0 t o s a c r a m e n t oA S T O N M A R T I N

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Wi th the roo f down , ou r w ide sc reen v i s t a o f ve rdan t f o r e s t y i e l d s t o f l a t t e r , mo reag r i cu l t u ra l l ow lands . He re the i nhe ren t n imb lenes s o f t he V8 Van tage i s soon ups taged

by th i s ca r ’ s ace ca rd : t he be s t sound t rack on the ma rke t

In the spirit of Twain’s fanciful reportage, the Territorial Enterprisepublished a fictional account in 1959 of the town’s camel races.Camels were imported into the area during the boom years as packanimals, eventually being let loose to roam wild in the surroundingdesert. They had all disappeared well before the article was written, butthe story inspired Virginia City citizens to stage an actual camel race.It became an annual tradition. We were tempted to stay over for the 50th running of this event, but true to the spirit of the Pony Express,our journey waits for no man, or camel.

We set off on a 15-mile jaunt to Carson City where we would swapmounts for the run across the California–Nevada border and through thealpine forests and lakes of the Sierra Nevada. Despite being the Nevadastate capital, Carson City lacks the glamour and glitter of Las Vegas andthe historical charm of Virginia City. Its only redeeming quality was theDB9 Volante waiting for us.

With its 470bhp 6.0-litre V12 engine and smooth-shifting six-speed‘Touchtronic 2’ automatic transmission courtesy of shift-by-wiretechnology, the DB9 allowed us to leave Carson City behind withfew regrets.

Our destination was Sportsman’s Hall in Pollock Pines. Deviating fromHighway 50 for the first time, we drove along Highway 88, which followsthe Mormon Emigrant Trail – the first east–west route for coveredwagons going to northern California. It originally was the path forMormons travelling from Utah to the California gold fields.

The road snakes through tall pines and boulder-covered canyons at anelevation that ranges from 4,000 to 8,000 feet, but the DB9 made shortwork of the 100-mile trip, its perfect 50:50 weight distribution allowingit to glide athletically through the twists and turns.

We paid our respects at the Sportsman’s Hall in Pollock Pines where amonument commemorates the rider change at 8.01am on April 4, 1860during the first eastbound run of the Pony Express. There’s even a roadnamed ‘Pony Express Trail’, which runs parallel to the Highway 50 forseven miles, through the ‘Pony Express Village Shopping Center’!

Thirteen miles further on from Pollock Pines is Placerville, another riderchange point and where we silenced the DB9 Volante’s potent growl forthe first time in miles, leaving its lithe but dusty bodywork ticking cool aswe hopped in our final steed for the downhill run into Sacramento:a gleaming Magma Red V8 Vantage Roadster. Compact and thrillinglyagile, the edgy 4.7-litre V8 was the perfect mount for handling the zigzagpath of the original Pony Express trail back on Highway 50.With the roof down, our widescreen vista of verdant forest yields toflatter, more agricultural lowlands. Here the inherent nimbleness ofthe V8 Vantage is soon upstaged by this car’s ace card: the bestsoundtrack on the market. The freeway blast into Old Town Sacramentogives ripe opportunity to tip the revs well over 4,000, forcing open theexhaust’s bypass valves and releasing a delightful snarl. Come rain orshine, the Roadster model will always be a joy for permitting anuninhibited aural experience.

Nipping through the gridded streets of California’s state capital, we spota statue rearing up amidst the touristy shops and museums: a bronzepony and its rider, its plaque reminding us that the Pony Express existedfor a mere 18 months, from April 1860 to October 1861 – the arrival ofthe telegraph line quickly superseding it. But it was an exhilaratingadventure while it lasted, and, like our very own Volante and RoadsterExpress, one that will endure in our imaginations for years to come.

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Car design is about intelligent thinking. Faced with the hectic sprawl of amajor urban environment, car designers have to explore innovative ways ofrepackaging the traditional car, combining space efficiencies with hightechnology to create a new breed of city car. The Aston Martin Cygnet is proud to belong to this emerging – and important – genre of car design.

Representing a blend of technological ingenuity with Aston Martin’s long-established tradition of exceptional craftsmanship and high qualitymaterials, the Cygnet is unique in its market sector. From the sculpted formsof the exterior through to the leather and Alcantara-lined interior, theCygnet is designed to bring the feeling of the open road to the closed city,its ultra-compact form giving the driver a new dimension of freedom.

‘There is a fun factor in the Cygnet,’ says Dr Ulrich Bez, who initiated andguided the groundbreaking collaboration with Japanese manufacturerToyota that created the car. ‘Cygnet goes beyond the traditional, seriousAston Martin product,’ he continues, explaining how the expansive, almostinfinite, variety of trim and colour will allow the owner an unparalleled rangeof self-expression, with practically every available surface swathed in leatherand Alcantara, complete with unique stitching patterns, woods andtextures. From the outset, the Cygnet is intended to bring high qualitydesign and construction to a market segment usually geared towardsfrugality and pure functionality.

The Cygnet offers Aston Martin owners the chance to retain an environmentthat reflects the true values of the brand, even in the straitjacketed city.Nimble and compact, the Cygnet provides a superb way of interacting withthe urban landscape, translating the enjoyment of the open road to the

cramped city streets. ‘Performance is not relevant in a city,’ says Ulrich Bez,‘so this car performs well in other ways – it is easy to park with a tiny turningcircle, is highly economical and is designed for four.’ In short, the Cygnetbrings true urban practicality to the town-dwelling Aston Martin owner,ensuring he or she can complement their existing Aston Martin with aluxurious runabout that’s cool as well as environmentally conscious.

Versatility of scale is increasingly a necessity for all of us. ‘Almost all Aston Martin owners also own a multiple-car fleet and many of thesecustomers in Europe own a small car within that fleet,’ says Ulrich Bez, ‘sowhy shouldn’t they expect the same level of luxury and craftsmanship asan Aston Martin within that size?’ Cygnet’s Aston Martin-crafted bodyworkand interior are matched to peerless underpinnings. The mechanical core ismanufactured in Japan, the result of Toyota Motor Corporation’s multi-billion yen investment in city car design. ‘The technology is bulletproof,’says Ulrich Bez admiringly. Near-completed Toyota ‘iQ’ microcars will beshipped to Gaydon from the Japanese factory for final assembly, trim andfinishing. Here they will receive the comprehensive Aston Martin makeover,with all-new body panels and interior and peerless attention to detail.

Cygnet is an exciting step forward for Aston Martin, a venture that will leadthe company into new sectors and new technologies. Initially available onlyto Aston Martin customers in the UK & Europe – leading many to liken theconcept to that of a superyacht tender – the Cygnet is a bold statement, a demonstration of intelligent thinking for a new era, and, most of all, the ideal way of complementing an Aston Martin sports car in thecontemporary world.

RUNNING CIRCLESSpeed i s r e l a t i ve . The mode rn c i t y i s no t t he f r ee - f l ow ing me t ropo l i s env i s i oned a t t he f r enz i ed he igh t o f mode rn i s t r ebu i l d i ng . I n s t ead , t he c i t y ha s evo l ved i n to a p l ace whe re exp re s sway s abu t med ieva l a l l e y s , pa r k i ng i s s can t and env i r onmen ta lr e spons ib i l i t y i s f r on t o f consc i ence . A s ton Mar t i n ’ s Cygne t concep t m igh t j u s t bethe so lu t i on , r eckons J ona than Be l l

‘ I t i s no t t he s t r onges t t ha t su r v i ve , bu t t ho se tha t adap t t he mos t r ead i l y t o change ’CHARLES DARWIN 1859

k i t c h e n k i t

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a wel l -equipped kitchen is just as

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CONNAUGHT Aston Martin AD.indd 1 09/09/2009 13:03

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PREVIOUS PAGE: Pedini FirstClass Island kitchen by Pedini,with low-iron Pedini black glassworktop, Foster sink and GessiOvale tap; stir-fry wok byTyphoon; Kama-Usuba vegetableknife from Japanese KnifeCompany; Carrara marble pastryslab from David Mellor; peeler and turner by Prince Kogyofor Hyaku-Nen; Light pot by Zani e Zani.

THIS PAGE: Bridge kitchen byPedini, incorporating GaggenauVario gas cooktop and VarioTeppan Yaki; Therma whistlingkettle by Serafino Zani; butchers’oblong end-grain board fromDavid Mellor; Château LéoubeExtra Virgin Olive Oil fromDaylesford Organic; Magnetimerby Eva Solo; dinner plate byWedgwood; Pride cutlery by David Mellor Design; Accentolasagne server by Konstantin Grcicfor Serafino Zani; The Big Fat DuckCookbook by Heston Blumenthal;Masterclass blowtorch fromDivertimenti; triple-layerProfessional Series chef’s knifefrom Japanese Knife Company;Gourmet cutting board from David Mellor.


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THIS PAGE: Pedini Hook kitchenby Pedini with honed NeroAssoluto granite worktop andstainless-steel Pedini PianoCottura Curvo; Tagine by EmileHenry; Tools frying pan by BjörnDahlström for Iittala; cast-ironpestle and mortar from DavidMellor; Rasp salt and pepper setby Rosendahl; Cleaver by Global;orange blossom water, fishseasoning and steak seasoningby Arabica Food Company.

Stockist details on page 8

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B Y

I N V I T A T I O N

O N L Y

With the l a s t g low o f dusk y i e ld ing to the b r igh t l i gh t s o f the c i t y

s t ree t s , we jo in our two coup les a s they ’ re wh i sked in to the n igh t

by the on l y fou r - sea te r in wh ich to be seen : As ton Mar t in ’ s Rap ide .

Fo r when you ’ re s tepp ing ou t fo r cock ta i l s a t the ho t te s t t i cke t in

town, how you make your en t rance i s j u s t a s impor tan t a s how you

acces so r i se tha t k i l l e r d re s s . I t ’ s pa r t y season , and As ton Mar t in

knows exac t l y how to ge t the fou r o f you the re

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A S T O N M A R T I N b y i n v i t a t i o n o n l y

ABOVE: Andrea wears dress by Brioni, Panther earrings by Cartier.Martina wears ruched dress by Versace, diamond necklace by Van Cleef & Arpels.Howard wears shirt by Versace.

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ABOVE & OPPOSITE: Andrea wears leggings by Missoni, sheepskin jacket by Ralph Lauren, Panther rings andearrings by Cartier, Trio bangles by Cartier, Panther cuff by Cartier, Leopard bag by Roger Vivier.Martina wears Asymmetric dress by Versace, woven jacket by Missoni, sequins scarf by Pringle,Jackie O gold cuff by Van Cleef & Arpels, rings by Van Cleef & Arpels.Stuart wears grey suit by Richard James, white shirt by Richard James, shoes by Sergio Rossi,Patravi EvoTec watch in rose gold by Carl F Bucherer.Howard wears check suit by Richard James, shirt by Gieves & Hawkes, Master Grande watch in pink gold by Jaeger-LeCoultre.


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LEFT: Stuart wears suit and shirt by Brioni.

ABOVE:Howard wears navy fine polka dot suit and shirt by Richard James, white pocket square by Gieves & Hawkes,Master Grande watch in pink gold by Jaeger-LeCoultre.Stuart wears suit and shirt by Brioni, Patravi EvoTec watch in rose gold by Carl F Bucherer.

RIGHT:Andrea wears silk dress by Brioni, Envol ring by Van Cleef & Arpels.


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LEFT: Stuart wears suit and shirt by Richard James, pocket square by Gieves & Hawkes,Patravi EvoTec watch in rose gold by Carl F Bucherer.

BELOW:Andrea wears nude dress by Lanvin, Panther ring and cuff and Trio bangles byCartier, Jackie O gold cuff by Van Cleef & Arpels, Daphne bag by Quentin MackayHoward wears shirt by Brioni, trousers by Burberry, belt by Polo Ralph Lauren, Master Grande watch in pink gold by Jaeger-LeCoultre.


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ABOVE:Martina wears ruched dress by Versace, diamond necklace and cluster ring by Van Cleef & Arpels.Stuart wears shirt by Brioni, trousers by Versace, Patravi EvoTecwatch in rose gold by Carl F Bucherer. Stockist details on page 8

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“ Conformism is an enemy of creativity...”

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A Ber lut i shoe, an Hermès wal let , a Dunhi l l

bag – each a tanta l i s ing microcosm of the

most raref ied i tems in the wor ld; a wor ld

where only the best wi l l do, where each

precious i tem hints at the lengths that some

craftsmen wi l l go to create subl ime objects

that t ranscend the mundane, t ransforming

raw mater ia ls into i r replaceable, l i fe- long

companions. Renowned connoisseur and bon

viveur Roja Dove s inks into the wor ld of

raref ied leather

BEAUTY IS

SKIN DEEP

The leather industry is one of the oldest known. Its skill has beendiversified and perfected over the years to enable us to craft clothing,shelter, carpets, footwear, belts, containers, boats, and armour. Ironically,whether by trial and error or accident, man discovered and perfectedvarious methods for preserving and softening leather. Treating skins indiverse ways with smoke, grease, and bark extracts. In primitive societiesthe craft was a closely guarded secret, passed down from father to son,which is not too dissimilar to the secrets of many of today’s most revered houses.

The finest leathers, other than exotic skins, are obtained by splitting theskin and using only the fine outer layer. The remaining skin has no naturalsurface and is often covered with thick dyes to give it a finish, orsometimes manufacturers use the technique of applying glue to one sideof the split skin or suede, which is then pressed through rollers – theseflatten and even out one side of the material, giving it a short-livedsmooth appearance of full-grain leather. An experienced leather buyerwill spot these differences from a metaphoric mile; whereas the fool isquickly parted from their money.

Full grain leather has nothing removed from it other than its hair. Thegrain remains in its natural state giving it strength and durability makingit perfect for jackets and shoes. It is similar to calf which is softer and hasa finer grain. Calf is used in the creation of high quality shoes and otherluxury goods; the finest is known as box-calf, the best – French box-calf.French box-calf is treated with chromium salts to create the almostimperceptible square markings in the grain that slowly open as the pieceacquires the soft patina of age revealing its hidden beauty.

Each technique with its particular treatments results in speciality skins,a fact not lost on Dunhill who have created peerless accessories for mensince the beginning of the 20th century in the tradition of Alfred Dunhillwho developed his father’s saddle-making firm responding to thegrowing demand for automobiles. He developed a range of accessoriescalled ‘Dunhill’s Motorities’. Dunhill promoted his company under theslogan ‘Everything but the Motor’ and quickly established himself asone of the world’s first men’s accessories companies.

Dunhill still create their bespoke items in their London workshop, createdby a single artisan whose name is sewn into the base of each piece toguarantee its authenticity. Their latest collection draws its inspirationfrom their vast archive, where designs used by British Servicemen in the1940s have been revived in the softest calf but with adaptations for theneeds of the modern discerning man, including pockets for everyconceivable piece of technology, thus combining traditional techniqueswith contemporary lifestyle.


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This desire to have the finest leather softened and caressed into anobject with unparalleled beauty in its own right has been an obsessionfor shoemakers Berluti since 1895. Following in the family’s pursuit forexcellence Olga Berluti has developed a rare and special process for asignature leather known as Venezia, inspired by the anguish on herclients‘ faces as their most cherished shoes gave up their last step at thezenith of their aesthetic beauty. The skins undergo a secret processwhere pigments are applied at will to attain an unprecedentedkaleidoscope of colours and tones which are then given a level of depth,richness, and lustre which other shoemakers try to emulate withoutsuccess. Their clients love and cherish their shoes’ aesthetics so muchmany travel from every corner of the world to go to an annualmasterclass to learn a small facet of the undisclosed secret of the leatherto maintain its precious beauty. Others will send missives explainingtheir requirements in such minute detail one imagines them sitting witha pantone chart anguishing over their next melange.

The ultimate skin of all is American alligator which is considered to bemore consistent in quality than crocodile as there is only one species.The skins are processed in various ways resulting in two main effects –high-glaze and semi-glaze. Hermès leaves the rest of the leather worldstanding with its vast array of pieces in every imaginable colour.

The semi-glazed finish is understated, with a natural soft sheen which isexceptionally durable – the result of low speed, low pressure buffingusing a combination of natural waxes and oils. This process does notsubject the skin to excessive pressure and therefore the leather remainssoft and supple. The surface retains its natural pattern which can beflexed repeatedly with little or no wrinkling; it is extremely resilient toabrasion. The colour penetrates deeply giving the surface a natural,three-dimensional effect. Rather than deteriorating with daily use, thesheen of the semi-glazed finish gets richer and deeper over time.

By contrast a high-glaze is obtained through a specialised processwhich produces a smooth shiny skin that is associated with the finestquality of all Hermès items. To achieve this high gloss, a naturalprotein such as albumen is polished into the skins using a hard,smooth surface attached to a high pressure glazing jack; the skin iscompressed and polished resulting in a high-gloss shine. Whilst thisfinish appears to be durable because of its hard surface, it is difficultto bend and can be susceptible to damage from abrasion in normaluse. The high-glazed finish is best suited to flat surfaces such aswallets and purses. If that is not enough there is one final treatmentthe skin can undergo where every individual scale is gently hammeredonto a block to gently raise the skin giving it a slightly domed effect:it is now so rare you can count the number of people left in the worldon one hand who have the skill to do it.

If you want to understand why a true connoisseur cherishes theseitems so, just run a trembling finger and quivering eye across a Berlutishoe, an Hermès wallet, or a Dunhill bag and be forever ruined asnothing else will do. Maybe at their core these brands observe Alfred Dunhill’s maxim, ‘It is not enough to expect a man to pay forthe best, you must also give him what he has paid for.’

Every ind i v idua l sca le i s gen t l y hammered on to a b lock to gent l y ra i se the sk in

g i v ing i t a s l i gh t l y domed e f fec t : i t i s now so ra re you can count on one hand the

number o f peop le l e f t i n the wor ld who have the sk i l l t o do i t

5 2

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LTD

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+44

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700

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HUGO BOSS Store The Willett Building 35-38 Sloane Square London SW1W 8AQ Phone 0207 259 1240BOSS Store Westfield London Ariel Way London W12 7GD Phone 0208 222 6310

l i v e t h e l a b e l

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No t on l y doe s t he ho t e l f o rma t l end i t s e l f p e r f e c t l y t o a c ra f t edl i f e s t y l e e xpe r i ence – t o t a l b rand imme r s i on , i f y ou l i k e – i t a l s op rov i de s a v a s t c anva s upon wh i ch i t s a r t i s t r y c an be w r i t l a r ge ,and f o r wo r l d -wea r y t r a ve l l e r s l o s t i n an ocean o f cha rac t e r l e s s andde l i be ra t e l y neu t ra l p l a ce s t o s t a y , a f a sh i on b rand ’ s own ho t e lo f f e r s a des t ina t ion w i th in s tan t l y f ami l i a r and t ru s ted b rand va lues

In its perfected form, a hotel is an island, a respite, a refuge from the world around it. These rare,temporary homes-from-home manage to find that precarious balance between history, tradition,culture and style, while avoiding unnecessary indulgences, thoughtless folly or graceless, tastelessdécor. When it comes to hotels, luxury is not the amount of chintz or drapery per square inch, butoften the lack thereof. Restraint is luxury, and often this concept is best understood by thosecreative souls who have dedicated their lives to celebrating aesthetics through adornment; thefashion designer.

Armani. Lacroix. Versace. Missoni. These great creators of fashion have all developed luxury hotelssituated around the globe that not only strive to provide completely immersive brand experiences,but seek to embody the very soul of the men and women behind the labels.

The concept of a dwelling designed or inspired by fashion is not new, though it began in adifferent, if more private form. The designers’ own homes were once the living embodiments oftheir respective core brand values: one need only to look at the legendary 31 rue Cambonapartment of Coco Chanel, the tragically infamous Miami Beach home of Gianni Versace, or thefabulous Paris treasure chest that Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Berger called home for nearly fivedecades. These private living spaces were anything but; the designers created homes that reflectedtheir aesthetic in its most synthesised form. A direct line of inspiration can be drawn between Yves Saint Laurent’s collection of priceless Roman busts that littered his home, and his runwaycollections of the ’70s and ’80s, for example.

The designers were always sure, of course, to have had their inner sanctums photographed just-so, and then published in magazines and books as a means of reinforcing the concept behind allgreat fashion houses: they are selling a lifestyle above all else. The products are, for the most part,incidental. It is a surprise therefore that it actually took this long for fashion designers and luxuryhouses to create hotel concepts, as the hotel is the ultimate conduit through which to broadcastthe core brand message and values used to sell the lifestyle that sells the product. Unlike aphotograph or a billboard, a hotel provides that coveted three-dimensional brand experience thatnot even a retail store can successfully provide. You don’t sleep in a retail store (though manyobsessive shoppers undoubtedly dream of it).

You ’ve wo rn the l abe l , now l i v e the l abe l . We examine the r i s e o f f a sh ion and l uxu r y househo te l s ac ro s s t he g l obe : Pa l azzo Ve r sace i n Duba i and Aus t ra l i a ; Bu lga r i Ho te l s i n Mi l an andBa l i ; Ho te l Be l l echas se by Lac ro i x i n Pa r i s ; A rman i Ho te l s and Reso r t s i n Duba i ; Ho te lMi s son i i n Ed inbu rgh , Kuwa i t , Be lg ium… J ake Townsend check s i n to the mos t spec tacu l a rca twa l k s on ea r th

HAUTE HOTELIERS


THIS PAGE: One of Christian Lacroix’skaleidoscopic interiors for HotelBellechasse in Paris, France.

l i v e t h e l a b e l

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When i t comes t o ho te l s , l u xu r y i s no t t he amoun t o f ch in t z o r d rape r y pe r squa re i nch ,bu t o f t en the l ack the reo f. Re s t ra i n t i s l u xu r y , and o f t en th i s concep t i s be s t unde r s toodby tho se c rea t i ve sou l s who have ded i ca ted the i r l i v e s t o ce l eb ra t i ng ae s the t i c s t h rough

ado rnmen t ; t he f a sh ion de s i gne r

I t ’ s no wonde r t hen tha t Dona te l l a Ve r sace , t he wo r l d ’ s und i spu ted queen o f t he sun - soaked se t , wou ldchoose t o open he r f i r s t ho te l – the f i t t i ng l y named Pa l azzo Ve r sace – on Aus t ra l i a ’ s Go ld Coas t

It was the ubiquitous fashion designers’ ‘home’ collections, meaningbranded sheets, towels, dishware and flatware, that laid the groundworkfor the fashion hotel. Beginning with the highly successful lines of theearly ’90s from Calvin Klein – who has interestingly never lent his nameto a hotel – and later the home collections of Versace, Armani, andMissoni, they proved there was an eagerly awaiting customer base whowould pay a premium price for home-related goods branded by theirfavourite house of fashion and design. It is this same customer base thatnow flocks to Bulgari’s chic hotels in Milan and Bali, Lacroix’s flamboyantHotel Le Bellechasse in Paris, Versace’s lush Palazzo in Australia and whowill undoubtedly rush to the as yet unfinished Armani Hotel constructionin Dubai.

When one approaches Le Bellechasse, located just steps from the Muséed’Orsay in Paris’ deeply civilized Faubourg St Germain, little of the staidexterior belies what famed couturier Christian Lacroix has created inside.Step past the rich crème coloured façade, and one is immediatelyconfronted with a riot of colour and pattern, so closely resembling thehaute couture that has made Lacroix a living legend that it feels as if the building itself is a ball gown draped on the lithe shoulders of anervous debutante in the grand ballroom of the Crillon. Rooms aredecorated in a palette of chaos, featuring walls, bedding and furniturevirtually bathed in an ever shifting mosaic of printed fabrics, stripedwallpapers, vintage illustrations and highly treated surfaces that lend thehotel a whimsical, jewel box-like feeling unlike any other building onearth. That is, with the exception of the first Lacroix-designed hotel in theMarais – the Hotel du Petit Moulin.

At the other end of the design spectrum, and in near-diametricopposition to Lacroix and his Le Bellechasse, is Bulgari’s understated andquietly glamorous Hotel Bulgari Milano located just adjacent to that city’sstoried fashion quarter. Like the coveted jewels for which Bulgari is sowell known, this glamorous 58-room space is the only hotel within theMilanese walls with a private garden, and an afternoon cocktail scenethat rivals that of New York or London. Though it is not widely discussedin public, Hotel Bulgari is managed by the Ritz Carlton chain, and itsattention to detail is evidence of this successful partnership.With an interior awash in neutral and earth tones, often lighted by whatappears to be an entire nave’s worth of flickering candles, the HotelBulgari manages to simultaneously embody and subvert the core brandideology. In addition to Milano, Bulgari has another much-loved resort onthe Indonesian island of Bali, and several restaurants in the Ginza andOmotesando neighbourhoods of Tokyo.

Fans of fashion the world over are never far away from places where thesun and sand provide a breezy backdrop to unfettered holidays awayfrom the bustle. It’s no wonder then that Donatella Versace, the world’sundisputed queen of the sun-soaked set, would choose to open her firsthotel – the fittingly named Palazzo Versace – on Australia’s Gold Coast.Situated just 20 minutes from Brisbane, Palazzo Versace features nearly300 rooms, each decorated in Versace’s trademark Rome-is-burning neo-classical high style that positively drips with opulence. Though the hotelis located on one of the loveliest beaches this side of Bondi, guests in theknow flock to the Salus Per Aquum Spa where the gold tiles, wall-to-wallpools and attention to every detail make the experience akin to enteringwhat feels like Caligula come to life.

On the other side of the globe, far away from the glamour of theEuropean capitals, the ubiquity of New York or the exoticism of Bali,in the heart of the United Arab Emirates, lies a virtual hotbed ofdesigners’ hotels. Under construction as this issue is going to press is thesecond Palazzo Versace and the first of a planned worldwide chain byArmani. The Palazzo Versace, being constructed on the banks of theDubai Creek in the unfortunately named ‘Culture Village’, will be repletewith more than 200 suites, all of which will assuredly feature suitablyextravagant décor and Roman-inspired furnishings that so typify thejoyous glamour that made Versace so beloved by the world’s Riviera-bound jetset. The hotel is planned to open in 2010. No word yet onwhether the rumoured refrigerated beach is still included in the plan.

Just up the Dubai Creek, acting as a kind of counterweight to Versace, ashe also did while Versace was still alive, is Giorgio Armani’s Armani HotelDubai, also under construction. With a planned opening in spring 2010,Armani Hotel Dubai will be an exercise in that signature crisp, highlyedited neutrality that makes his clothing so universal. There is atimelessness to the Armani style, and the Armani Hotel Dubai, which willbe located in the Burj Dubai, soon to be the world’s tallest building, will most certainly set the hospitality bar slightly higher in a city notknown for its understated glamour. The hotel will also feature the MiddleEast’s first Armani/Privé – a nightclub concept, and Armani-brandedflowers and sweets shops.

And the choice certainly doesn’t stop there for fashionista globetrotters.Knitwear geniuses Missoni have recently opened their Hotel Missoni inthe increasingly cosmopolitan city of Edinburgh, with more propertiesalready in development in Kuwait, Cape Town, Brazil and Oman – all of which feature the most coveted robes and bath towels on earth. The colours and patterns are exuberant to say the least, but tastefullymatched. Ralph Lauren has lent his preppy chic aesthetic to Round Hill in Jamaica, which is still among the most exclusive addresses in theCaribbean. Designer John Rocha has the urbane Morrison Hotel in Dublin,and legendary milliner Philip Treacy designed The G Hotel in Galway. And not to be outdone, hotels by Oscar de la Renta, Krizia and thefabulous Ferragamos await guests who seek bespoke brand immersion inmore ways than one.

No matter your personal style – be it Versace or Missoni, Armani orBulgari – it need no longer be confined to your closet. There is a designerhotel perfectly tailored to suit who you are, where you are.

PREVIOUS PAGE ABOVE: The bar at Hotel Missoni, Edinburgh, Scotland. PREVIOUS PAGE BELOW: The Armani Hotel Dubai, due to open soon in the Burj Dubai,the word’s tallest tower, in Emaar’s new Downtown Burj Dubai development, United Arab Emirates. ABOVE: The spectacular Palazzo Versace Gold Coast, Australia.

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THE EDITOR: CHRISTIAN BARKER‘Men have always dressed in a more straight-laced way than women, but I think therecession is going to push us towards theclassics even further. We’re not going tostart spending truckloads on clothes then looksilly in a few months. The blazer, for example,is big again – a garment that has certainconnotations but which actually is hugelyadaptable. It looks as good with trainers anda T-shirt as flannels and a tie. Double-breastedjackets are coming through again too – it’s

classic but feels different because it’s been away for so long. Men areactually growing less scared to stand out, but I feel there’s less demandfor envelope-pushing design now. It’s more about dapper self-expression– flamboyance rather than fashion. There are those designers giving anedge to classic fashion now – the likes of Kris van Assche for DiorHomme, or Kim Jones, with his new collection as creative director atDunhill. But it’s also why the likes of Savile Row tailors doing somethingjust a bit different, like Norton & Sons, or the likes of Zegna, Paul Smithand Ralph Lauren are going to have their moment again. From Ralph youcan get a grey suit or bright trousers embroidered with pheasants. It’s alsowhy I think any kind of high-fashion styling is unlikely for a while now –we’ve seen enough of the trend for wearing trousers rolled up, forexample. I’m not sure men should be showing off too much ankle. It’s onestep towards Capri pants.’

Christian Barker (left) is editor-in-chief of the acclaimed men’s style magazine The Rake,based out of Singapore. Prior to that he was launch editor of August Man and featureseditor of Nylon Australia

THE DESIGNER: PIETRA PISTOLETTO‘The big thing in womenswear over the comingyear and beyond is going to be its facing up to the environmental impact of clothing. It’s something that womenswear in particularhas been reluctant to embrace because it hasbeen led so heavily by the attitude of stores thelikes of H&M and Zara, which have introduceda disposability to fashion. I wouldn’t judge thosestores – I’ve shopped with them. But one goodthing to come out of the downturn is areappraisal of consumerism generally. You can

see the beginning of change in fashion happening now as it did in food –first there were just a few small brands and stores selling expensive organicproducts to the few interested consumers but now organic food is a hugeindustry. When I started out working in recycled clothing in 1994 somepeople thought I was crazy, especially in fashion – which has always beenabout the new. But times are changing. Next year we’re going to see more

combining of the old and new – more mix and match and more naturalfabrics and colours. It’s a kind of modern ethnic style. But environmentalismis not the only social change that is going to shape the way we dress. We’re more mobile now and move between formal and casual occasionsso need more flexible clothing. Technical fabrics have been more widelyembraced by menswear but womenswear are picking up on that now too.Women may still be prepared to suffer for the way their clothes look, butincreasingly there’s a demand that they work as well as they look.’

Pietra Pistoletto (centre) is a widely exhibited Turin-based designer who apprenticedwith Christian Dior before specialising in limited edition pieces created from recycled clothing – blurring the boundary between fashion and art (her father is the sculptor Michelangelo Pistoletto)

THE STYLIST: WILLIAM GILCHRIST‘Over 2010 and the following few years we’regoing to see menswear bounce back to a newindividuality. And that has been a long timecoming. For several seasons now mensweardesigners have been stuck in a rut of effectivelyproviding uniforms – what you buy in Prada isnot really any different to what you may getfrom Richard James. And too many brands arecheap, even among the top level labels – bywhich I mean that their production numbersrequire a sameness in design in order to sell it,

while keeping costs down and prices up. The result has been a dressing tostereotype, a sheep-like attitude to style. The idea that men are scared ofdressing differently is wrong – they do so given the choice. And now thereis homogeneity the inevitable result will be a drive to what you might calla sartorial idea of customisation – ways to find some character in ourclothing. Some big brands are starting to break out of the Land of Blandwith their spring/summer collections – I may not like it all but Lanvin,Bottega Veneta and Hermes do at least have an opinion, a point of view.They bring difference through detail, which is what menswear is about –we don’t have the extremes of womenswear available. Smaller designersare also capitalising on this – the likes of Oliver Spencer, the tailor RichardAnderson, whose suits are like wearing a light hug, and Tim Soar, who youhave to applaud for bringing quality tailoring into a younger line. Let’s behonest here – no man needs any more jeans or T-shirts.’

Freelance fashion stylist William Gilchrist (right) has worked in Milan and New York andis now based in London. His work has appeared in the likes of L’Uomo Vogue, Detailsand The Observer, and he consults to the likes of Belstaff and Calvin Klein

With each fashion season comes a new plethora of trends. This new spring/summer season you might expect to see trousers go turned up, jackets go patchwork, with

monochrome, country, mil itary and future fabrics al l key for men, with sober shades,leggings (again), the futurist ic and graphically printed al l big for women. That, at least,

is what the catwalks say. But never mind the micro, what of the macro? Josh Sims askedthree major players in the fashion industry – each from a different corner of the globe

and each with a different perspective – to give their recommendations and commenton how they see fashion shaping up over the coming years

FORWARDFASHION

a g i r l ’ s n e w b e s t f r i e n d

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SHELLSOUT OF THEIR

No longe r t he s tu f f y accompan imen t t o t he d readed tw in - se t , pea r l sa r e o f f i c i a l l y coo l aga in – j ewe l s t o be wo rn w i th p r i de , no t t o men t i ons t y l e , t hank s t o t he i nc red ib l e i nnova t i on and c rea t i v i t y on d i sp l a y a thouse s such a s Mik imo to , Au to re , Van C lee f & A rpe l s and Ca r t i e r. He reAvr i l Groom ha i l s a we l come rev i va l , and exp l a i n s how top -end , p r i zepea r l s f r om the Sou th Sea s and J apan a re f i r i ng imag ina t i on s , i n sp i r i ngda r i ng comb ina t i on s and s l ow l y becoming a g i r l ’ s new bes t f r i end

Pearls are back in vogue, bigger and better than ever, for the first timesince girls in pearls became a social cliché that nearly killed off these lovelygems. Every well-bred young woman used to receive a string of pearls,often inherited, as a rite of passage. Their popularity was boosted by styleicons like Jackie Kennedy, who wore her magnificent three-row necklacewith a glittering diamond flame brooch by top jewellers Van Cleef &Arpels. Mostly such pearls were white, round and discreet, and in designterms the plain necklace dominated. Eventually, in more rebellious times,the prosperous lifestyle they represented seemed boring, and the world ofstyle fell out of love with pearls for several decades.

They had not always been used so unimaginatively. Hundreds of yearsago natural pearls of great price, in all their variety of size and shape,were mixed with diamonds, sapphires and rubies in rich Renaissancejewels. The string became a status symbol because finding the matchinggems took years and a great deal of money but once pearls began to becultured in regular sizes on an industrial scale, they slowly lost their lustre.

More recently the industry has faced other problems. Some Japaneseoyster beds have been affected by disease and the market has beenflooded by inexpensive Chinese freshwater pearls which are culturedmore quickly than others and lack the depth of colour and sheen createdby developing layers of nacre over several years, which is the minimumfor a good pearl.

Now circumstances have changed. South Sea pearls – larger, high-qualityand in a wonderful colour spectrum – have become more available overthe past decade, though are still rare and expensive. Along withexquisite, smaller Japanese Akoya pearls from new farms in unpollutedwaters and rare, irregular-shaped Keshi pearls, they are firing theimaginations of designers keen to work with combinations of materialsand colours that would not have occurred to a previous generation.‘There has been a breakthrough with designers using mixes ofsemiprecious stones and unusual colours, and pearls are part of this,’ saysNicolas Bos, creative director of Van Cleef & Arpels.


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‘We g row the ve r y l a rge Sou th

Sea pea r l o y s t e r unde r ve r y s t r i c t

r u l e s o f su s t a i nab i l i t y and i t i s

comp le te l y d i f f e r en t f r om the l i t t l e

f r e shwa te r pea r l s be ing p roduced

qu i ck l y and i n va s t quan t i t i e s i n

Ch ina , wh i ch have d r i ven down

the p r i ce f o r sma l l pea r l s ’

PREVIOUS PAGE:

Van Cleef & Arpels Dentelle

de Perles necklace with

round, pear-shaped and

marquise-cut diamonds.

THIS PAGE LEFT:

Mikimoto briolette drop

earring with white

South Sea cultured pearl

and briolette diamonds.

THIS PAGE RIGHT:

Mikimoto large white South

Sea cultured pearl ring with

a pave diamond setting.

‘We have always used them where appropriate, often mixed withdiamonds for which their softness provides the perfect contrast. But nowwe are picking out tones – for instance the green shades in some greypearls look wonderful with emeralds or tsavorites, while others veertowards purple that goes well with pink sapphires – so there are manynew possibilities.’ Bos also believes that pearls have a resonance for today:‘They are essentially subtle and sophisticated, very appropriate at a timewhen people want to appear less ostentatious,’ he says. At Cartier,creative director Pierre Rainero agrees. ‘We combine pearls with softlycoloured stones, like cloudy yellow sapphires or spinels,’ he says. ‘Pearlscomplement these delicate stones with a depth and warmth.’

The big pearls used in today’s mixed-gem pieces comes from a largeoyster species – Pinctada maxima – that occurs in three colour varietieswhich each produce wide shade variations. Finding perfectly matchedcolours and sizes to make, for instance, the cascades of coloured pearlstoning with delicate pastel gemstones in Cartier’s new Secrets et

Merveilles collection is still a major challenge. Rainero says, ‘It is gettingharder and harder to source high quality pearls. We don’t often usecultured pearls, they don’t have the same magic as, say, the soft pinkfreshwater pearls we used in our new Secrets et Merveilles collection.’ The work of South Sea-based pearl growers and jewellers like RosarioAutore is helping. ‘The very large South Sea pearl oyster was discovered 150 years ago but it is rare and fragile and its culture requires remote,unpolluted waters and a great deal of care,’ he says. ‘We grow it undervery strict rules of sustainability and it is completely different from the littlefreshwater pearls being produced quickly and in vast quantities in China,which have driven down the price for small pearls. They do not grow asbig as even the smallest South Sea pearl.’

The biggest examples easily make a centrepiece for jewellery, especially inthe hands of designers like Autore’s Alessio Boschi. He is inspired to usehuge, irregular pearls as the bodies of mythical sea creatures, sparklingwith multi-hued blue sapphires or sea green emeralds. Utterly perfect,spherical examples form the centres of big cocktail rings in his Fire and Icecollection, teamed with rubies and black diamonds to represent a volcanoerupting, or with the whitest diamonds and quartz plates to evoke anicescape. Franklin Adler is another jeweller inspired by pearls andespecially their soft colours.


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F rank l i n Ad l e r i s ano the r j ewe l l e r new l y i n sp i r ed by pea r l s and e spec i a l l y t he i rso f t co lou r s . ‘They add l i gh t t o t he f ace and a re ve r y s en sua l t o t ouch .

They have become ac to r s on cen t r e s t age . . . ’

LEFT: Adler South Sea

pearl ring set with yellow

briolette sapphires.

‘They add light to the face and are very sensual to touch,’ he says. ‘They have become actors oncentre stage – I use them like any other precious stone,’ as his ring centred on a soft gold pearlsurrounded by a cluster of pale yellow briolette sapphires bears out. Other designers take amodernist approach, perhaps inspired by the iconic Stormy Weather collection which fashiondesigner Yohji Yamamoto developed, using large black and white pearls, for top Japanese producerMikimoto, which originated pearl culture in 1893 and now works on major oceanic environmentalprojects to help guarantee the future. An example is Chrissie Coleman Douglas’ designs mixingblack pearls with knotted leather giving an almost barbed wire effect.

Such stunning pieces, especially where mixed with precious stones, offer obvious pearl investmentvalue (family-run British jeweller Boodles has made Tahitian pearls in combination with diamonds amainstay of its collection), as do the very occasional jewels designed by houses like Van Cleef &Arpels or Cartier that incorporate irreplaceable antique natural (i.e. non-cultured) pearls – Rainerosays, ‘We find ourselves looking to antique pearls and now over 90% of those we use are antique.’This applies even where the carefully matched pearls in the mix are small – a well-known brand willsupply the same guarantees of quality with pearls as with other gems. But with a fine irony oftiming, and perhaps inspired by pearls fan Michelle Obama as a style leader, the string of pearls isback. Mikimoto has just launched the Debutante necklace of flawless, perfectly matched Akoyas,while Chanel, long known for the faux pearls favoured by its founder, has stunning strings, withdiamond bow clasps or precious stone pendants, in its latest high jewellery collection. And with fanslike singer Lily Allen or model Agyness Deyn, it looks like girls in pearls have an edgy new image.

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Aston Martin Magazine is delighted to offer readers the opportunity to win astay of elegance and opulence at the luxury five-star Palazzo Versace, locatedin Southern Queensland on the Gold Coast, acclaimed as Australia’s favouriteholiday playground. Palazzo Versace Gold Coast remains the only fullyfashion-brand hotel in the world, and every meticulous detail of architectureand décor, down to the delicate china settings, envelops guests in anambience that is pure Versace.

The closing date is 15 February 2010Terms and conditions apply (strictly non-extendable and non-transferable). Gratuities and incidentals atguests’ own expense. Subject to availability.

Terms & Conditions: 1. The prize is open to all Aston Martin Magazine readers aged 18 years or over, except employees of: Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd, authorised Aston Martin dealerships, Affinity Publishing Ltd,Versace and Palazzo Versace. 2. The prize is for 3 nights’ accommodation for 2 adults sharing a Suite and includes breakfast. 3. The prize includes return transfers to and from the hotel from Brisbane Airport.4. Taxes and surcharges are not included. 5. The prize is valid from 15 March 2010 to 14 March 2011 and is subject to availability. 6. If the winner does not choose an accompanying travel partner at time of bookingthe remainder of the prize will be forfeited. 7. Both travellers must travel together. 8. Gratuities, other incidentals and travel insurance are not included, the latter is strongly advised. 9. Prizewinners are responsiblefor their own valid passports and any relevant visas and inoculations. 10. The prize is strictly non-extendable, non-transferable and non-negotiable, there is no cash alternative and the prize cannot be used inconjunction with any other offer. 11. Prior reservation is necessary when booking hotel accommodation. 12. Aston Martin Magazine and Palazzo Versace will not enter into correspondence regarding any aspect ofthe prize. 13. Aston Martin Magazine and Palazzo Versace reserve the right to cancel, amend, alter or withdraw the promotion at any time without prior notice. 14. The prize draw will be made by Aston MartinLagonda Ltd on 1 March 2010 and the winner will be notified by telephone. 15. Only one entry per person, only original card accepted (no photocopies). 16. The closing date for applications is 15 February 2010.Proof of posting will not be accepted as proof of receipt. The successful applicant will be notified by post within 7 days of the draw – details of the winner will be available by sending a stamped addressed envelopeto Affinity Publishing, 21 Grosvenor St, London W1K 4QJ. 17. No purchase necessary when entering prize draw. 18. All entrants must agree to participate in any associated publicity.

TO E N T E RSimply complete the card opposite, remove and return bypost to the address on the reverse

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REPLICA RACERS

Produced by Minichamps as part of their Evolution range, these 1:43 scale modelsof Aston Martin’s beloved Nürburgring 24-Hours V8 Vantage N24 racecars, ‘Kermit’and ‘Rose’ are reproduced in minute detail (RRP £65). Limited to 200 and 206 piecesrespectively, 280 examples of this year’s class-winning Nürburgring debutante, theV12 Vantage ‘Elwood’ will also be available soon.

Inspired by the same commitment to elegance and style that

characterises every Aston Martin, The Collection is an exclusive

range of fashion accessories and luxury goods that encompasses

the very essence of the marque. Where better to find that perfect

last-minute Christmas gift, or perhaps even a well-earned bit of

personal indulgence? Whether it’s a scale model for the collector,

cufflinks for the sharp dresser, or a watch for the connoisseur,

The Collection has it covered

ASTON MARTIN

COLLECTION

ON THE CUFF

New to The Collection are these beautifullycrafted cufflinks (RRP £90), their unique designreminiscent of an Aston Martin’s ‘EmotionControl Unit’ starter button. Now common toall models across Aston Martin’s current range,the ECU involves pushing a glass key snuglyinto the dash-mounted ‘docking station’ toignite the engine. Made of Aston Martin-hallmarked sterling silver and set with blackonyx, the Engine Start Cufflinks are sure to stirthe driving enthusiast within, whenever they’reclicked home.

SLOPE OFF

Aston Martin takes to the slopes this winter – not in a speciallyadapted sports car, but on a brand new, hi-tech ski. Further to lastwinter’s special-edition ‘DBS Prague’ skis, handmade by Austrianski specialist Differences, Aston Martin has now developed a corerange of skis, produced according to the specific Aston Martincolour specified by the customer – Morning Frost, pictured, beingthe most appropriate of course (POA).

ALL WRAPPED UP

Perfect for winter spins in your Volante or Roadster with the roof down, this elegant newscarf has been created by Aston Martin in exclusive collaboration with Italian fashion maestroErmenegildo Zegna (RRP £115). Available in a chic shade of cream truffle, a double layer of 86 per cent wool, 9 per cent silk and 5 per centcashmere provides a practical dose of warmth, with a dash of that signature Zegna cool.

ALL TIED UP

Like the cream truffle scarf featuredabove, these exquisite new woven silkties have been created in collaborationwith Ermenegildo Zegna (RRP £85). In Zegna’s typically understated fashion,decoration has been eschewed infavour of a clean palette of singularcolours, all four of which match popularAston Martin exterior colours: MagmaRed, Marina Blue, Meteorite Silver andTungsten Silver.

IT’S ALL IN THE WRIST

The enormously fruitful collaboration between Swiss watchmaker Jaeger-

LeCoultre and Aston Martin continues this winter with the new AMVOX2

Rapide Transponder – a chronograph watch that allows owners of the latest

Aston Martin to lock or unlock all four doors by simply touching the watch’s

sapphire crystal at 4 or 8 o’clock (RRP £21,850). Furthermore, by pressing

simultaneously on ‘OPEN’ and ‘CLOSE’, the watch emits a ‘find me’ signal,

causing the Rapide’s headlamps to flash.

STOWAWAYS

Designed to fit snugly into the boot of any Aston Martin, The Collection’sever-popular Luggage range is newly available in cream truffle leather,perfectly matching your new Aston Martin-branded Zegna scarf (from £270). Exclusively designed by Aston Martin, each piece of luggage has been individually handmade. The pieces include a small, medium and large holdall, a garment bag and beauty case, all bearing the Aston Martin wings.

For more information on The Collection and Aston Martin merchandise, visit the Online Store at www.astonmartin.com, or call +44 (0)1926 644278

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A S T O N M A R T I N W O R K S

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With 2009 drawing to a close, it’s well worth reflecting onwhat’s been a fantastic year for both Aston Martin WorksService at Newport Pagnell and Parts Operations in WolvertonMill. We have been busier than ever across all areas of thebusiness and I would like to thank all our customers, ownersand supporters for their ongoing loyalty, not to mention themany new customers who have joined us this year – we lookforward to providing you with many more years of support.

Indeed, I hope owners of current-production Aston Martins will be interested in reading our accessories story from page 72, detailing the many enhancements now available from Parts Operations through your Aston Martin Dealer – both aesthetics- and performance-wise. And besides thecarbon-fibre diffusers, sports exhausts and lightweight alloys, to name just a few, Works Service is now proud to offer acompletely bespoke upholstery service for all Aston Martinowners, with a host of exciting trim options to choose from.

As you will read from Steve Wakefield’s excellent reportopposite, October’s Vanquish Celebration Day went even betterthan could be expected. It was truly wonderful to receive thesupport of so many enthusiasts of the marque and of theVanquish itself. From a personal perspective, I particularlyenjoyed having the old team back together again and sharingold memories. From all the emails and letters received sincethat Saturday, it seems many of you enjoyed it just as much.

Going into 2010, we certainly have no intention of easing offthe throttle, so to speak. This year has seen the most significantexpansion of our Heritage department and next year we’relooking to recruit and reinforce this key area to support theescalating demands of Heritage owners. Many exciting plansfor events are already afoot for 2010 too, led naturally by ourever-successful Bonhams’ auction. Held annually to capacitycrowds at Newport Pagnell, the 11th sale will be on 22 Mayand we’re already receiving telephone enquiries, so make sureyou book your place at the Premier Luncheon soon to avoiddisappointment. I also look forward to revealing details ofanother special day in the spring issue, dates and times forwhich are still to be confirmed.

For now, I wish you happy reading, enjoyable driving and mybest wishes for the festive season.

Kingsley Riding-Felce

Director of Works Service & Parts Operations

A w o r d f r o m t h e W o r k s

With Callum on the rostrum, the audience heard how he wanted the newcar to be, ‘a meeting of the DB4GT Zagato and the ‘bullish’, outgoing AstonMartin V8.’ The cockpit was to be ‘like sitting in a machine’ – although, tohis regret, the concept car’s circular air vents made way for rectangular ones.Project Vantage may look similar to the ensuing production Vanquish butevery surface was changed – including a 20mm increase in the door’sthickness to accommodate easier-to-source key-barrels.

With an impressive portfolio of designs to his credit, Callum proclaimed theVanquish ‘my favourite’.

Not only did the Vanquish represent a dramatic development in styling andperformance for Newport Pagnell cars, it also meant totally new productionmethods. This process of re-engineering the production line and retrainingthe craftsmen was described vividly by Arthur Sinclair. With its bondedchassis, carbon fibre, composite and formed aluminium panels and paddle-actuated ASM transmission, it was light years away from ‘DBs’ and ‘oldschool’ V8s.

A new car needs presenting to the world’s press. Harry Calton, a PR veteranof many new car launches with the Ford Motor Company, oversaw theOctober 2000, international media driving event for the Vanquish at the Duke of Roxburghe’s estate in Scotland. Both Calton and Minards stillremember the drive down from Edinburgh airport, with five brand-new GTsin convoy.

What a sight that must have been. The Vanquish still has the ability to turnheads and it was that wow-factor that impressed hard-bitten movie mogulswhen deciding on 007’s mount for Die Another Day (2002). Not knowingthe location for the forthcoming Bond blockbuster, as part of its ‘pitch’ Astonshowed a promotional video of a silver Vanquish powersliding through the snow. Having already settled on action sequences in Iceland, ‘That’s thecar for us!’ agreed the film’s producers. Bonnet-mounted machine guns, an ‘invisibility cloak’ and spiked tyres came soon after.

The last (of just 2,578) Vanquish models came off the production line atNewport Pagnell in July 2007. That car has been retained by Aston Martin,but many more are enjoying active lives with keen owners lavishing muchtime and attention on them, returning ‘home’ to the experts at Works Servicefor service, repair and upgrade.

In his summing up, Minards encouraged all present to ‘love, cherish, polishand – above all – drive’ their cars. He also passionately believes that althoughthe Vanquish could never be replaced, ‘the story continues’. Thanks to eventssuch as these, it certainly does.

Steve Wakefield is Managing Editor of ClassicDriver.com

Nearly 70 examples were present on Vanquish Celebration Day, someunder cover, but many more in the main car park at the front of WorksService. Enthusiasts from as far away as the USA were to hear fascinatingpresentations introduced by the then-Chief Programme Engineer for theVanquish, Ian Minards.

Minards described the decision to build the new car as, ‘an incrediblestrategic move... that laid the foundation for what Aston Martin Lagondabuilds at Gaydon today.’ As part of the display, Project Vantage (theconcept that wowed the 1997 Detroit show) shared customarily spotlessfloor space with many cars in for service work, as well as a cutaway bodyand chassis and (of course) a genuine ‘Bond’ Vanquish.

Once the budget had been signed off by the company’s then-ChiefExecutive Bob Dover (also present), it was over to DB7 designer Ian Callumto pen the muscular lines of the new car.

VANQUISH AVAILS

I t w a s a n ‘ a l l - Va n q u i s h ’ a f f a i r o n S a t u r d a y 3 O c t o b e r a s K i n g s l e y R i d i n g - Fe l c e a n d h i s

Wo r k s S e r v i c e t e a m h a n d e d o v e r t h e i r m a i n w o r k s h o p s t o a h o s t o f Va n q u i s h o w n e r s ,

a l l e a g e r t o h e a r t h e s t o r y o f A s t o n M a r t i n ’ s 2 1 s t - c e n t u r y , 2 0 0 m p h s u p e r c a r f r o m t h e

m e n w h o h a d m a d e i t h a p p e n . S t e v e Wa k e f i e l d w a s t h e r e

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A S T O N M A R T I N W O R K S

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BARN FIND AT BONHAMS Simon de Bur ton r epo r t s f rom Sep tember ’ s c l a s s i cca r mee t , The Goodwood Rev i va l , where an u l t ra - ra reAs ton Mar t in DBSC fe l l unde r Bonhams’ hammer

Aston Martins don’t come much rarer than the exotic DBSC, a svelte andrakish two-seater with Superleggera bodywork designed by the celebratedItalian coachbuilder Carrozzeria Touring of Milan. Just two were made, one right-hand drive, the other left, and they were both used to wow thecrowds at the 1966 motorshows in Paris, London and Turin.

Based on a DB6 with a Vantage engine, five-speed manual gearbox anddramatically shortened chassis, the DBSC was designed to be lightweight,agile and fast, boasting a top speed well in excess of 150mph.

The right-hand drive example ended up in England where it was retainedby the HR Owen dealership for publicity purposes, during which time it wasallegedly test-driven by the rangy 1960s supermodel Twiggy before beingsold to a new owner in April 1969. So keen was he to acquire the DBSCthat he sold no fewer than six other cars in order to raise the £8,900 askingprice, which, at the time, made it one of the most expensive road cars in the world. With 8,000 demonstration miles on the clock, the car was nicely run-in and ready to provide a lifetime of service – but the buyer added just6,000 miles more before carefully locking it away in a barn where it remainedfor the following 36 years.

This year, however, the DBSC once more saw the light of day when itwas exhumed from the barn to appear as the star lot at Bonhams’ auctionduring September’s Goodwood Revival. Running perfectly and with itsDubonnet Rosso paintwork and tan pigskin upholstery in original condition,it eventually sold to a private buyer for £320,000.

After such a long period of hibernation, it’s sure to turn plenty of headsonce it’s rightly reinstated back on the road.

PRINTS CHARMING

Fans of the golden ‘DB era’ of Aston Martin can now buy a range ofphotographs, technical drawings and advertisements from the new HeritageArt collection. Works include individually numbered technical drawings of theDB4 and DB5 signed by former Chief Engineer Harold Beach, plus originalfactory publicity images. Particular favourites include two factory advertisementsfor the DB4 and DB5 from 1961 and 1964, while a superb colour photographtaken by Brian Joscelyne at the start of the 1959 Le Mans 24-Hours (pictured)shows the three Aston Martin DBR1s lined-up on the grid prior to the epic racein which they claimed first and second places. The Heritage Art range is limitedto editions of 25, 50 or 75 pieces depending on the work. All prints areindividually numbered, printed on specially selected archive-quality acid-freepaper and include a Certificate of Authenticity signed by Kingsley Riding-Felce,Director of Aston Martin Works Service and Parts Operations.

For availability and ordering information please contact +44 (0)1908 305530, or visit www.astonmartin.com/heritage

WORKS LIFE WORKS LIFE

75 YEARS OF AMOC

The As ton Mar t in Owner s C lub (AMOC) founde r Mor t imerMor r i s -Gooda l l , o r ‘Mor t ’ to h i s f r i ends , pu rchased h i s f i r s tAs ton in 1931 – an In te rna t iona l S26 . Under the gu idance o f AC Ber te l l i , the then-owner o f As ton Mar t in , Mor t waspe r suaded to buy ex - team ca r ‘LM7’ , i n wh ich he en te red Le Mans in 1933

It was during a race at Le Mans that Mort had a puncture and to his horror found that the hammer to remove the wheel was missing. Frantically gesturing to other drivers hispredicament, a driver of another Aston Martin on a following lap threw a hammer to Mort as he passed by. This immediately prompted Mort to think how wonderful it wouldbe to meet some of his fellow Aston Martin owners.

Mort discussed the idea with SCH ‘Sammy’ Davis – then Sports Editor of The Autocar,whose own association with the marque went back to 1922. Sammy agreed that an Aston Martin Owners Club would be a good idea, so inserted a note in The Autocar in May 1935, calling a meeting in the Grafton Hotel, Tottenham Court Road, London. The 20or 30 people who turned up on 25 May also agreed and elected a committee, whichincluded London garage-owner and Aston Martin racing specialist Lance Prideaux-Brune,Dick Anthony, Maurice Falkner, Harold Bevan, Miss Dorothy Bean and Peter Cadbury.

Almost three-quarters of a century later, the Club’s Membership currently stands at5,500, represented in 54 countries on 6 continents. To celebrate its 75-year anniversary the Club is putting together a very ambitious programme throughout the course of 2010,taking place in 10 countries. There is far too much to list here (see our Events Calendar,below, for a taster) but for full details please visit www.amoc.org and click on ‘75thAnniversary’. Why not join AMOC too, and be a part of our magnificent achievement? Justdownload your application form or call the Membership Secretary on +44 (0)1865 400400.

We look forward to meeting you at one of our 2010 events.

7 0

AMOC EVENTS

JANUARY–MAY 2010

13 January The Walter Hayes Lecture at The Royal Automobile Club (London, UK)

22 January Track day at Thunderhill Willows (CA, USA)

30 January Annual Awards Lunch at The Barn HQ (Oxfordshire, UK)

12–14 February 75th Anniversary Ice Meeting (Sylt, Germany)

15–20 February Toronto Motor Show display (ON, Canada)

19 February 75th Anniversary Tahoe Ski Trip (CA, USA)

12–14 March Race Retro at Stoneleigh Park (Warwickshire, UK)

8–11 April 75th Anniversary in Las Vegas (NV, USA)

10 April 75th Anniversary AGM (Oxfordshire, UK)

30 April–2 May 75th Anniversary Celebrations (Styria, Austria)

7–20 May 75th Anniversary Tour to Spain

9 May Race meeting at Mallory Park (Leicestershire, UK)

15 May 75th Anniversary Spring Drive (Canada)

16 May 75th Anniversary visit to Portsmouth (Hampshire, UK)

22 May Bonhams’ Aston Martin Auction (Bedfordshire, UK)

22 May 75th Anniversary International Dinner (Oxfordshire, UK)

23 May 75th Anniversary Spring Concours at Blenheim Palace (Oxfordshire, UK)

24 May 75th Anniversary Visit to Aston Martin Gaydon HQ (Warwickshire, UK)

25 May 75th Anniversary Founders’ Day Lunch at Grafton Hotel (London, UK)

25 May 75th Anniversary Ceremony of the Keysat the Tower (London, UK)

29 May 75th Anniversary Ball at Banqueting House (London, UK)

a c c e s s o r i e s

7 3I S S U E 1 0 / 0 9


7 2 I S S U E 1 0 / 0 9

An exc i t ing range o f new As ton Mar t in acces so r ie s i s cu r ren t l y be ing

ro l l ed ou t , enab l ing cus tomers to tweak the in te r io r and ex te r io r o f

the i r V8 Vantage , DB9 o r DBS to su i t the i r own ind i v idua l s t y l e

ELEMENTS OF STYLE


7 5I S S U E 1 0 / 0 9


7 4 I S S U E 1 0 / 0 9

PREVIOUS PAGE:The Lightweight Sports Packalloy wheels and N400 Side

Sills lend a muscular,purposeful stance to the

V8 Vantage.

RIGHT: The Bright-Polished6-bar Grille makes even

more of a feature ofAston Martin’s trademark

design element (alsoavailable in painted grey).

LEFT: Hand-crafted by amaster saddler with no lessthan 45 years’ experience,the Aston Martin Leather

Saddle provides twodetachable side bags,

two travel flasks, a bottleholder and two storage bagsdesigned for CDs, maps andguidebooks. It can be retro-

fitted to any V8 VantageCoupe or V12 Vantage(providing the Bang &

Olufsen BeoSound systemisn’t fitted), using the space

on top of the fuel tank.

The host of new accessories now available from Aston Martin’s Parts Operations facilitythrough your Aston Martin Dealer enable you to tailor both the interior and exterior of yourcar to suit your every taste. There’s something for every model – from V8 Vantage to DB9 toDBS – and each item has been styled by Aston Martin’s own Design Studio before beingdeveloped and tested to the same exacting standards as Aston Martin production parts, whichmeans fitting them will not invalidate your car’s warranty.

One of the most popular options is Aston Martin’s lightweight Sports Pack Wheel – a high-specification, forged five-spoke road wheel available in a range of distinctive designs. Originallydesigned for the DB9’s lower and stiffer Sports Pack dynamics package, and carried over tothat of the V8 Vantage, the wheels can now be fitted independently from these upgrades.

As can the ‘N400’ side sills – born out of 2007’s limited-edition precursor to the V8 VantageSports Pack, the N400 V8 Vantage, which commemorated the V8 Vantage N24 racecar’ssuccess in the Nürburgring 24-Hours. Giving the car a lower, meaner stance, the sills extendits profile and add a sweeping, aerodynamic form that works in perfect harmony with theoriginal Vantage design. They can be fitted to any Coupe or Roadster model.


7 7I S S U E 1 0 / 0 9


7 6 I S S U E 1 0 / 0 9

Two other exterior styling accessories proving popular with V8 Vantage owners are the carbon-fibre Front Splitter and Rear Diffuser, further complementing the elegant and purposeful stanceso typical of Aston Martin. Exclusively designed for fitment to V8 Vantage Coupe and Roadster,the Splitter and Diffuser encompass classic Aston Martin design cues and integrate perfectly withits low profile and muscular poise. The components are produced using hand-laid precisionlaminating techniques to ensure the direction, consistency and quality of the carbon-fibre weave.

The sleek aesthetic lent by carbon fibre can even be extended to your Aston Martin’s two sidestrakes – along with the trademark front grille, a signature element to the classic Aston Martin‘look’. Using the highest quality, race-bred materials, the lightweight weave can be admiredthrough a highly polished lacquer, perfectly complementing the mesh grille behind and providingthe perfect match to the Front Splitter and Rear Diffuser package.

ABOVE: The unique Microspin

Alloy facia trim, originally

designed for the limited edition

V8 Vantage N400, is now

available to fit to all V8

Vantage interior centrestacks

with or without satellite

navigation. Also pictured is the

Alcantara steering wheel, as

fitted standard to the V12

Vantage and now available

for all V8 Vantage and DB9

models, providing extra grip

when a spirited drive is in

order. It can also be specified

with steering wheel controls.

BELOW: The carbon-fibre

Rear Diffuser includes a new,

lower mesh grille that uses the

same hex pattern as seen on

the DBS and V12 Vantage.

Clear tail and high-mounted

stop lamps also lend a

contemporary, understated

look, first introduced with the

DBS. The new Technical Black

Sports Exhaust pipes can also

be seen here.


7 9I S S U E 1 0 / 0 9


7 8 I S S U E 1 0 / 0 9

But it’s not all cosmetic: unique Aston Martin-engineered Sports Exhaust systems for both DB9and V8 Vantage models are currently in development. The systems will comprise up-ratedmufflers, bespoke Technical Black tail trims and new engine calibration, which offers, modifiedbypass valve performance. These exhaust systems are road-legal in all territories and, as withany official Aston Martin accessory, will not invalidate your warranty.

Also available is the V8 Vantage Power Upgrade, which creates an even more potent versionof Aston Martin’s 4.3-litre engine. This is the only Aston Martin factory-approved powerupgrade, developed by Aston Martin’s own engineering team and features valved airboxesthat open at a higher rpm, allowing additional air into the engine. This in turn enables morepower to be produced. Peak power is raised by 20bhp to 400bhp while peak torque is alsoincreased by 10Nm to 420Nm.

The revised engine management system also enables the engine to take full advantage of thelatest high-octane fuels, providing a crisper throttle response and stronger performance feel.

TAKE A SEAT

One of the s implest and most popular ways to

personal ise your Aston Martin is with its seat.

After al l , the seat forms the most immediate

and int imate interaction between the driver and

the car i tself – the conduit by which the total

driving experience is felt , enjoyed and reacted

on. Now, thanks to the f lexible and, above al l ,

ski l led upholsterers and seamstresses instal led

at the Aston Martin Works Service faci l i ty in

Newport Pagnell , you can choose whatever

materials and motifs you’d l ike to be ensconced

within. Embroidered logos or pictures can even

be incorporated into the design, whether i t ’s

from a drawing, cutt ing or photograph.

The only l imits are set by your imagination.

Here’s just a selection of specially commissioned

seat designs made recently for four DBS owners.

Clockwise from top left : seat in Pacif ic Blue and

Iron Ore leather with embroidered crest to head

rest and logo embroidered in non-standard

colours; seat in white leather with heavy coarse

red st i tching and logo embroidered in ivory

stitching; seat in soft red leather with embroidered

gold crest and qui lted seat back panel and

cushion; seat in charcoal leather with printed

leather snakeskin pattern to seat back panel

and cushion.

BELOW: The lacquered black

weave of the carbon-fibre side

strake adds a racy aesthetic

to a classic Aston Martin

design element.

For more information, please contact your Aston Martin Dealer. Fitment of genuine Aston Martin Accessories does not

affect any Warranty on the vehicle.

For more information, please contact Aston Martin Works Service on

+44 (0)1908 216 439.

L e M a n s S e r i e s

With one eye on the glories of 1959, and after back-to-back Le Mans classwins in 2007 and 2008, Aston Martin Racing committed themselves to thegiant leap from GT1 to the LMP1 prototype ranks, and a full endurance-racing programme in Europe and Asia. Japan would be the final flourish (seepage 83), but as well as taking on the dominant diesel-powered Audis and Peugeots at Le Mans itself, the team would enter the nearest modern counterpart of that 1959 championship campaign, in the five-round Le Mans Series in Europe. With the stunning pale blue and orange coupes(powered by the production based 6.0-litre V12 which would take fourthoverall and be fastest petrol-powered car at Le Mans), they intended to win.

They didn’t wait for long, as 007 crew Stefan Mücke, Tomás̆ Enge and Jan Charouz gave the newly developed car first-time victory in Barcelona inApril, dramatically stealing the race from Pescarolo after hauling in thelong-time leader and nosing ahead within the dying laps of the six-hour,1,000km season opener. With Le Mans just 10 weeks and one more LMSrace away, Aston Martin Racing now knew the car’s potential, and TeamPrincipal George Howard-Chappell quietly mused, ‘It looks like it’s going tobe a hell of a season...’

It was. Le Mans eventually eluded them thanks to the still insuperable, rule-favoured might of the diesels, but in LMS, Aston Martin Racing foughtthe whole way, and ultimately came out on top.

At Spa in May, they came head-to-head for the first time with Le Mansfavourites Peugeot. While seeing the size of the mountain to be climbed,Mücke, Enge and Charouz stood on the podium again, after a more-than-usually troubled weekend. An engine change after qualifying cost them twoof the points earned the hard way with third place, but team mates DarrenTurner, Miguel Ramos and Harold Primat clawed four back for fifth place.

Round three, post Le Mans on the Algarve in early August, brought 007 athird consecutive podium, leading in the early stages, fighting deep into thenight, but denied a final charge at the winning Pescarolo after late-raceproblems. George’s pensive verdict this time, ‘It was all to play for...’

At the end of August at the Nürburgring, Aston Martin Racing, having ledevery lap of the 1,000km race with one car or another, scored a result thateven they probably didn’t expect: a dominant 1-2-3, led home again by 007,from Turner and Primat, with Miguel Ramos, Chris Buncombe and Stuart Hallin the third car. Just to rub it in, and give Aston Martin Racing a maximumpoints haul in the Series, Mücke added a final point for pole position.

So Enge, Mücke and Charouz, having been on the podium in every race andthe only crew to take two wins, went to the final round at Silverstone in September, comfortably (but not invincibly) leading the LMP1 fight. They weren’t going to let the title slip. Pragmatically staying with enviableconsistency rather than chasing even more speed, they completed thepodium clean-sweep with another third place, and took the drivers’ title by a clear margin, with Primat and Turner finishing fourth. Fifty years on, Aston Martin is champion again.

2 0 0 9 r o u n d - u p

8 1I S S U E 1 0 / 0 9

A S T O N M A R T I N R A C I N G

8 0 I S S U E 1 0 / 0 9

2009A SEASON TO REMEMBER

G T 1

With Aston Martin Racing elevated to prototypes, partner teams flew the GT flag in almost a dozen championships worldwide, from Europe to Japan,USA to Australia – beginning in the GT1 category where Aston MartinRacing had returned to racing in such spectacular fashion beforeswitching classes. At Le Mans, the Austrian Jetalliance team’s DBR9 wasthe only Aston Martin in the thinned-out GT1 ranks and they claimed thethird step of the podium. They had warmed up for Le Mans with a one-off LMS outing, but although theirs was clearly the quickest GT1 car atSpa, and started on class pole, it lost time to electrical problems and againhad to settle for third. At season’s end, the DBR9 that did appear in theGT1 title tables was Gigawave’s former FIA GT car driven by Peter Kox andRyan Sharp – having helped Kox take third in the drivers’ championship,by winning its only outing, in the final round at Silverstone. But GT1 reallywas a shadow of the days when Aston Martin Racing waged all-out warwith the mighty Corvettes.

G T 2

Aston Martin has the Vantage GT2 for attacking this category. DraysonRacing campaigned their Vantage GT2 on both sides of the Atlantic, atSebring, at Le Mans, and in the LMS, developing the car to runcompetitively on E85 biofuel and making a significant statement aboutsports-car racing’s ability to respect changing ecological pressures. Beyondthe Le Mans Series, GT2’s big showcase is the eight-round FIA GTChampionship, where French-based Hexis Racing made it to the secondstep of the podium at Oschersleben on only the second outing with theirVantage GT2 (in close co-operation with Aston Martin Racing) – but thenturned their full attention to the FIA GT3 series, where they had even moresuccess, right through to a fight for title success that went right down tothe final race.

In 2009, Aston Martin celebrated the 50th anniversary of winning the 24-Hours of Le Mans outright,and they certainly celebrated in style. Returning to the LMP1 prototype ranks with the Gulf-l iveried

coupe, Aston Martin Racing quickly found themselves in the winners’ circle with a dramatic Le MansSeries debut victory; by season’s end, the LMS title was the crowning glory. And as Aston Martin

Racing triumphed in the prototype class, its partner teams added further championship success acrossthe GT ranks. Brian Laban reports on a vintage racing year for Aston Martin

Dray son Rac ing campa igned on bo th s i de so f t he A t l an t i c , deve lop ing the Van tage

GT2 to run compe t i t i v e l y on E85 b io fue land mak ing a s t a t emen t abou t spo r t s - ca r

rac ing ’ s ab i l i t y t o r e spec t chang ingeco log i ca l p r e s su re s

a s i a n l e m a n s s e r i e s

8 3I S S U E 1 0 / 0 98 2 I S S U E 1 0 / 0 9

A S T O N M A R T I N R A C I N G

With two three-hour races at Okayama in Japan on 31 October and 1 November, the first Asian Le Mans Series dipped a toe in the water forwhat promises to be an extended Series in 2010, when it should also visitChina. For 2011, the ACO also sees racing in Asia as a key element for itsambitious Intercontinental Trophy, which will encompass rounds from allthe Le Mans Series – the LMS, American LMS and Asian LMS to make atruly global championship. And enthusiastically heading the list of 23 carscontesting the inaugural two-race Series, Aston Martin Racing would endthe season as they had started it in Europe in April, on top of the podium.

Alongside LMP1 rivals Audi Team Kolles, Team ORECA and SORA Racing/Pescarolo Sport, Aston Martin Racing were adamant that they could notmiss LMS’ first expansion into Asia, with Team Principal George Howard-Chappell welcoming it as, ‘A great initiative on the part of the ACO,’ addingthat, ‘the perspectives this will open in a year or two are extra motivationfor us... and as always, we’re aiming for the best possible result.’

In all, the new Series attracted 18 teams from 6 nationalities, from the UKto China, Germany to Japan, and the USA to France. Across the usual fourcategories – LMP1, LMP2, GT1 and GT2 – it attracted a dozen differentmarques and as at Le Mans in June, Aston Martin were represented in allbut LMP2 – with the Japanese Hitotsuyama Team Nova’s DBR9 in GT1 andTeam Hong Kong Racing’s V8 Vantage in GT2. Sharing weekend billingwith the penultimate rounds of the World Touring Car Championship, thetwo LMS races attracted large crowds and produced two outstandingbattles as each race went right to the wire.

In theory, Aston Martin Racing’s Gulf-liveried ‘007’ LMP1 car, developedfor the ultra-fast sweeps of Le Mans should have been some way out ofits comfort zone on the tight confines and relatively short straights of the3.7km Okayama circuit, but Stefan Mücke and Harold Primat laid downthe gauntlet in the opening race by fighting all the way with Le Mansrivals Pescarolo and ORECA, and actually leading for much of the way.But on this occasion the one thing missing was luck, as a late splash-and-dash fuel stop followed by another pit-call to remedy a front bodyworkproblem dropped 007 to a hard fought fourth with barely ten minutes ofthe race to run, as the Pescarolo and ORECA finished less than sevenseconds apart.

In the second race, Mücke and Primat’s race was almost faultless,powering through from fourth on the grid well within the first half hour,into a lead that it never lost – even with another splash-and-dash almostwithin sight of the flag. This time the winning margin was a full minute,from the race-one-winning Pescarolo, so the 007 crew of Mücke andPrimat occupied the top step of the podium just as the 007 crew ofMücke, Enge and Charouz had almost seven months before in Barcelona.As icing on Aston Martin’s Asian cake, the Hitotsuyama Team Nova DBR9of local heroes Akihiro Tsuzuki and Takeshi Tsuchiya took the GT1honours in the second race. It was a fitting way to end a special year.

BIG IN JAPANC r o w n i n g a n o t h e r g r e a t s e a s o n , e n d u r a n c e

r a c i n g s p r e a d i t s w i n g s a g a i n a s A C O ,

c u s t o d i a n s o f t h e L e M a n s b r a n d , f u l f i l l e d

t h e i r l o n g - h e l d a m b i t i o n o f a d d i n g A s i a t o

E u r o p e a n d A m e r i c a o n t h e L e M a n s S e r i e s

i t i n e r a r y. A s t o n M a r t i n R a c i n g w e r e t h e r e ,

a n d h o w …

G T 3

With their two DBRS9s, Hexis stayed close to the top of the FIA GT3Championship tables all the way through a 12-race campaign that startedat the Silverstone Tourist Trophy in May and ran to Zolder in late October.In a super-competitive season, GT3 could boast as many as 40 cars on thegrid from 11 manufacturers. Hexis took three superb victories and threemore podiums with both driver pairings of Thomas Accary and JulienRodrigues and Frédéric Makowiecki taking Hexis to the Zolder finalefighting for both Teams and Drivers championships. They topped theTeams with a convincing margin, but Accary and Rodrigues were pippedat the post for the Drivers crown – denying Hexis the double. GT3 wasalso the mainstay of the British GT Championship, where the DBRS9s ofthe Barwell-Beechdean Motorsport alliance flew the Aston Martin flagthrough the season, and what’s more, Italian team Villois Racing won theInternational Open GT GTS Teams Championship in their DBRS9s.

A R R I V E A N D D R I V E

When Aston Martin took a double class victory in this year’sNürburgring 24-Hours race, few realised that the GT4-class-winningV8 Vantage N24 was actually driven by a team of four talentedamateur racers taking part in a pilot scheme for the company’s‘Arrive and Drive’ customer race programme. For 2010, three carsnow offer even more customers the chance to realise their dreamof racing on the legendary circuit – including, for more experienceddrivers, the V12 Vantage that Aston Martin Chief Executive OfficerDr Ulrich Bez drove to class victory in this year’s 24-Hours race.

Test Centre Director Wolfgang Schuhbauer has been an integralpart of Aston Martin’s driving team at the Nürburgring since 2006and now oversees the customer programme: ‘We take care ofeverything for the customer – a perfectly prepared Vantage readyto compete in the GT4 class, all accommodation, catering,organisation and hospitality for friends and family. We can alsoprovide track training from beginner to expert level.’

For more information, please contact Susanne Engelhardt at the Aston Martin Nürburgring Test Centre on +49 2691 9385200 or [email protected]

G T 4

Aston Martin’s motor sport year began in January at the Autosport Showwith the announcement of the new Vantage GT4 Challenge, as part of theseven-venue Britcar GT Championship and open to all Vantage GT4s(including the seminal N24) – great racing cars, which already hadNürburgring and Britcar 24-Hours victories on their CV. Within days of theShow, Kent-based Phil Quaife had won the SP2 class at the Dubai 24-Hours race in DXB Racing’s Vantage GT4, taking 12th overall in a 75-car field. Debut privateer Nicholas Mee Racing’s two Vantage GT4s wonthe first round of the new Challenge at Silverstone in March; the sameteam that confirmed the inaugural title with second place in GT4 at theseason-closing Britcar at Silverstone in October. (One of the prizes is a testin the Vantage GT2, so watch this space). In the FIA GT4 European Cup,Michael Mallock took to the podium six times, winning two races andplacing R S Williams third in the championship. And how can we forget Aston Martin’s double victory at the Nürburgring 24-Hours, with twoVantage N24s topping the SP10 GT4 class and the V12 Vantage ‘Elwood’winning in SP8 – two great examples of the fruitful crossover betweenAston Martin’s road and race-car development programmes.

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MODEL RANGEPURE ASTON MARTIN

On TrackExperience driving your Aston Martin, together with other owners, at our

exclusive track days held on some of the world’s most famous race circuits.

On IceAston Martin will provide a full range of cars for an exclusive Ice Driving event

at the world renowned resort of St Moritz, Switzerland in February 2010.

On TourA luxury tour programme, designed exclusively for Aston Martin owners

to enjoy their cars on some of the most exhilarating driving roads in Europe and North America during 2010.

For further information on all Aston Martin driving experiences please refer to our website: www.astonmartindrivingexperiences.com

Pure Performance.Pure Driving Pleasure.

PURE ASTON MARTIN

A S T O N M A R T I N M O D E L R A N G E W I N T E R 2 0 0 9

R A P I D E

O N E - 7 7

D B 9 C O U P E

V 1 2 V A N TA G E

V 8 V A N TA G E R O A D S T E R

V 8 V A N TA G E

D B 9 V O L A N T E

D B S V O L A N T E

D B S C O U P E

Aston Martin Lagonda Limited

Banbury Road

Gaydon

Warwickshire, CV35 0DB

England

T: +44 (0)1926 644644

F: +44 (0)1926 644333

www.astonmartin.com

IMPORTANT NOTICE Aston Martin Lagonda Limited is

constantly seeking ways to improve the specification,

design and production of its products and alterations

take place continually. Whilst every effort is made

to produce up-to-date literature, the following

Model Range pages should not be regarded as an

infallible guide to current specifications, nor does it

constitute an offer for sale of any particular model.

The contents of this literature represent the Company’s

business as a whole. Text and photographs may relate

to models not available for sale in some countries.

V12 Vantage is not available in North American

markets. Performance results may vary depending on

the specification of the particular model, road and

environmental conditions and driving style.

Published figures should be used for comparison

purposes only and verification should not be

attempted on public roads. Aston Martin Lagonda

Limited strongly urges that all speed laws be obeyed

and that safety belts be worn at all times. Distributors

and dealers are not agents of Aston Martin Lagonda

Limited and have absolutely no authority to bind

Aston Martin Lagonda Limited by any express or

implied undertaking or representation.

PART NO: 704198

Launched th i s Sep tembe r , Rap ide i s t he wo r l d ’ s mos t e l egan t f ou r -doo r

spo r t s ca r. The Rap ide ex i s t s i n a c l a s s a l l o f i t s own – a s tunn ing

evo lu t i on o f A s ton Mar t i n ’ s unmi s t akab l e de s i gn l anguage ,

accommoda t i ng f ou r adu l t s i n l uxu r y and comfo r t w i th benchmark

l eve l s o f d r i ve r engagemen t and r e f i nemen t

r a p i d e

i i iI S S U E 1 0 / 0 9

A S T O N M A R T I N M O D E L R A N G E

i i I S S U E 1 0 / 0 9

PURE ASTON MART INRAPIDE The elegant Rapide, functional yet luxurious, provides space for up to four adults combined with an

engaging driving experience synonymous with all Aston Martins. As the marque’s first productionfour-door sports car, Rapide encapsulates core values of Power, Beauty and Soul; four ‘swan wing’doors provide access to cosseting sports seats both front and rear, bestowing occupants with ample accommodation.

Rapide’s rear environment has been intelligently packaged to create a space where passengers feel apart of the driving experience with clear views to the front and sides. Comfort and support is suppliedin the form of two hand trimmed individual seats and a personal heating and air conditioning system.Aiding the practicalities of everyday use, a 317-litre luggage compartment affords generous space forbelongings for all four occupants whether they are sports bags or, indeed, sets of skis, creating anAston Martin which can be enjoyed on any occasion, anytime, anywhere.

As Chief Executive Officer, Dr Ulrich Bez said: ‘With Rapide, the entire family can enjoy their Aston Martin together in unison, in an invigorating yet comfortable environment, sitting low, withplenty of visibility from every seat and with new levels of comfort, refinement and entertainment.’

[ r a p i d e ]

Rapide’s four ‘swan wing’doors provide access tocosseting sports seats bothfront and rear, swingingupwards to facilitate access.

r a p i d e

v


i v

BODY

• Four-door body style with tailgate

and 4 individual seats

• Extruded bonded aluminium VH

body structure

• Aluminium, magnesium alloy and

composite body

• Extruded aluminium door side

impact beams

• Single bi-xenon headlamps with

integrated LED side lights and

direction indicators

• LED rear lamps and side repeaters

ENGINE

• All-alloy quad overhead camshaft,

48-valve 5935 cc V12

• Front mid-mounted engine,

rear-wheel drive

• Fully catalysed stainless steel exhaust

system with active bypass valves

• Compression ratio 10.9:1

• Max Power 350 kW

(470 bhp/477 PS) at 6000 rpm

• Max Torque 600 Nm

(443 lb.ft) at 5000 rpm

• Acceleration 0–60 mph in

5.1 seconds; 0–100 km/h

(62 mph) in 5.3 seconds predicted

• Max Speed

303 km/h (188 mph) predicted

TRANSMISSION

• Rear mid-mounted ‘Touchtronic 2’

six-speed gearbox with electronic

shift-by-wire control system

• Alloy torque tube with carbon fibre

propeller shaft

• Limited slip differential

• Final drive ratio – 3.46:1

STEERING

• Rack and pinion, Servotronic speed-

sensitive power-assisted steering,

3.0 turns lock-to-lock

• Column tilt and reach adjustment

WHEELS & TYRES

• 20” alloy wheels

• Front Bridgestone Potenza

245/40 R20

• Rear Bridgestone Potenza

295/35 R20

SUSPENSION

• Front Independent double wishbone

incorporating anti-dive geometry, coil

springs, anti-roll bar and monotube

adaptive dampers

• Rear Independent double wishbones

with anti-squat and anti-lift

geometry, coil springs, anti-roll bar

and monotube adaptive dampers

• Adaptive Damping System (ADS)

BRAKES

• Front Dual-cast brake discs, 390mm

diameter with six-piston calipers

• Rear Dual-cast brake discs, 360mm

diameter with four-piston calipers

• Dynamic Stability Control (DSC)

• Anti-lock braking system (ABS)

• Electronic Brakeforce Distribution

(EBD)

• Emergency Brake Assist (EBA)

• Traction Control

• Hydraulic Brake Assist (HBA)

• Positive Torque Control (PTC)

• Electronic Park Brake (EPB)

INTERIOR

• Full grain leather interior

• Walnut facia trim

• Iridium Silver centre console outer

finish and Graphite inner finish

• Auto-dimming interior

rear-view mirror

• Auto-dimming interior rear-view

mirror with garage door opener

(USA and Canada only)1

• Electrically operated front seats

• Memory front seats and exterior

mirrors (three positions)

• Dual-stage driver and passenger

front airbags

• Front occupant side airbags

• Head protection airbags for front

and rear occupants

• Heated front and rear seats

• Heated rear screen

• Automatic front and rear

temperature control

• Organic Electroluminescent

(OEL) displays

• LED map lamps and ambient lighting

• Trip computer

• Cruise control

• Hard Disk Drive (HDD) satellite

navigation system1,2

• Bluetooth telephone preparation1

• Satellite radio system (USA only)

• Powerfold exterior mirrors

• Front and rear parking sensors

• Tyre pressure monitoring1

• Alarm and immobiliser

• Remote-control central door locking

and boot release

• Tracking device (UK only)4

• Boot-mounted umbrella

IN-CAR ENTERTAINMENT

• 1000 W Bang & Olufsen BeoSound

audio system with

ICEpower® technology

• Integrated Apple iPod® connector

• USB connector with Waveform Audio

Format (WAF), Windows Media

Player (WMA) and MPEG (MP3)

audio file compatibility

• 3.5 mm auxiliary input socket

OPTIONS

• Cooled front and rear seats

• Twin-screen rear-seat entertainment

system with 6-disc DVD player,

auxiliary input, wireless headphones

and remote control

• Alternative facia trim finishes:

Mahogany, Piano Black, Bamboo,

Tamo Ash, Nexus Alloy

• Matching wood door trim

• Colour-keyed steering wheel

• Second glass key

• Magnum Silver rear lamp infills

• Delete model badging

• Delete protective tape

• 20” alloy wheels with Graphite finish

• Alternative brake caliper finish –

black, red, silver

• Embroidered ‘Rapide’ seat logo

• Personalised sill plaques

• Auto-dimming interior rear view


(Europe only)

• Alarm upgrade

(volumetric and tilt sensor)

• Tracking device1,3

• First aid kit

• Ashtray and cigar lighter

DIMENSIONS

• Length 5019 mm (197.6”)

• Width 1929 mm

(75.9”) excluding mirrors;

2140 mm (84.3”) including mirrors

• Height 1360 mm (53.5”)

• Wheelbase 2989 mm (117.7”)

• Front track 1589 mm (62.6”)

• Rear track 1613 mm (63.5”)

• Fuel capacity 90.5 litres

• Kerb weight 1950 kg

(4299 lb) predicted

T E C H N I C A L S P E C I F I C A T I O N

R a p i d e

Whethe r you a re d r i v i ng sw i f t l y t o a b l ack t i e even t w i th f r i ends o r l eav ing the c i t y f o r a f am i l yweekend by the coas t , t he Rap ide i s t he so lu t i on – a spo r t s ca r w i th ab i l i t y , b r i ng ing more peop leto the power , s en sa t i on s , and p l ea su re tha t on l y an As ton Mar t i n can de l i ve r

DESIGNInstantly recognisable as an Aston Martin, the Rapide assumesits extra doors gracefully to visually remain every bit a sportingcoupe as its sister models. Rapide’s low roofline combinedwith uniquely styled 20” wheels contribute to its sportingstance, and the iconic side strake is elongated to meet therear doors. Echoing the beauty of the exterior, Rapide’sinterior welcomes all occupants to an exquisitely hand craftedand spacious cabin. Two individually appointed sports seatsform the rear environment of the Rapide, from whichpassengers can benefit from the optional rear entertainmentsystem: two LCD screens integrated into the back of the frontheadrests. Aiding the practicalities of everyday use, the rearseats fold at the touch of a button to create a flat loadingspace, increasing the luggage compartment from 317 litres to 886 litres.

PERFORMANCEThe Rapide is a sports car – a thoroughbred that can beenjoyed by four people in unison. The front mid-mounted 6.0 litre V12 engine produces 470 bhp and a resultant 0-60 mph time of 5.1 seconds. Despite its extra versatility, the Rapide’s low roofline, and therefore low centre of gravity,makes it feel like an agile coupe. Despite the Rapide being290 mm longer than the DB9, it was a key objective tomaximise the structural rigidity accounting for the increasedlength in wheelbase. Subsequently, the Rapide’s structure would require 28,000 Nm of force to be twisted through 1 degree. This torsional rigidity is a key element in deliveringthe car’s excellent dynamic. The standard six-speedTouchtronic 2 automatic transmission has been calibrated to ensure that the additional weight of Rapide has had aminimal impact on fuel economy, emissions and performance.Along with ‘Park’, ‘Reverse’, ‘Neutral’ and ‘Drive’ modes, thesystem also includes a ‘Sport’ mode, which engages a moreaggressive gear-shift strategy as gear changes feel sharper and more forceful, engine speed matching on downshifts is more aggressive and in full automatic mode, upshifts occur at higher speeds.

CONTROLWith the six-speed Touchtronic 2 automatic gearbox mounted to the rear of the car on the transaxle, the Rapide’sweight balance is near perfect at: 51:49, contributing to itsoutstanding dynamics. This provides the driver with anengaging drive on demanding roads, and a refined, relaxedand effortless drive on motorways and main roads. For thefirst time on an Aston Martin, Rapide features a dual-castbrake system. The brake discs are made from two materials,cast iron and aluminium, taking advantage of the former’sheat resistance and latter’s weight-saving properties,bestowing greater braking performance, reduced corrosion,and less wear.

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1 Not available in all markets

2 Includes Traffic Messaging Channel (TMC)

in Continental Europe

3 Complies with UK Thatcham Category 5

requirements. Excludes subscription.

Standard in UK

4 iPod® is a trademark of Apple Inc.,

registered in the US and other countries

Aston Martin’s design teampaid special attention tocreating a rear passengerspace that is cosseting, giving both passengers anequally sporting feel to thatof the driver while providingas much forward and sidevisibility as possible.

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Seduc t i ve l y powe r fu l and exqu i s i t e l y f i n i shed ,

the As ton Mar t i n DBS i s t he u l t ima te b l end o f

r e f i ned pe r fo rmance and m in ima l i s t l u xu r y

Completing the DBS line-up, the new Volante will afford customers the combination of the DBS’s already-established benchmark sports carcharacteristics with all the thrills of open-air motoring. Broadening theDBS’s character, the DBS Volante will appeal to drivers who wish tocombine the excitement of driving a finely tuned sports car with theinvigorating feeling of being open to the elements. This juxtaposition of ultimate performance and openness stirs the senses on any drivewhether an exhilarating jaunt on favoured roads or cruising on lengthyjourneys. ‘Volante’, meaning ‘moving with light rapidity’ or ‘flying’,perfectly defines the performance potential and the dynamiccharacteristics of the DBS Volante.

Aston Martin’s 16th convertible in 95 years, the DBS Volante draws onthe marque’s extensive experience in designing iconic ‘Volantes’ and is a 2+2 featuring two occasional rear seats, ideal for young people orextra luggage. When the roof is closed, it provides a warm comfortableambience and when open, it neatly disappears behind the sculptedtonneau cover at the touch of a button. Either way, the DBS Volantedelivers the ultimate driving experience with the hood up or down.

Aston Martin engineers opted for a fabric hood to closely follow thesilhouette of the DBS Coupe and due to its lightweight properties,minimise overall weight gain. Fully retractable in only 14 seconds, it stows at speeds up to 48 km/h (30 mph).

DBS

[ d b s c o u p e ] [ d b s v o l a n t e ]

Truly great luxury sports cars are rare. In a world often diminished bymediocrity, genuine design innovation and engineering accomplishment are available only to the discerning few. With its race-car roots and luxuryappointments, the Aston Martin DBS is just such a car. One of the mostpotent production Aston Martins ever made, the DBS represents thesynthesis of raw power, race-bred technology and design excellence.Powered by a hand-built V12 engine producing 380 kW (510 bhp/517 PS),it delivers breathtaking power and performance.

Like a well-toned athlete in a figure-hugging suit, the aluminium and carbon-fibre bodywork of the DBS is a tight wrapping on the muscle that lies beneath, expressed in the taut lines and heavily sculpted flanks.Every flowing line, crease and curve conveys the enormous potential of the DBS, honed to create an exhilarating driving experience: taut,dynamic and monumentally fast, but always highly controlled. Usingtechnology developed in competition, the DBS is a direct descendant ofthe DBR9 – a thoroughbred race car that has won many of the world’sgreatest GT endurance race titles, most notably back-to-back GT1 classhonours at the coveted Le Mans 24-Hours in 2007 and 2008. Carbonceramic brakes and adaptive suspension that adjust to virtually everysituation ensure that the DBS is perfectly at home in the city, on theopen road or on the track. Representing the height of Aston Martin’stechnological abilities in car design, it is an open invitation to drive: the supreme temptation.


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v i i i

Outs tand ing power w i th sup reme con t ro l : A s ton Mar t i n i n t r oduces i t s u l t ima te l uxu r y spo r t s ca r ,t he As ton Mar t i n DBS . One o f t he mos t po ten t p roduc t i on As ton Mar t i n s eve r made , t he DBSrep re sen t s t he s yn the s i s o f raw power , race -b red t echno logy and de s i gn exce l l ence

[ d b s c o u p e ]

PERFORMANCEThe DBS was developed as the ultimate expression of Aston Martin’s engineering and technical ability. The needfor high-performance stability, handling ability and low kerbweight defined the car’s form and construction. The DBS isthe first production Aston Martin to make extensive use ofultra-light carbon-fibre body panels. Each panel has beencarefully sculpted to direct the airflow around the car, intothe engine and to help cool the braking system; the DBSbodywork is a harmonious composition of flowing,muscular forms. The 6.0-litre V12 engine is the heart ofthe DBS.

The DBR9 and DBRS9 race cars are powered by anenhanced version of this same V12, tuned to produce in excess of 600 bhp. A number of power-increasingenhancements include a ‘by-pass’ engine air intake portthat opens above 5500 rpm to allow more air into theengine, and re-profiled air inlet ports that further improveairflow into the combustion chamber. Combined with a compression ratio of 10.9:1, the result of theseenhancements is prodigious power and torque: the DBSdelivers 380 kW (510 bhp/517 PS) at 6500 rpm.

CONTROLAs with the DB9 and DBR race cars, the Aston Martin DBSbenefits from the inherent characteristics of the VH platformarchitecture. In order to take full advantage of this extremelyprecise and rigid bonded-aluminium platform, the DBSemploys a new and sophisticated Adaptive Damping System(ADS) which uses two separate valves to set the dampers to five different positions, instantly altering the suspensionsettings to ensure the driver has high levels of control across different driving conditions. The damper settings aredetermined by an electronic control unit, which takes sensorreadings from the car’s systems, including throttle position,brake position, steering wheel rotation and car speed.

The ADS perfectly captures the car’s sporting character and fittingly a designated Track mode automatically sets alldampers to their firmest positions, making it ideal for circuitdriving. The DBS is fitted with Pirelli P-Zero tyres that havebeen developed especially for the car, along with new 20”lightweight alloy wheels. The DBS has a revised DynamicStability Control (DSC) system, designed to help maintainmaximum traction in challenging driving conditions. In default operation, the DSC is automatically on. Selectand press the button for two seconds and DSC Track modeis engaged, raising the threshold at which the systemintervenes to allow the experienced driver to explore thecar’s limits. Hold the button for four seconds and DSC isdisengaged entirely.

EXTERIOR DESIGNThe DBS is both a technological masterpiece and apowerful visual and tactile experience, inside and out. The DBS is the culmination of the DB bloodline, a synthesisof race-bred technology and road-going practicality thatcan be traced back to the iconic DB2, DB3S and DB4GT,and is continued today with the DBR9 and DBRS9 race cars.The DBS’s powerful, flowing form fuses the visual languageof the DBR9 GT1 race car with the innate elegance of the DB series. Lower and tauter than other Aston Martinproduction models, the DBS has subtly flared wheel archesaccommodating standard 20” diameter wheels and tyres,which give the car a muscular and athletic stance. Theexternal detailing reflects the power and dynamic abilitiesof the DBS, with revised inlets and enlarged grilles thatincrease its cooling capacity. Two additional vents in theenlarged power bulge on the carbon-fibre bonnet improveengine performance and efficiency, while a carbon-fibresplitter and a new front bumper help channel airflowaround the car’s wider bodywork.

INTERIOR DESIGNThe interior of the DBS represents the epitome of Aston Martin’s commitment to using materials honestly,without disguise or embellishment. Lightweight materialsare used throughout to save weight: door pulls are madefrom carbon fibre, for example. In addition, the DBS specialcolour and trim range includes carpet woven with lighterfibres to save valuable kilograms and special semi-anilineleather, which not only saves weight, but also gives a softfeel and distinctive aroma. Starting the DBS is pure theatre:the ignition ECU (Emotion Control Unit) has evolved into a machined and highly tactile polished glass ECU,incorporating a stainless steel inner case. To operate thecar, the glass ECU is inserted into a special docking stationin Aston Martin’s signature dashboard-mounted EngineStart button, glowing red to indicate when the car is ready to start. The engine roars to life when the ECU ispressed flush. After pressing to stop the engine, the ECUautomatically motors out of the dashboard for removal.

The as-standard 1000 W Bang & Olufsen BeoSound DBSsound system has been exclusively developed for the DBSto provide outstanding sound quality. A slot for the six-CDautochanger is located at the top of the console, whileunderneath the centre armrest there is inbuilt connectivityfor an Apple iPod® or other MP3 device. Full Bluetoothintegration is standard on the DBS, enabling you tosynchronise your mobile telephone directory through thecar’s display screens.

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The design of the DBSconveys the car’s enormouspotential, with a seductiveflow that incorporatesaggressive detailing and a powerful stance. Like a well-toned athlete in afigure-hugging suit, thebodywork of the DBS is a tight wrapping on the muscle that lies beneath.

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Fus ing the th r i l l s and f r eedom o f open - top mo to r i ng w i th the u l t ima te l uxu r y spo r t s ca r – the DBS Vo lan te ’ s c l a s s - l ead ing hand l i ng and to r s i ona l s t r eng th means th i s i s a ca r a s much a t home i n the c i t y a s on coun t r y r oads

[ d b s v o l a n t e ]

BODY

• Two-door coupe body style with

2+0 seating or convertible with

2+2 seating

• Bonded aluminium VH structure

• Aluminium, magnesium alloy and

carbon-fibre composite body

• Extruded aluminium door

side-impact beams

• High Intensity Discharge headlamps

(dipped beam)

• Halogen projector headlamps

(main beam)

• LED rear lamps and side repeaters

ENGINE

• All-alloy, quad overhead camshaft,

48-valve, 5935 cc V12



rear-wheel drive



• Max power 380 kW

(510 bhp/517 PS) at 6500 rpm

• Max torque 570 Nm (420 lb.ft)

at 5750 rpm

• Acceleration 0–100 km/h

(62 mph) in 4.3 sec

• Max speed (manual)

307 km/h (191 mph)

• Max speed (Touchtronic 2)

295 km/h (183 mph)

TRANSMISSION

• Rear mid-mounted, six-speed

manual gearbox

• Rear mid-mounted ‘Touchtronic 2’



• Alloy torque tube with carbon-fibre

propeller shaft

• Limited-slip differential

• Final drive ratio – manual 3.71:1

• Final drive ratio – automatic 3.46:1

STEERING





WHEELS & TYRES

• Front 8.5” x 20” Pirelli P Zero 245/35

• Rear 11” x 20” Pirelli P Zero 295/30

SUSPENSION

• Front Independent double wishbones

incorporating anti-dive geometry, coil

springs, anti-roll bar and monotube

adaptive dampers




and monotube adaptive dampers

• Adaptive Damping System (ADS) with

Track mode

BRAKES

• Front Ventilated carbon ceramic

discs, 398 mm diameter with

six-piston calipers

• Rear Ventilated carbon ceramic

discs, 360 mm diameter with

four-piston calipers


with Track mode

• Anti-lock Braking System (ABS)


(EBD)


• Traction control

INTERIOR

• Semi-aniline leather and Alcantara

interior (Coupe)

• Full grain leather interior (Volante)

• Matrix alloy facia trim and Iridium

Silver centre console surround

• Carbon-fibre door trims and

door pulls



(USA and Canada only)

• Electrically adjustable seats

• Memory seats and exterior mirrors

(three positions)

• Dual-stage driver/passenger

front airbags

• Side airbags (sports seats only)

• Automatically deployed roll-over

bars (Volante)

• Heated seats (sports seats only)


• Automatic temperature control


(OEL) displays

• Trip computer

• LED map lights

• Cruise control


navigation1,2



• Front and rear parking sensors

• Tyre-pressure monitoring1



and boot release

• Wind deflector (Volante only)

• Tracking device3 (UK only)



• Bang & Olufsen BeoSound DBS

Audio System with 1000 W RMS of

ICEpower®4 amplification

• Integrated Apple iPod® connector5

• USB connector with Waveform

Audio Format (WAF),

Windows Media Player (WMA)

and MPEG (MP3) audio file

compatibility


OPTIONS

• 20” alloy wheels – 20-spoke with

a Graphite painted finish

• 20” alloy wheels – 10-spoke

diamond turned


diamond-turned with a Graphite

painted finish

• Pirelli PZero Corsa sports tyres


• Piano Black facia trim and centre

console surround


• Leather storage saddle6


• Polished alloy tread plates


mirror1



(Europe only)

• Alarm upgrade (volumetric and

tilt sensors)


• First-aid kit


• Lightweight seats (Coupe only)5

• 2+2 seating configuration

(Coupe only)

• Alcantara steering wheel

(Coupe only)

DIMENSIONS

• Length 4721 mm (185.9”)

• Width 1905 mm (75”) excluding

door mirrors; 2060 mm (81.1”)

including door mirrors

• Height 1280 mm (50.4”)

• Wheelbase 2740 mm (107.9”)

• Fuel tank capacity 78 litres

(17.2 UK gal/20.5 US gal)

• Weight (Coupe) 1695 kg (3737 lb);

(Volante) 1810 kg (3990 lb)

FUEL CONSUMPTION – Manual7

Litres/100 km (mpg)

• Urban 24.3 (11.6)

• Extra-urban 11.7 (24.1)

• Combined 16.4 (17.3)

FUEL CONSUMPTION – Automatic7

Litres/100 km (mpg)

• Urban 24.2 (11.7)


• Combined 15.5 (18.2)

GAS MILEAGE (North America only)

Manual

• City 11 mpg

• Highway 17 mpg


Automatic

• City 12 mpg

• Highway 18 mpg

CO2 EMISSIONS

• 388 g/km7 – manual

• 367 g/km7 – automatic


2 Includes Traffic Messaging Channel (TMC)

in Continental Europe



Standard in UK

4 ICEpower® is a proprietary technology of

Bang & Olufsen

5 iPod® is a trademark of Apple Inc., registered

in the US and other countries

6 Not available with 2+2 seating configuration

or for Volante

7 Data not applicable to North American market


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The DBS represents thepinnacle of race-bredperformance combined withhand-crafted elegance and ahand-trimmed interior featuringthe latest technology, peerlessergonomics and supremelyfinished materials. From theunique profile of the polishedalloy gear knob to the highlyengineered packaging of the6.0-litre V12 engine, no aspectof the car is overlooked.

The As ton Mar t i n DB9 i s t he qu in te s sen t i a l spo r t i ng g rand

tou re r – a tho roughb red pe r fo rmance ca r t ha t comb ine s t r ue

beau t y w i th f unc t i ona l i t y. Whe the r i n Coupe o r Vo l an te f o rm ,

i t o f f e r s a sup reme comb ina t i on o f d r i ve r i n vo l vemen t ,

cha rac te r , l u xu r y and r e f i nemen t

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d b 9

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DB9The Aston Martin DB9 is a thoroughbred sports car with GT levels of comfort and refinement. Combining Aston Martin’s unique character with an uncompromising design philosophy, the DB9 was borne out of a synthesis of traditional craftsmanship, high-tech manufacturing,modern components and use of the finest materials. The DB9 is both a full-blooded sports car and a hugely capable grand tourer. Beautifullystyled, the DB9 never fails to stir the soul with its unique sound, powerand performance. This purebred sports car is also a technical triumph,its beauty signifying aerodynamic efficiency, its power unencumbered byweight, its devastating straight-line performance paired with exquisitehandling. All great sports cars strive to balance these qualities, and theDB9 creates an experience that is both unique and unforgettable.

What the driver sees, hears and feels is in harmony. The reward is totalinvolvement: a level of engagement that truly stimulates the senses, thatre-ignites a passion for driving. But an Aston Martin is also about luxury,indulgence and enjoyment – it is a feast for the senses. Sure enough,the magnificent exterior styling of the DB9 gives way to a sumptuous,comprehensively equipped cabin, trimmed in the finest materials. Everyelement is perfectly conceived, from the 6.0-litre V12 engine to thehand-stitched seats and carefully selected interior woods. Nothing is outof place.

Above all, the DB9 encapsulates the qualities embodied in every AstonMartin: power, beauty and soul.

The Volante adds another dimension to the DB9: the open air. The Volante’s sleek lines are made possible by sophisticated design and engineering, resulting in an open-topped car with a clean, flowingprofile. Swift and invigorating to drive, the Volante is effortless andseductive. The DB9 is entirely in its element on the open road, providingan inspirational experience for both driver and passenger alike. Elegance,craftsmanship and the roar of its V12 engine are brought together in oneemotional package, an object of desire that never fails to stir the soul.As with all Aston Martins, balance and beauty are critical.

The DB9 Volante is perfectly proportioned from every angle, roof up or down. The convertible top retracts at the single push of a button and swiftly stows beneath a hard tonneau cover that closes flush withthe rear bodywork, leaving the lines of the car flowing and unbroken. A layer of Thinsulate® material insulates the cabin from both noise andthe elements when the roof is up, and optimises headroom for thedriver and front passenger. There is also no loss of practicality – thefolding fabric roof is compact when stowed, allowing the DB9 Volanteto retain its rear seats and luggage space.

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PERFORMANCEThe DB9’s powerful yet refined all-aluminium 6.0-litre V12produces 350 kW (470 bhp) and 600 Nm (443 lb.ft) oftorque, giving a top speed up to 306 km/h (190 mph) and accelerating 0–100 km/h (62 mph) in 4.8 seconds. But despite these impressive figures and the instant throttleresponse, the DB9 can also relax. Eighty per cent of theV12 engine’s torque is available from as little as 1500 rpm,while enormous mid-range performance provides instantovertaking power almost regardless of engine speed, or gear. Aston Martins have always sounded like truethoroughbreds and the DB9 is no exception: the 6.0-litreV12 has been described as one of the finest-soundingengines in production: an exhilarating roar whenaccelerating; a growl when cruising. The DB9 offers achoice of two rear mid-mounted transmissions, bothallowing superb interaction with the car. The six-speed‘Touchtronic 2’ fully automatic transmission uses shift-by-wire technology and replaces the gear lever withdashboard-mounted buttons to select Park, Reverse,Neutral and Drive modes. If preferred, magnesium alloypaddles enable instant, F1-style gear changes. Unlike manyother sports GTs, the DB9 also offers a six-speed manualtransmission, featuring a conventional gear change andhigh-capacity, twin-plate clutch.

DESIGNFrom the new front grille through to the curvaceous rear haunches, the DB9 is a contemporary design icon.Every surface and component is carefully detailed usingultra-modern materials with a combination of high-technology manufacturing and traditional craft skills. Right down to the hand-enamelled Aston Martin badge,true craftsmanship is always in evidence. The DB9’s sideprofile is clean and distinctive, with a single-sweep rooflinethat flows through to a distinctive tail. Key Aston Martin

design elements include the distinctive grille, metal sidestrakes, signature rear window shape and wide, curvaceoushaunches. Good design, however, is not just about form; it is also about function. Therefore, the DB9 needs to beaerodynamically efficient – even the exhaust silencer isaerodynamically shaped to help achieve this.

CONTROLTo achieve the low weight required for a great sports car, all the DB9’s major body and mechanical components aremade from aluminium, magnesium alloy or advanced,lightweight, composite materials. The front-to-rear weightdistribution of the DB9 is a perfect 50:50, with 85 per centof the car’s mass sited between the front and rear axles.The DB9 cabin is focused on the driver, who sits as low andas close as possible to the car’s centre of gravity. Combinedwith the rigid body structure and all-aluminium, doublewishbone suspension, the result is unfiltered feedback of the car’s dynamic behaviour. This unparalleled two-waycommunication – car to driver, driver to car – is at the verycore of the DB9’s design philosophy. What’s more, the newPremium Sports Pack option available for both the Coupeand Volante features an Adaptive Damping System (ADS),whose central ECU takes readings from various sensors todetermine the car’s dynamic conditions and subsequentlyset the dampers to their most appropriate stiffness. In‘Normal’ mode, the ADS continually stiffens the dampersaway from their softest positions when required; in ‘Sport’ mode, the ADS automatically softens them awayfrom their maximum stiffness to optimise the car’s control.

ENGINEERING Aston Martin has developed its own incredibly light andstrong aerospace-specification bonded aluminium structure. This unique VH (Vertical Horizontal) structure gives the DB9

one of the most structurally efficient body frames in the

car industry. Its huge rigidity aids handling, driver feedbackand safety. More than any other single component, theadvanced aluminium structure is the reason for the DB9’sextraordinary nimbleness, responsiveness and character. The DB9 also pioneered the use of ‘ultrasonic’ welding,which is 90 per cent stronger than conventional spotwelding and results in a better finish, yet uses only five per cent of the energy. However, it is not just the bodystructure that is light and rigid. Other components havebeen developed with weight reduction in mind, from thealuminium V12 engine and transmission to the forgedaluminium suspension and aluminium-bodied dampers.

CRAFTSMANSHIPThe DB9 was the first Aston Martin to be produced at thecompany’s factory at Gaydon in Warwickshire. Hand-built by technicians and craftsmen at a series of work stations, itbenefits from the superior levels of finish and exclusive designdetails that would be impossible in a mass-produced car. The paintwork of each DB9 undergoes 50 man-hours ofpainting, polishing and finishing to achieve the perfectsurface. Inside, the DB9 is elegant, luxurious and supremelycomfortable. Every element of the interior is hand-made andhand-finished, from the cutting of the leather to the carefullycrafted wood. This is done not out of deference to tradition,but because a skilled craftsman can finish wood or leather toa far higher standard than any machine. The wood trims areinspired by hand-finished modern furniture and there is achoice of five: Walnut, Mahogany, Bamboo, Tamo Ash andPiano Black. Aston Martins are hand-built cars, made toorder, and this bespoke approach enables the provision ofany combination of paint and leather trim colours.

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Comb in ing e f f o r t l e s s t ou r i ng ab i l i t y w i th spo r t s - ca r p rec i s i on and ag i l i t y , t he DB9 i s t he ep i t omeo f d ynamic beau t y. Techn i ca l pe r f ec t i on i s swa thed i n e l egan t bodywork , w i th l i ne s t ha t a r e f l u i dand mode rn ye t c l a s s i c and , above a l l , t yp i ca l l y A s ton Mar t i n

Even when standing still, the DB9 conveys poise andgrace, power and strength.Here, these qualities are allemphasised by the lowerstance and 5-spoke alloywheels of the PremiumSports Pack.

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BODY

• Two-door coupe or convertible body

style with 2+2 seating

• Extruded aluminium bonded VH

body structure

• Aluminium and composite body panels


side-impact beams

• High Intensity Discharge (HID) headlamps

(dipped beam)


(main beam) with power wash

• LED rear lamps

ENGINE


48-valve, 5935 cc V12


rear-wheel drive




• Max power 350 kW (470 bhp/477 PS)

at 6000 rpm


at 5000 rpm

• Acceleration – manual and automatic

0–60 mph in 4.6 sec; 0–100 km/h

(62 mph) in 4.8 sec

• Max speed 306 km/h (190 mph)

TRANSMISSION


manual gearbox

• Rear mid-mounted, ‘Touchtronic 2’




propeller shaft


• Final drive ratio – manual 3.54:1

• Final drive ratio – automatic 3.154:1

STEERING





WHEELS & TYRES

• 19” alloy wheels – 10-spoke design

• Front 8.5J x 19” Bridgestone Potenza

235/40 ZR19

• Rear 9.5J x 19” Bridgestone Potenza

275/35 ZR19

SUSPENSION

• Front Independent aluminium double

wishbones incorporating anti-dive

geometry, coil over aluminium monotube

dampers and anti-roll bar

• Rear Independent aluminium double

wishbones incorporating anti-squat and

anti-lift geometry, coil over aluminium

monotube dampers and anti-roll bar

BRAKES

• Front Ventilated and grooved steel discs,

355 mm diameter

• Rear Ventilated and grooved steel discs,

330 mm diameter

• Radial-mounted four-piston

monobloc calipers



• Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD)


• Traction control

INTERIOR


• Walnut facia trim

• Iridium Silver centre console outer finish

and Graphite inner finish

• Auto-dimming interior rear-view mirror1

• Auto-dimming interior rear-view mirror

with garage door opener (USA and

Canada only)

• Electrically operated seats


(three positions)

• Dual-stage driver and front passenger

frontal airbags

• Front occupant side airbags

• Automatically deployed roll-over bars

(Volante)

• Heated front seats



• Organic Electroluminescent (OEL) displays

• LED map lamps and ambient lighting

• Trip computer

• Cruise control


navigation1,2




• Rear parking sensors




and boot release

• Wind deflector (Volante only)

• Tracking device3 (UK only)


• Lamy pen and pen holder (manual only)


• Aston Martin 700 W Premium Audio

System with Dolby® Pro Logic II® and

a six-CD autochanger

• MP3 player connectivity


• USB connector with Waveform

Audio Format (WAF), Windows

MediaPlayer (WMA) and MPEG (MP3)

audio file compatibility


OPTIONS


Audio System with 1000 W RMS of

ICEpower®5 amplification

• Bright-finish grille

• Front parking sensors

• Mahogany facia trim

• Bamboo facia trim

• Tamo Ash facia trim

• Piano Black facia trim

• Matching wood door trim6



• Magnum Silver bonnet, side strake and

lower bumper meshes

• Clear rear lamps

• Polished alloy treadplates

• Auto-dimming interior rear-view mirror

with garage door opener (Europe only)

• Alarm upgrade (volumetric and tilt sensor)


• Alternative brake caliper finish – black,

red and silver

• Premium Sports Pack (Coupe and Volante)

• 19” alloy wheels – 10-spoke with a

Graphite painted finish


diamond-turned

• 19” alloy wheels – 20-spoke diamond-

turned with a Graphite painted finish

• First-aid kit

• Smokers’ pack

DIMENSIONS

• Length 4710 mm (185.5”)

• Width 1875 mm (74”)

• Height 1270 mm (50”)

• Wheelbase 2745 mm (108”)

• Front track 1570 mm (62”)

• Rear track 1560 mm (61.5”)

• Turning circle 12.0 m (39.4 ft)



• Cd (Coupe) 0.35

• Kerb weight (Coupe) 1760 kg (3880 lb)

FUEL CONSUMPTION7 – Manual

Litres/100 km (mpg)

• Urban 24.6 (11.5)


• Combined 16.4 (17.2)

FUEL CONSUMPTION7 – Automatic

Litres/100 km (mpg)

• Urban 22.3 (12.7)


• Combined 14.6 (19.4)


Manual

• City 11 mpg

• Highway 17 mpg


Automatic

• City 13 mpg

• Highway 20 mpg

CO2 EMISSIONS

• 389 g/km7 – manual

• 345 g/km7 – automatic

SMOG INDEX (North America only)

• 0.49


d b 9 c o u p e | v o l a n t e


2 Includes Traffic Messaging Channel (TMC) in

Continental Europe


requirements. Excludes subscription. Standard in UK

4 iPod® is a trademark of Apple Inc., registered in the

US and other countries

5 ICEpower® is a proprietary technology of

Bang & Olufsen

6 Not available with Bang & Olufsen audio system

7 Data not applicable to North American market

[ d b 9 v o l a n t e ]

Safety is a major considerationin a convertible. Special tiltsensors detect the possibility of a roll-over and deploy twostrengthened hoops from the DB9 Volante’s headrests.Further protection is offered by the windscreen A-pillars, rigtested to withstand more thantwice the weight of the car.


x v i i i

v 1 2 v a n t a g e

x i xI S S U E 1 0 / 0 9 I S S U E 1 0 / 0 9

A s ton Mar t i n ’ s mos t exh i l a ra t i ng spo r t s ca r ye t ,

t he V12 Van tage i s t he u l t ima te pe r f o rmance

in te rp re ta t i on o f t he Van tage range , comb in ing

an i nhe ren t ag i l i t y w i th f o rm idab l e powe r

The most potent production sports car in the marque’s 95-year history, the Aston Martin V12 Vantage is the fastest and most agile model in the range – designed to provide a uniquecharacter that appeals to different drivers with different tastes. Based on the hugely successful V8 Vantage, the V12 Vantage features Aston Martin’s most powerful engine, the 6.0-litre V12engine, which produces 510 bhp (380 kW/517 PS), and 570 Nm (420 lb.ft) of torque with a topspeed of 305 km/h (190 mph) and acceleration from 0–100 km/h (62 mph) in 4.2 seconds.Purposeful, striking and functional styling signals the performance capabilities of this formidablecar, which, like the Aston Martin DBS, benefits from the use of race-derived technology andfeatures lightweight carbon fibre.

The original V12 Vantage concept was unveiled to guests at the opening of the Aston MartinDesign Studio in December 2007. Continuing the marque’s impressive record of bringing conceptsto market in their original form, Aston Martin engineers brought the V12 Vantage to market injust 12 months. Designed for the focused driver, every component of the V12 Vantage has beenhoned with pure driving enjoyment in mind; performance and agility have been tuned to perfection.Visually enticing, the V12 Vantage expresses its potential through its purposeful stance created byenhanced aerodynamic and cooling aids. Equally inviting, the cosseting interior permits the driverto extract maximum performance ability from the car while also enjoying customary levels ofAston Martin comfort on longer journeys. High levels of power and torque are available at allengine speeds, making the V12 Vantage responsive and tractable in any driving situation.

[ v 1 2 v a n t a g e ]

Enhanced aerodynamics andcooling aids further accentuatethe potent performance of theV12 Vantage.

VANTAGEV12

PERFORMANCEAgility and outright performance formed the basis of design for the V12 Vantage, to produce the most exciting incarnation of theVantage model line-up to date. Aston Martin’s most powerfulengine is fused with its most agile model to produce a trulyexhilarating sports car. The V12 powerplant has been intelligentlypackaged into the Vantage’s compact form, preserving its perfectproportions. While the external dimensions of the V8 Vantage remainunchanged, the internal front structure has been extensively revisedforward of the suspension towers to house the larger engine, brakecooling system, and twin air intake system. The engine is hand-builtat the company’s dedicated engine facility in Cologne, Germany. To achieve the power output, the engine features a number ofenhancements over the standard 6.0-litre V12 found in the DB9.These include a ‘by-pass’ engine air intake port that opens up at5500 rpm, a revised induction system and re-profiled air inlet portsthat further improve airflow into the combustion chamber toimprove performance.

Unique to the V12 Vantage is a ‘Sport’ button, which allows thedriver to choose between two powertrain modes. The default‘normal’ provides a more progressive throttle response, suited tomore everyday situations, such as driving in urban areas, heavytraffic, or in challenging weather conditions. Selecting ‘Sport’ modedelivers a sharper throttle response together with a sportier exhaustnote. This mode is designed for use in more dynamic drivingsituations where sharper responses are required, extracting themaximum performance from the car.

CONTROLSuperb handling characteristics are at the heart of the V12 Vantage;the rear suspension has been modified, with a more compact dual-rate spring design, in order to accommodate a wider wheel and tyrecombination, improving grip and traction. The ride height of the V12 Vantage has also been lowered by 15 mm, while the springrates have been stiffened by 45 per cent.

These measures serve to lower the car’s centre of gravity and reducethe amount of roll experienced during cornering, further increasingthe V12 Vantage’s dynamic capabilities.In line with the character ofthe V12 Vantage, a revised Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) systempermits the driver, through three modes of operation, to managehow the system intervenes during more challenging drivingsituations. In default operation, the DSC is automatically switchedon. Depressing the DSC button for two seconds selects ‘trackmode’, which raises the manner and threshold at which the systemintervenes, allowing the driver to explore the limits of the car’sconsiderable handling capabilities. Depressing the button for fourseconds will switch off DSC completely.

DESIGN Based on the stunning V8 Vantage originally launched in 2005, theV12 Vantage subtly hints at its sporting intent with its controlledaggression and lower, purposeful stance. Avoiding purely cosmeticchanges, each modified panel on the V12 Vantage has been alteredto enhance the car’s dynamics. Knowledge gained from the N24race car programme has led to body revisions designed to improvedownforce while not increasing the drag coefficient of the car. Eachform follows its functional requirements, while also contributing tostunning design. A revised front splitter channels cooling air to thebrakes and to the radiator while also producing increased downforce. Carbon-fibre bonnet louvres remove heat from the enginebay and help increase front-end down force by limiting the built-upair pressure under the bonnet. New side sills derived from the N24race car channel air towards the rear of the car rather than under it,reducing rear-end lift. A more pronounced boot ‘flip’ and the newrear carbon-fibre diffuser work in harmony with a redesigned rearunder floor to channel air through the new high-capacity oil coolerand maintain an area of low pressure under the rear of the car,producing increased down force and aiding grip.

v 1 2 v a n t a g eA S T O N M A R T I N M O D E L R A N G E

x x

BODY

• Two-door, two-seat coupe body

• Bonded aluminium structure

• Aluminium, magnesium alloy,

composite and steel body

• Extruded aluminium door side

impact beams


(dipped beam)


(main beam)

• LED rear lamps

ENGINE

• All-alloy quad overhead camshaft

48 valve 5935 cc V12



rear-wheel drive



• Max power 510 bhp

(380 kW/517 PS) at 6500 rpm


at 5750 rpm

• Acceleration 0–100 km/h (62 mph)

in 4.2 seconds


TRANSMISSION

• Rear mid-mounted six-speed

manual gearbox. Alloy torque tube

with carbon-fibre propeller shaft


• Final drive ratio 3.71:1

STEERING

• Rack and pinion


SUSPENSION

• Front Independent double wishbone

incorporating anti-dive geometry,

coil springs, anti-roll bar and

monotube dampers


with anti-squat and anti-lift geometry,

dual-rate coil springs, anti-roll bar

and monotube dampers

WHEELS

• Front 9” x 19”

• Rear 11” x 19”

TYRES

• Front Pirelli P Zero Corsa 255/35 ZR19

• Rear Pirelli P Zero Corsa 295/30 ZR19

BRAKES

• Front Ventilated carbon ceramic

discs 398 mm diameter with

six-piston callipers

• Rear Ventilated carbon ceramic

discs 360 mm diameter with

four-piston callipers


with Track mode



(EBD)



INTERIOR

• Carbon-fibre door pulls


(three positions)

• Sports seats with 10 way electric

adjustment, including height, tilt

and lumbar adjustment

• Dual-stage driver and passenger

front airbags

• Side airbags (Sports seats only)




(OEL) displays

• Trip computer

• Cruise control


navigation system1




• Auto dimming interior

rear-view mirror




and boot release

• Battery disconnect switch

• Tracking device (UK only)


• 160 W Aston Martin Audio System

• MP3 player connectivity

OPTIONS

• Lightweight seats with six way

adjustment, including front and rear

height adjust. (Does not include

side airbags or Passenger Airbag

Cut-Off Switch)

• 700 W Aston Martin Premium Audio

System with Dolby® Pro Logic II®


Audio System


• Graphite Alloy facia trim



• Garage door opener (Europe only)

• Tracking device2

• First-aid kit




• Heated seats (Sports seats only)

• ISOFIX and fixed-height passenger

seat (Sports seat only)

• Bright finish grille

DIMENSIONS

• Length 4380 mm (172.5”)

• Width 1865 mm (73.5”) excluding

door mirrors; 2025 mm (80”)

including door mirrors

• Height 1241 mm (49”)

• Wheelbase 2600 mm (107.9”)


(17.6 UK gal./21.1 US gal)

• Weight 1680 kg (3704 lb)

FUEL CONSUMPTION

Litres/100 km (mpg)

• Urban 24.26 (11.64)

• Extra-urban 11.74 (24.05)

• Combined 16.35 (17.28)

CO2 EMISSIONS

• 388 g/km


v 1 2 v a n t a g e




Standard in UK

V12 Vantage is not available in North

American markets

I S S U E 1 0 / 0 9 I S S U E 1 0 / 0 9

Exclusively available with a six-speed manualtransmission, the gearbox uses a transaxle configurationto deliver near-perfect weight distribution.

x x i

[ v 1 2 v a n t a g e ]

Des igned f o r t he f ocused d r i ve r , e ve r y componen t o fthe V12 Van tage ha s been honed w i th en jo ymen t i nm ind – a de f i n i t i v e d r i v i ng package , p rov i d ingspec tacu l a r pe r f o rmance , t h r i l l i ng d ynamic s andeve r yday u sab i l i t y

v 8 v a n t a g e

x x i i i

[ v 8 v a n t a g e c o u p e ]

The V8 Vantage epitomises Aston Martin’s approach to design: a commitment to engineering excellence without aestheticcompromise. Each model shares the same beautiful form, undeniably modern yet with a direct lineage to some of the great Aston Martin models of the past, such as the DB2, DB2/4 and DB4, combining beauty with power and practicality. At the heart of every great sports car is a great engine, and the V8 Vantage Coupe and Roadster are powered by Aston Martin’s 313 kW (420 bhp) 4.7-litre V8, developed for both flexibility and outright performance. The V8 also sounds spectacular and is capable ofpropelling the car to a maximum speed of 290 km/h (180 mph). The engine is so willing, the handling so predictable and thecontrols so easy to use that it is as comfortable in town or city as it is on winding country roads or even a demanding race circuit.

The design team’s brief was to give the V8 Vantage Roadster the look of a well-toned athlete wearing a skin-tight suit – an identity thatencapsulates the fusion of craftsmanship, technology, innovation anddesign excellence. Aston Martin has ensured that the Roadster preservesthe V8 Vantage Coupe’s light weight, allowing the convertible to exploitits compact size, agility and power to the full. It utilises the VH (VerticalHorizontal) platform’s inherent strength to deliver class-leading levels oftorsional rigidity. This strength enables the body to form a highly stableplatform from which the suspension can control the car, ensuring a strongdynamic ‘feel’ for the driver. As a result, the V8 Vantage Roadster is oneof the most dynamically capable open-top cars on the road. When closed,

the fabric hood retains the car’s dynamic and fluid profile. When open,there is an unbroken, flowing line from front to rear, blending seamlesslyinto the muscular rear haunches. The hood, which stows neatly beneaththe aluminium rear tonneau cover, can be deployed in just 18 seconds atspeeds of up to 50 km/h (30 mph). Aston Martin’s 14th convertible modelsince 1950, a direct descendant of iconic open-top models such as theDB2, DB5, DB6 and DB7, the V8 Vantage Roadster is a pure sports carthat heightens sensations and provides a driving experience synonymouswith Aston Martin. Driver and passenger are ensconced in leather-linedluxury within a cabin that displays Aston Martin’s celebrated craft andtechnology skills.

I S S U E 1 0 / 0 9

[ v 8 v a n t a g e r o a d s t e r ]


x x i i I S S U E 1 0 / 0 9

A sup reme examp le o f mode rn au tomot i ve de s i gn ,

a hand -c ra f t ed spo r t s ca r t ha t o f f e r s excep t i ona l pe r f o rmance ,

ou t s t and ing ag i l i t y and eve r yday u sab i l i t y

VANTAGEV8 [ c o u p e / r o a d s t e r ]

v 8 v a n t a g e

x x v


x x i v

The V8 Van tage Coupe i s a t r ue h i gh -pe r fo rmance spo r t s ca r. Tau t and agg re s s i ve , i t i sde s i gn r i ch i n de ta i l y e t neve r ove r - comp l i ca ted . Eng inee red f o r pe r f o rmance and p rec i s i on ,i t encou rages comp le te s yn the s i s be tween d r i ve r and mach ine

[ v 8 v a n t a g e c o u p e ]

I S S U E 1 0 / 0 9 I S S U E 1 0 / 0 9

PERFORMANCEThe V8 Vantage offers superb all-round performance. Aston Martin’s 4.7-litre V8 is a light, compact, all-alloy unit,providing high performance and impressive response even at the lower end of the rev range. At 5000 rpm, the enginedelivers maximum torque of 470 Nm (346 lb.ft), 77 per cent of which is delivered at just 1500 rpm. A lightweight, all-alloystructure, combined with a front mid-engined layout andrear mid-mounted transmission help to provide the optimumfront-to-rear weight distribution, as well as creating a lowcentre of gravity, all resulting in agility, inspired balance andperfect handling.

DESIGNThe V8 Vantage is one of the world’s most beautiful cars:elegant, yet with a controlled aggression; perfectlyproportioned, with a low, purposeful stance. The side profileforms a simple sweep with a minimum of unsightly shutlines, a curved line like a bow under tension, while the rearhaunches are wide and muscular. At just 4380 mm (172.5”)long, the V8 Vantage benefits from the inherent agility that accompanies compact design and excellent weightdistribution. Inside, the hand-trimmed cabin offers generousspace, not just for driver and passenger, but for luggage too,making the V8 Vantage the perfect ally for a weekend away.

CONTROLThe V8 Vantage delivers superb, responsive handling. A fast-shifting, six-speed manual gearbox is standard andAston Martin’s acclaimed electro-hydraulic Sportshifttransmission is optional. Offering precision gear shifts in around 200 milliseconds, the paddle-operated gearboxbrings the sporting driver even closer to the car. When thepaddles are not in use, Sportshift includes a user-selected‘Auto Drive’ mode that will automatically select the rightgear for the conditions. A ‘comfort’ setting allows morerelaxed changes. The new optional lightweight seatsfeature a Kevlar® and carbon fibre construction providing aweight saving of 17kg. Additionally, their contoured designoffers more support during dynamic driving in particular.

ENGINEERING The V8 Vantage is inherently strong and agile. Its all-alloystructure creates a tough passenger cell, and furtherprotection is provided by deformable front and rear crumplezones designed to absorb crash energy. A suite of electronicsafety aids helps to keep the V8 Vantage away fromaccidents and in a potential roll-over situation, sensors inthe V8 Vantage Roadster instantly deploy two roll-hoopsfrom the rear tonneau cover.

CRAFTSMANSHIPThe V8 Vantage is hand-assembled and hand-finished. Only craftsmen can deliver the design details and level offinish that Aston Martin engineers and designers demand,creating a quality that is simply not possible in high-volumemanufacture. Hand-finished metal mesh grilles and trimsare used instead of plastic alternatives, while the singleaperture cuts for the headlamps in the front wings of theV8 Vantage could not be matched by any machine. Sit behind the three-spoke steering wheel and set themulti-position, electrically adjustable seats. Feel the qualityof the hand-stitched leather rim and sense the intuitivelayout of the primary controls.

PERSONALISATIONA range of new optional features – including clear rearlamps, the N400 sill design and Magnum Silver meshfinishes offer the V8 Vantage owner the opportunity tofurther personalise their car. The optional 1000 W Bang & Olufsen BeoSound Audio System has been designed and developed specifically for Aston Martin, providing acombination of high power and hi-fi sound quality withsleek, functional operation.

The V8 Vantage’s optionalSports Pack features revisedsprings, dampers and anti-rollbars, further enhanced bythe addition of a newlightweight forged-alloywheel design.

LEFT: The contoured designof the optional lightweightseat offers more supportduring dynamic driving.

RIGHT: The optional 1000 WBang & Olufsen BeosoundAudio System has beendeveloped specifically forAston Martin.

v 8 v a n t a g eA S T O N M A R T I N M O D E L R A N G E

x x v i

BODY

• Two-seat, two-door coupe or

soft-cover convertible

• Bonded aluminium structure

• Aluminium, magnesium alloy,

composite and steel body


side-impact beams


(main beam)


(dipped beam)

• LED rear lamps

ENGINE


32-valve, 4735 cc V8


rear-wheel drive




• Max power 313 kW (420 bhp/426

PS) at 7300 rpm

• Max torque 470 Nm (346 lb.ft) at

5000 rpm

• Acceleration 0–60 mph in 4.7

seconds; 0–100 km/h (62 mph) in

4.9 seconds


TRANSMISSION


manual gearbox


propeller shaft


• Final drive ratio 3.909:1

STEERING

• Rack and pinion, power-assisted

steering, 3.0 turns lock-to-lock


WHEELS & TYRES

• 19” alloy wheels – 20-spoke with a

silver painted finish

• Front 8.5J x 19” Bridgestone Potenza

235/40 ZR19

• Rear 9.5J x 19” Bridgestone Potenza

275/35 ZR19

SUSPENSION

• Front Independent double wishbones

incorporating anti-dive geometry,

coil springs, anti-roll bar and

monotube dampers




and monotube dampers

BRAKES

• Front Ventilated and grooved steel

discs, 355 mm diameter

• Rear Ventilated and grooved steel

discs, 330 mm diameter

• Radial-mounted four-piston

monobloc calipers




(EBD)


• Positive Torque Control (PTC)


INTERIOR


• Alcantara headlining

• Gunmetal alloy facia trim and

Graphite centre console finish

• Electrically adjustable seats


• Dual-stage driver/passenger front

airbags

• Side airbags




(OEL) displays

• Trip computer

• Glass ECU

• LED map-reading lights





and boot release

• Battery disconnect switch


• 160 W Aston Martin Audio System

with six-CD autochanger


• USB connectors with Waveform

Audio Format (WAF), Windows

Media Player (WMA) and MPEG

(MP3) audio file compatibility

OPTIONS

• Sportshift3 automated manual

transmission

• N400 sill design


• Magnum Silver bonnet and side

strake meshes

• Clear rear lamps

• Sports Pack with 5-spoke forged

alloy wheels with diamond turned

and Silver finish

• Sports Pack with 10-spoke forged

alloy wheels with diamond turned

and Graphite finish

• 10-spoke forged alloy wheels with

diamond turned and Silver finish

• Alternative brake caliper finish –

black, red, silver


diamond-turned with a Graphite

painted finish

• Microspin Alloy facia trim


• Iridium interior with Piano Black

facia trim

• Iridium interior with Prism Alloy

facia trim


• Lightweight seats


(three positions)

• Heated seats

• Perforated leather seat inserts

• 700 W Aston Martin Premium Audio

System with Dolby® Pro Logic II®


Audio System

• Polished alloy treadplates


mirror1


mirror with garage door opener1

• Alarm upgrade (volumetric and

tilt sensors)


navigation system1



• Tracking device4

• First-aid kit


• Cruise control

• Bluetooth telephone preparation


DIMENSIONS

• Length 4380 mm (172.5”)

• Width 1865 mm (73.5”) excluding

mirrors; 2025 mm (80.0”)

including mirrors

• Height (Coupe) 1255 mm (49.5”)

• Height (Roadster) 1265 mm (50.0”)

• Wheelbase 2600 mm (102.5”)

• Front track 1570 mm (62.0”)

• Rear track 1560 mm (61.5”)

• Turning circle (kerb to kerb) 11.1 m

(36.5 ft)

• Boot capacity (Coupe) 300 litres

(10.6 cu ft)

• Boot capacity (Roadster) 144 litres

(5.0 cu ft)



• Weight (Coupe) 1630 kg (3595 lb)

• Weight (Roadster) 1710 kg (3770 lb)

FUEL CONSUMPTION5 – Manual

Litres/100 km (mpg)

• Urban 19.1 (14.8)


• Combined 13.3 (21.2)

FUEL CONSUMPTION5 – Sportshift3

Litres/100 km (mpg)

• Urban 18.7 (15.1)


• Combined 12.7 (22.2)


Manual

• City 12 mpg

• Highway 19 mpg


Sportshift3

• City 14 mpg

• Highway 20 mpg

CO2 EMISSIONS5

• 315 g/km – manual

• 300 g/km – Sportshift3


v 8 v a n t a g e c o u p e | r o a d s t e r


2 iPod® is a trademark of Apple Inc., registered

in the USA and other countries

3 Sportshift trademark is used under licence

from Prodrive (Holdings) Ltd



Standard in UK

5 Data not applicable to North American

market

x x v i iI S S U E 1 0 / 0 9 I S S U E 1 0 / 0 9

[ v 8 v a n t a g e r o a d s t e r ]

The V8 Vantage Roads te r bu i ld s upon the acc la imed des ign o f the Coupe to c rea te a h igh l y

des i rab le conver t ib le o f fe r ing bo th h igh pe r fo rmance and th r i l l i ng dynamics

Aston Martin’s acclaimedelectro-hydraulic Sportshifttransmission is available as an option. Offering precision gear shifts in around 200milliseconds, the paddle-operated gearbox brings thesporting driver even closer to the car.

Aston Martin Magazine Winter 2009 2c0b581d-53f3-41db-9c02-Fbf5dcb77bb9

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Transcript of Aston Martin Magazine Winter 2009 2c0b581d-53f3-41db-9c02-Fbf5dcb77bb9