issue.14 - The Seen

ISSUE.14
MEE SPEAK
Running at full bore
Despite the unusually wet summer, we’re enjoying what can
only be described as the busiest period in the company’s
history. Looking back to the summer of 2011, when the decision
was made to expand the company by taking on additional
premises and staff, there was always the niggling doubt that
we had made the right decision to invest heavily in the future
during a recession.
However, since then we’ve been through an extraordinary
period of growth during difficult economic times as car sales
and servicing revenues have never been greater. So, to all our
clients, suppliers, staff and fellow directors I owe an enormously
a big thank you for sharing the vision and making the
expansion such a success.
Continuing the theme of success... In this issue is the story of
this year’s trip to Le Mans for the 24hr race. Organised by our
events company CTR Events, and in conjunction with Aston
Martin Lagonda, we developed a new programme for our
guests this year. Despite the less than perfect weather, judging
by the feedback received the weekend was perhaps our most
enjoyable to date.
Also in this issue we have a feature on Aston Martin’s long
association with our royal family. As supporters of the marque
since the 1950s there’s no doubt the Windsor connection has
positively influenced Aston Martin’s success story, in particular
with overseas owners.
Along with the building momentum towards Aston Martin’s
centenary, NM&Co will celebrate 20 years in business next year
and we’re planning a special event to mark the occasion, so
watch this space!
Looking to the immediate future, may I wish all our readers
a pleasant motoring summer and remind you, if you’ve not
already visited, to drop by our showrooms when next in town.
There’s always a warm welcome and a broad selection of
interesting cars to view.
Nick
FULLBORE : ISSUE 14
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Nicholas Mee & Company Ltd
Brackenbury House,
158-160 Goldhawk Road,
West London, W12 8HJ
The official e-magazine from Nicholas Mee & Co Ltd
// JULY 2012
Workshop Operations
Nicholas Mee & Company Ltd
Brackenbury Garage,
12, Wellesley Avenue,
London, W6 0UP
Contacts
T: +44 (0)208 741 8822
F: +44 (0)208 741 7422
info@nicholasmee.co.uk
http://www.nicholasmee.co.uk
04
NEWS
The stunning new Vanquish is revealed, plus reports on the
Nürburgring 24hr and Le Mans Festival races
07
RIGHT ROYAL ASTONS
It’s not all Rolls-Royces and Land Rovers for our Royals. There have
been a few Aston Martins too
11
FULLBORE CENTREFOLD
V8 Vantage GTE, at speed, at Le Mans, at night. Bootiful
12
SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW
They’re both Zagato-bodied, but that’s where the similarity ends
13
ASTONS AT AUCTION
A concise review of the Bonhams Works Service Aston Martin sale
in May
14
ASK THE TECH TEAM
How to keep ‘Tracker’ of things...
15
WHAT’S IN STOCK
If you’ve a fluid ounce of petrol in your veins, there’ll surely be a car
here for you
18
WHAT’S IN STORE
A solar powered battery conditioner? Whatever next?
18
READERS’ COMPETITION
A previous winner is announced, a new question is posed and a
super prize could be yours
19
CTR EVENTS
A review of CTR’s recent Le Mans weekend, including what
happened in the race if you missed it!
24
ASTON MARTIN ARCHIVE IMAGE
RIP Carroll Shelby and Roy Salvadori
© Nicholas Mee & Co Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication
may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any
form or by any means electronic, mechanical or otherwise without the
prior permission in writing of the copyright owner.
Design : www.theseen.biz
FULLBORE
NEWS
NEW VANQUISH
IT’S OFFICIAL!
On display at the Villa d’Este concours in Italy in late May
was Aston Martin’s Project AM310 concept car. With scarlet
bodywork featuring a number of One-77 and Rapide influences,
this was the first sighting of the successor to the DBS – the new
flagship model to celebrate Aston Martin’s centenary next year.
Soon after, other prototype and pre-production versions were
spotted out and about in Italy, testing on the Nordschleife and
near Gaydon, with the near-production versions featuring a
softened grille treatment, more subtle alloys and – scotching
media speculation regarding the new model’s name – a
Vanquish badge affixed to the rear.
Aston Martin was keeping tight lipped about the project, other
than posting a couple of teaser ‘AM310 coming soon’ videos
on its website. But then, in the small hours of Wednesday 20th
June, the company issued a press release and official photos.
Aston Martin is today unveiling a stunning new luxury sports car
– the Vanquish. Sitting proudly at the pinnacle of the luxury British
carmaker’s sports car line-up, this breath-taking new super grand
tourer represents the zenith of current Aston Martin design
and engineering.
Powered by a significantly revised 5,935cc V12 mated to the
existing Touchtronic 2 six-speed auto, the new Vanquish
produces 565bhp at 6,750rpm, making it “Aston Martin’s most
potent production model yet”, (barring the 750bhp One-77 and
built-to-order 600bhp Vantages of the late ‘90s).
With 620Nm of torque at 5,500 rpm, the 2013 Vanquish
outmuscles the 2001 Vanquish and 2004 Vanquish S, although
all this extra power isn’t fully reflected in the new car’s quoted
04
performance – 0-62mph in 4.1 seconds, top speed of 183mph
– the latter being a lower figure than those quoted for both
the first generation Vanquishes, plus at least eight other more
recent models. However, Aston’s engineers have been “working
towards economy and emissions improvements, too”, so that
might explain it.
Designed in-house, the new 1,739kg Vanquish is underpinned
by a new-generation bonded aluminium and carbon-fibre VH
structure, with an aluminium, magnesium alloy and carbonfibre composite body. Torsional rigidity has been improved by
more than 25%.
It also features a newly designed and significantly more
spacious cabin with a 368-litre boot – over 60% larger than
that of the DBS, while infotainment includes a 1,000-watt B&O
15-speaker audio system, Garmin satnav, iPod/iPhone audio/
phone streaming and a wi-fi hub.
In our experience, recent models such as the V12 Vantage,
Virage and DBS are all extremely accomplished driving
machines. With its dynamic and aerodynamic improvements,
the stunning new Vanquish is sure to be an amazing drive.
The new car will also put the hallowed Vanquish name back in
the spotlight again. Already much appreciated by the Aston
Martin enthusiast fraternity, the original Vanquish and Vanquish
S models (2001-2007), tipped by ourselves some time ago as a
future classic, will surely benefit from this and we may well see a
rise in values as a result.
Priced from £189,995 RRP, first deliveries of the new Vanquish
are expected to begin in late 2012.
FULLBORE
NEWS
PODIUMS AT
THE ‘RING
Late May saw the annual endurance fest that is the Nürburgring
24hr race. Having competed in every year since 2006, Aston
Martin Racing and long-standing partner team, Young Driver
AMR, entered the SP9 class with a pair of V12 Vantage GT3s.
The drivers were works pilot Stefan Mücke partnered by Tomas
Enge, Fredy Barth and Oliver Mathai in car 006, and factory
driver Darren Turner teamed with Dennis Rostek and Johannes
and Ferdinand Stuck – sons of triple Nürburgring 24hr winner
Hans-Joachim Stuck – in the 007 car.
Both GT3 Aston Martins suffered early setbacks on their fourth
lap of the 16.1-mile circuit with car 006 losing 16 laps to its GT3
rivals due to a clutch issue, and 007 suffering a tyre blow-out
which left it stranded out on the circuit costing it 13 laps. From
then on they both ran largely fault-free, but having covered
some 3,000 miles between them over 20 hours, the team
decided to rest both cars until the final lap of the race.
Aston Martin also fielded a V12 Zagato and a V8 Vantage GT4
in the SP8 category, run by the engineering department with a
100 per cent finishing record in the Nürburgring 24hr over the
previous six years. The V12 Zagato was driven by Dr. Ulrich Bez,
Chris Porritt, Wolfgang Schuhbauer and Richard Meaden,
05
while the no.85 Vantage GT4 was piloted by Mal Rose, Robert
Thomson, Jürgen Stumpf and Peter Cate.
Neither the V12 nor V8 Astons suffered any significant technical
maladies during the race, and none of the eight amateur drivers
made any errors either, despite persistent rain on the
Sunday morning.
After 137 laps the V12 Zagato finished second-in-class and 26th
overall, while the Vantage GT4 completed 135 laps to finish
third-in-class and 33rd overall, so the department can now
proudly boast a 100 per cent finishing record over seven years
of 24hr racing at the Green Hell.
Aston Martin’s third podium came courtesy of Team Mathol
Racing. Winner of the SP10 class in 2010, TMR was on course
to repeat its success until an accident soon after the mid-way
point. The team’s technicians were able to repair the damaged
bodywork, enabling their Vantage GT4 to rejoin and battle on to
second-in-class.
Outright victory went to the Team Phoenix Audi Sport R8 GT3
driven by Marc Basseng, Christopher Haase, Frank Stippler and
Markus Winkelhock.
FULLBORE
NEWS
DBS
Ultimate
LE MANS
FEST
V12 VANTAGE
ROADSTER
IN THE
NEWS
We may not have been called to the witness box at the
Leveson enquiry, but that doesn’t mean NM&Co hasn’t been
in the news.
As its name would suggest, the new DBS Ultimate represents
the end of the line for the DBS – Aston Martin’s flagship model
soon to be replaced by the new Vanquish. At the time of
writing the company hasn’t issued a press release to announce
the Ultimate, or shown it in public, but as of early May it has
revealed snippets on its website and Facebook page.
Available as either a Coupé or Volante, DBS Ultimate has a
choice of three exterior colours; Carbon Black II, Quantum Silver
or Silver Fox. All cars feature a uniquely coloured DBS badge,
a unique number plate surround and a painted rear decklid –
both with a choice of gloss or satin finish.
Diamond Quilt stitching throughout is accentuated by the use
of either red or silver contrast thread.
Carbon fibre wing mirrors, a dark front grille, smoked rear lamps
and Zircotec-coated tailpipes are complemented by yellow, red
or black brake calipers.
Powered by the existing 510bhp 6-litre V12 with either manual
or auto transmissions, no more than 100 of the £186,582 DBS
Ultimates will be produced.
06
Aston Martin’s presence at Le Mans was heightened this year by
the Aston Martin Racing Festival – a 45-minute, single-marque
race running in support of the 24-hour endurance epic.
Having qualified in second position, the Filippi/Lavio Vantage
GT2 took the win after 10 laps of the 8.5-mile Sarthe circuit. It
finished just over a minute ahead of a GT1 DBR9 in second that
had started from the back of the 31-car grid, while third overall
went to the pole-sitting Vantage GT3.
The 19-strong GT4 category was won by AMR Team Principal
John Gaw with Phil Dryburgh who finished seventh overall.
Partnered by James Appleby, American Rob Nimkoff – who codrove Nicholas Mee Racing’s Vantage GT4 to second overall in
last year’s Silverstone 24hr – finished second in class and ninth
overall. AM Chairman David Richards finished fifth of the GT4s
(14th overall), while Rowan Atkinson drove his GT4 to seventh
in class (16th overall).
Fresh from its class podium at the Nürburgring 24hr in May, AM
CEO Dr Ulrich Bez and Chief Engineer Chris Porritt drove their
V12 Zagato to 11th overall. Having started from 10th, Porritt
had battled up to an impressive fourth place before handing
over to his team-mate.
Just as we were metaphorically ‘going to press’, leaked official
images and news stories of the new Vantage V12 Roaster
started appearing all over the web. Word is that the new
model will be powered by the now three-year-old V12 Coupe’s
510bhp 5.9-litre V12 with the rear-mounted six-speed
manual transmission.
External features that distinguish the existing V12 Coupe from
the V8 Coupe, such as wheels, a carbon fibre front
splitter/lower intake, larger and more bonnet vents plus a
more pronounced boot lid spoiler, are carried over onto the
V12 Roadster. Apparently the new Roadster will have re-tuned
suspension to compensate for the extra weight caused by the
necessary chassis strengthening required when the hardtop
roof is removed.
At present there’s only speculation regarding the new model’s
weight and price (c.£150,000), but it’s likely that production will
start later this year, and that just 101 will be built.
PistonHeads.com
Following the announcement of the new Vanquish, on June
20th motoring journo Chris Harris revealed his long held
appreciation of the original Vanquish and glowingly describes
one of our cars in stock. His blog piece is illustrated by one of
our photos, it carries a link to our ad elsewhere on the site and it
ends with “Off to research finance options…”. We await your call,
Mr. Harris.
Click for more »
Square Mile magazine
Okay, so it’s not editorial, but we thought you’d be interested
to hear that we recently placed a slightly tongue-in-cheek full
page ad in issue 69 of Square Mile magazine – ‘the voice of the
City’. With the main strapline being “Invest in an alternative
bond”, the price of our 1970 DB6 Mk II Volante was described as
“Reassuringly expensive”.
AutoTrader.co.uk
The UK’s ‘leading motoring website’ has recently posted a video
review of one of NM&Co’s V8 Vantages by the site’s Editor-inChief Jon Quirk, a former FullBore contributor. All the exterior
footage was gathered on location at NM&Co’s new showroom
on London’s Goldhawk Rd.
Click for more »
FEATURE
RIGHT ROYAL ASTONS
With Queen Elizabeth II’s recent
Diamond Jubilee celebrations
attracting global interest, we thought
we’d rummage through the archives
for information on the Royal family’s
often high-profile relationship with
the Aston Martin marque...
9
07
FULLBORE
FULLBORE
FEATURE : RIGHT ROYAL ASTONS
Happy times for Charles and Diana in DB6 Volante
Prince Charles steps from his Virage Volante
Although the Royals obviously drive other famous brands
such as Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Jaguar, Land Rover and
even Ducati, there’s a relationship with Aston Martin
Lagonda and its cars that dates back to the earliest days
of the Queen’s reign. This arguably reached its zenith at
the wedding last year of Prince William and Catherine
Middleton when Prince Charles lent his DB6 Volante to the
young Prince to drive from the reception at Buckingham
Palace to the nearby St. James’s Palace.
The Duke of Edinburgh was frequently seen out and about in
his Tickford-bodied Lagonda DB 3-Litre drophead, with period
photos showing him arriving back at Buckingham Palace
with the Queen by his side having holidayed at Sandringham,
driving a much younger Prince Charles to his first term at
Cheam School near Newbury, again with the Queen, and
relaxing by the car at a polo match. And in 1953 Prince Philip
visited the Goodwood circuit and while there he tried out the
controls of an Aston Martin DB3S racer, probably having driven
there in his Lagonda...
This DB6 Volante Mk II was given by the Queen to Prince Charles
on the occasion of his 21st birthday in 1969. In 2008 the car was
converted by Aston Martin Works Service to run on bioethanol
fuel produced from waste wine and whey, a bi-product of
cheese making.
Decorated by Prince Harry, it was famously driven from
Buckingham Palace to St James’s Palace by Prince William, with
his new bride Catherine, The Duchess of Cambridge, at his side
during the late afternoon of their wedding day on April
29th 2011.
As mentioned, the Royal’s associations with Aston Martin
Lagonda comfortably predate Charles’ DB6. In the early 1950s
In 1966 the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh visited Aston
Martin’s Newport Pagnell factory. James Bond’s DB5 was
on display, while the 6 year-old son of the Works Manager
demonstrated a gadget-laden DB5 convertible toy car, which
was presented by David Brown to Her Majesty for the 6 year-old
Prince Andrew.
This steel-bodied miniature took 30 men 12 weeks to complete.
It’s powered by two 12v batteries giving a top speed of 10mph
and it features many of the gadgets featured on the movie
car including electrically-operated revolving number plates,
concealed dummy machine guns, a pop-up bullet-proof shield,
a smoke discharger, a radar system, two-way transistor radios, a
Prince Philip gets acquainted with a DB3S at Goodwood in 1953 »
08
FEATURE
Princess Margaret and the Earl
of Snowdon with their children
David and Sarah ArmstrongJones in DB5 Convertible.
9
FULLBORE
FULLBORE
FEATURE : RIGHT ROYAL ASTONS
The Prince of Wales at the wheel of his Prince of Wales spec Vantage Volante
Aston CEO Dr Ulrich Bez poses with his company Rapide, sold to David Linley
starting pistol with silencer and electric water jets hidden in the
rear reflectors. (Only one other was ever made, as a present for
the Shah of Iran’s son, Reza.)
In 1982 Aston Martin was granted the Royal Warrant of
Appointment to His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales for
motor manufacture and repair, and in 1986 Prince Charles
took delivery of a built-to-order V8 Vantage Volante with more
reserved body styling. Twenty-seven further Prince of Wales
spec V8 Vantage Volantes were subsequently built during
the late 1980s, including one in 1988 for Prince Michael of
Kent. Prince Charles’ ‘PoW’ was later sold by Sothebys with the
proceeds going to The Prince’s Trust.
This junior DB5 was on display in this year’s Cartier Style et Luxe
at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, although it was Prince
Charles’ DB6 Volante, also present, which took overall honours.
Having been an Aston owner at such a tender age, Prince
Andrew was photographed in 1999 driving a V8 Volante and has
owned a DB7 Vantage Volante and a DB9 Volante among others.
Lord Snowdon owned a DB5 Convertible while married to
Princess Margaret during the 1960s. This car was subsequently
handed down to his son Viscount Linley and it remained in the
family until 1996.
Meanwhile, Lord Snowden’s son, cabinet maker and marque
enthusiast David Linley has produced Aston Martin inspired
furniture, and he recently paid £100,000 for Dr. Ulrich Bez’s
Aston Martin Rapide company car. This was auctioned in this
year’s Bonhams Works Service sale, and Dr. Bez later handed
the proceeds to Toyota’s Akio Toyoda at the Nürburgring 24hr
race to assist charities providing aid to victims of the recent
earthquakes and tsunami that devastated Japan.
In the early 1990s Prince Charles took delivery of a manual
Virage Volante 6.3 which, though owned by Aston Martin, he
kept for the best part of 20 years. The car was sold by Bonhams
in this year’s Aston Martin Works Service auction (£119,100).
Unlike that car, it’s highly unlikely that Prince Charles’ DB6
Volante will ever come to market, not least because his mother
probably wouldn’t be amused.
Words: Tom Stewart
« The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh arrive back at Buckingham Palace in the Duke’s Lagonda DB 3-Litre
10
A
: the
the fb
11
centrefold
ston
Martin
racing
V8 Vantage
GTE roars
into
the night
on route
to a
class
podium
at the
2
e Mans
012 L
24 Hours
FULLBORE
GARRARD’S GEMS + something old, something new
GARRARD’S GEMS
SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW
Founded in 1919, Carrozzeria Zagato of Milan has had its hand in a few Aston Martins
over the years including the 1960-63 DB4 GT, the one-off Vanquish Roadster of 2004 and
the current V12 Zagato. Here’s the low-down on TWO more.
12
Significant news of late from Aston
Martin has been the revealing of its latest
model. For the new car the company
has chosen to reintroduce the Vanquish
name – a decision that has caused
some controversy within the enthusiast
community for whom the original
Vanquish (2001-2008) is held in very
high esteem.
Hopefully the weather will brighten up
for at least some of the events that I
plan to visit this summer, including the
Hackett-sponsored ‘Rundle Cup’ polo and
the Silverstone Classic festival in July,
plus the always-amazing Goodwood
Revival in September, not to mention the
most important event of the summer –
my wedding!
I’ve been lucky to have driven many
recent Aston Martins, including a sublime
V8 Vantage S en route to Le Mans and
back last month, so I’m confident that the
new Vanquish will be mind-blowingly
good to drive, with terrific build
quality. However, I’m personally a little
disappointed that the marketeers haven’t
been a little more imaginative and come
up with a new model name. But hey, a
similar strategy hasn’t exactly hindered
Porsche with its continuation of the 911
brand, so maybe I’m being too critical?
Despite the weather attempting to put a
dampener on proceedings, I’m delighted
to announce that the spring/early
summer period has been a busy one
for Nicholas Mee & Co. The benefits of
our new Brackenbury House showroom
are really taking effect as we’re now
able to offer a wider range of stock than
before, and this has naturally led to a
higher level of enquiries. The tech team
are also enjoying the additional space
at our Brackenbury Garage workshop
and we’ve been very busy with general
servicing and some interesting longerterm restoration projects.
Meanwhile, I hope you enjoy this latest
FullBore and our feature on the Royal
Family and its long association with
Aston Martin. Thinking of ‘New Era’, I
wonder whether, in years to come, the
next generation of Royals will continue
to support the marque. I do hope so.
Bon route!
Neal
SOMETHING OLD - ASTON MARTIN VANTAGE ZAGATO
SOMETHING NEW - ASTON MARTIN DB7 ZAGATO
Drawings and a scale model of the Vantage Zagato were first
shown at the 1985 Geneva motorshow and deposits were taken
on all 50 cars planned (52 were subsequently built). Featuring a
shortened wheelbase and a completely redesigned and much
more contemporary 2+0 interior, the 5,341cc V8 was boosted
to 432bhp which made the V8 Zagato one of the world’s fastest
cars, if not the fastest, with 0-60 in 4.8 secs and a 186mph
top speed.
Just 99 DB7 Vantage Zagato coupés were built in 2003 with
their aluminium bodies made in Italy and final assembly at
Bloxham. The famous ‘double-bubble’ roof and large radiator
grille were unmistakably ‘Zagato’, while the body – mounted
on a shortened DB7 Vantage Volante platform – offered a 60kg
weight advantage over the standard car. Other enhancements
included 18” Zagato-styled wheels with revised offset to give a
wider track, up-rated brakes, revised suspension and gearing,
and a special interior. Powered by the standard 420bhp 6.0 V12,
top speed was a quoted 190mph.
A convertible Volante version followed the Vantage Zagato
hardtop coupe in 1987 and, although an even more limited run
of 25 was initially intended, 37 Zagato Volantes were eventually
made from 1986-88. Of those just six were factory retrofitted with the 432bhp Vantage engine and, nestled beneath
the hardtop’s bonnet power bulge, this engine made it the
world’s fastest convertible with a sub 5 second 0-60 time and a
180mph+ top speed.
Well maintained examples are a driver’s delight, and their
distinctive styling is becoming increasingly popular. Current
prices are firm with upward movement quite likely, but now
begin at around £120k with fine, low mileage examples
exceeding that figure.
Revealed in early 2003, the DB American Roadster 1, or DB AR1,
was also based on the DB7 Vantage Volante and boasted revised
and roofless Zagato coachwork. Available only as a two-seater,
the rare 6-speed manual DB AR1s produced 435bhp, or 420bhp
with the 5-speed auto. Of the 99 built, most were delivered new
to Florida and California, with just one going to a UK customer.
The DB7 Zagato is now a highly-prized collectors car. The price
for a well presented example with the right provenance and
condition is currently circa £120k, and it’s unlikely to depreciate
from there.
Click here to view current DB7 Zagatos in stock »
Click here to view current V8 Vantage Zagatos in stock »
FULLBORE
ASTON’S AT AUCTION
ASTONS AT AUCTION
The Aston Martin Sale - Aston Martin Works, Newport Pagnell
‘The star of the show –
DB4 Zagato Santion II that
sold for £1.23 million’
On Saturday 19th May Bonhams came to the Aston Martin
Works for the 13th annual auction of Aston Martin Heritage cars
and associated automobilia. Over 200 lots including a selection
of documents, parts and other automotive memorabilia, plus 47
Aston Martin cars, came under the hammer.
The sale was attended by around 2,000 bidders and
enthusiasts and achieved a record total of over £6.5 million,
including automobilia.
The star attraction, a DB4GT Zagato Sanction II Coupe, was sold
for £1.23 million – this is the second £1m plus car ever sold at
the Aston Martin sale. The second highest price achieved was
£611,900 for a 1962 DB4 Vantage Convertible, followed by the
third highest, £488,700 for a 1963 DBS Convertible.
13
A unique 1971 DBS Estate with coachwork by FLM Panelcraft
carried an estimate of £50,000-£70,000 but it exceeded that
handsomely by going for a surprising £337,500 – a price also
achieved by a 1975 Lagonda Series 1 7-litre saloon.
Another surprising result was achieved by the ex HRH The
Prince of Wales 1994 Virage Volante 6.3-litre which sold for
£119,100 – almost double its estimate, while the 1955 DB2/4
Drophead Coupé ‘barn find’ that featured prominently on page
16 of the last issue of FullBore (estimate £70,000-£90,000) sold
for £113,500.
Click here for full results of the auction »
FULLBORE
TECH TEAM NEWS
ASK THE TECH TEAM
From left to right – Gary Walker, David Swadling, Andrew Weller, Paul Hill, Roy Willis.
Over the winter, Nicholas Mee & Co expanded its operations
with the addition of a dedicated showroom, Brackenbury
House, located on Goldhawk Rd, West London. Our previous
home, Brackenbury Garage, has since been refitted as a
dedicated workshop and parts environment offering full
maintenance and restoration facilities for all post-war Aston
Martins including the DB7, Vanquish, DB9 and V8 Vantage
‘new era’ models.
In addition to regular servicing, we’re currently busy working
on a number of exciting restoration projects including a DB4
Series V that’s currently being prepared for a body restoration,
a repaint and an interior re-trim. We’ve also taken on a 7-litre
engine upgrade and an automatic-to-manual gearbox
conversion to a V8 Vantage Zagato, as well as the re-painting
and re-trimming of a 1979 V8 Volante. Updates and images of
these projects will feature in future issues of FullBore.
On this page we regularly answer a technical question that has
been asked by owners, and the issue this issue is:
Q: I have recently purchased a 1987 V8 Vantage and my
insurance company requires that the car is fitted with a
‘tracking’ device. Please can you tell me what this is and are
you able to supply and fit such a device?
14
A: Certainly! A tracking device is a small electronic gadget
fitted invisibly to your vehicle with a sophisticated movement
sensor which notifies the tracking company if the vehicle is
illegally moved. When alerted of an unauthorised movement
the customer is contacted to confirm whether the vehicle has
been stolen.
TRACKER’s proven VHF technology will then be used by the
police to locate and trace the stolen vehicle to its exact location,
even if it’s hidden in a lock-up or shipping container.
Some Aston Martins are supplied with a tracking system
already fitted, and in that case you’ll need to contact the
tracking company and take out a personal subscription. For
cars that aren’t fitted with a tracking device, we recommend the
‘TRACKER Locate’ system. Our price, supplied and professionally
installed is £575. Should you wish to discuss further please
contact our Parts department on 0208 741 8822 or
parts@nicholasmee.co.uk
FULLBORE
WHAT’S
IN STOCK
More stock available online »
ASTON MARTIN
DB5
£375,000
1964. Superb condition DB5 finished in Silver Birch with
Burgundy hide. Fitted with Air con and power steering. 5
speed. A beautiful condition example, chassis, body and
interior trim restored and fitted with rebuilt unleaded 4.2 litre
engine. Restoration and maintenance has been carried out by
recognised marquee specialists, recorded in an extensive file.
15 Every car Heritage-quality prepared, multi-point checked, serviced and MoT’d prior to delivery.
ASTON MARTIN
DB5
£365,000
1966. A beautiful ‘body off’ restored example of the coveted
DB5. Fitted with lead free 4.2 litre Vantage specification engine,
original 4 speed manual gearbox and suspension upgrade.
Finished in its original and popular period colour scheme of
Dubbonet Rosso and black hide, this superbly finished and
presented early DB5 is accompanied with a highly detailed
photo history of the restoration and original factory build sheet.
Superb in every detail. Further details on request.
FULLBORE
WHAT’S IN STOCK
ASTON MARTIN
DB6 MKII VOLANTE
ASTON MARTIN
DB7 ZAGATO
ASTON MARTIN
VIRAGE VOLANTE
ASTON MARTIN
VANQUISH S
1970.
2004. 9.5k
1995. 46k
2005. 26k
Aston Martin
V8 Vantage
ASTON MARTIN V8
Vant’ Zag’ Volante
Aston Martin
DB9
ASTON MARTIN
DB7 VANT’ VOLANTE
2006. 5.6k
1989. 14k
2007. 87k
2000. 27k
POA
£39,950
£132,500
£150,000
16 Every car Heritage-quality prepared, multi-point checked, serviced and MoT’d prior to delivery.
£34,950
£54,950
£89,950
£34,950
FULLBORE
WHAT’S IN STOCK
ASTON MARTIN V8
VANQUISH S
AM V8 VANTAGE
GT4 RACECAR
ASTON MARTIN
VANQUISH S ‘MANUAL’
Am VIRAGE VOLANTE
6.3l ‘WIDE BODY’
2006. 15k
2007
2005. 45k
1992.1k
ASTON MARTIN
DB9
ASTON MARTIN
V8 VANTAGE 4.7L
ASTON MARTIN
DB4 Series IV
‘Special Series’
2005. 29k
2008. 21k
1962. £89,950
£39,950
£65,000
£53,950
17 Every car Heritage-quality prepared, multi-point checked, serviced and MoT’d prior to delivery.
£79,950
£220,000
£110,000
FULLBORE
WHAT’S IN STORE + COMPETITION
WHAT’S IN STORE
COMPETITION
In this section we review new or popular items that are available from our
e-commerce store: www.astonstore.co.uk
SOLAR BATTERY CHARGER
One of the few but perennial problems with ‘new era’ Aston
Martins is that, without regular use, their batteries can run flat
every ten days or so. This is easily cured if the car is stored in a
garage with electricity as simply plug in a battery conditioner,
but obviously not so easy if you store the car with no
convenient power point.
But here’s the solution!
Designed to be placed on the top of the dashboard, this new
solar conditioner connects to your car’s 12 volt accessory socket
and maintains the car’s battery condition where no external
power source is available – very handy if you park on the street
or if you leave your car in an airport car park.
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It works best in direct sunlight, however the powerful
panel will pick up ambient light from lights in car parks
or dealer showrooms.
The panel comes complete with a branded Aston Martin
storage case and connection leads (in addition to the 12 volt
connection, another lead is provided to connect directly to
the battery).
£181.90 inc. VAT and delivery.
Click to buy online »
In the last issue we asked how many Virage Volantes were built
in the 1990s. The answer – 235 – could be found on pages 7 and
10 of that issue. The first name drawn with the correct answer
was Jean-Louis Peschard who wins a copy of Le Mans 24h, a
hardback book telling the complete story of the world’s most
famous motor race.
The prize for this issue’s competition is one of our popular DBS
wireless computer mice, and to be in with a chance of winning
you only have to answer this simple question:
For which birthday did Prince Charles receive his DB6
Volante as a gift from his mother, Queen Elizabeth?
Answers on an email please to info@nicholasmee.co.uk
(or call 01243 755055). As usual, the first name to be drawn with
the correct answer will be the winner.
FULLBORE
CTR EVENTS 2012
The fans favourite - the V8 Vantage GTE
Robert Nimkoff describes his Le Mans debut!
AMR drivers Darren Turner, Stefan Mücke and Adrian Fernandez enjoy their podium finish
A SHORT RACE, A LONG RACE AND ENDLESS ENJOYMENT
This year Club Tertre Rouge welcomed a party of 32 guests on
our Le Mans weekend hospitality programme. Among those
on the usual fun blast down to Le Mans were a number of
Vanquishes, a 1980s V8 Vantage Volante, a DB7 GT, a V8 Vantage
S and a Rapide.
With the cars all safely parked up for the weekend at our La Gite
de la Ferme HQ, a champagne ‘welcome’ was held, but by way of
a change, this year we altered the format for the Friday night’s
entertainment with the CTR party heading off to an excellent
local restaurant adjacent to the La Sarthe circuit’s
Mulsanne straight.
After a fine dinner, guests were entertained by two racing
drivers who gave a talk and hosted a Q&A session, the first
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being Robert Nimkoff. Rob, who co-drove Nicholas Mee Racing’s
Vantage GT4 to second overall in the 2011 Silverstone 24hr
race, was participating in the Aston Martin Festival, a 1hr Aston
Martin-only race that was to take place the following day
before the main 24hr race. Competing again in a V8 Vantage
GT4, he gave us some insight into the challenge of driving at
Le Mans and what it meant to him, as an American driver, to be
competing at such an historic European event.
Following Rob on stage was Le Mans legend Jan Lammers.
As a driver Jan has enjoyed one of the most illustrious careers
in motorsport with 41 Grand Prix to his name, a European F3
crown and a win in the Daytona 24hr. He’s also competed in the
gruelling Paris-Dakar rally and, most significantly for our event,
has driven at Le Mans no less than 18 times, standing on the
CTR EVENTS 2012
‘CTR guests
en route to Le Mans’
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CTR EVENTS 2012
The AMR V8 Vantage GTE pits during the Le Mans 24hr
podium on four occasions, including the top step in 1988 when
he was part of the winning Silk Cut Jaguar team.
A highly entertaining but frank and modest speaker, Jan
captivated the audience with some fascinating tales and insight
into his long career, which included his amazing first experience
of Le Mans in 1970 during the filming of the iconic Le Mans
movie with Steve McQueen, and his famous Le Mans outright
victory in which he drove for 13 hours, including the last three
hours with only 4th gear.
The following morning we were up early and over to the circuit
for the ‘Aston Martin Festival’ support race. Preceded by a
parade lap featuring the legendary 1959 Le Mans-winning DBR1
driven by Aston Martin CEO Dr Ulrich Bez, this 31-car singlemarque race was a fantastic showcase of Aston Martin racers
which included a fabulous DBR9 GT1, a V12 Zagato and various
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other GT1, GT2, GT3 and GT4 cars (see our report on page 6).
After taking in the Festival and soaking up the pre 24hr race
atmosphere, the CTR party headed over to the ACO Panoramic
restaurant for lunch and the start of the main event.
Like many others among the 240,000-strong crowd, we were
enthralled during the first few hours of the race by the threeway nose-to-tail battle between the Corvette, Ferrari and Aston
Martin teams for GTE Pro class honours. This breath-taking scrap
reminded us of the Aston Martin v Corvette duels of 2007 and
2008 that are now the stuff of Le Mans folklore.
A pit-stop for CTR guests back at La Gite de la Ferme and a
superb BBQ supper was followed by a visit to the Arnage
and Indianapolis corners at dusk, and then our traditional
rendezvous at the Crepe Grand Marnier tent in the
circuit village.
As ever, the 24hr race was full of incident and drama. The
experimental Nissan DeltaWing completed 635 miles before
contact with a Toyota LMP1 car forced it to retire after six hours.
This highly unusual car enjoyed an enthusiastic following,
captivated by its striking shape and its pioneering but
unfulfilled mission to complete the race using half the fuel and
tyres of any other car on the grid.
Meanwhile, TV commentator and former F1 driver, Le Mans
winner and World Sportscar Champion Martin Brundle, driving
with his son Alex and Spaniard Lucas Ordoñez, brought their
Zytek home in eighth place in the LMP2 class. For the second
year in succession the LMP2 class was won by Brit Tom KimberSmith, this year partnered by Potolicchi and Dalziel, who
completed 354 laps in their Honda-powered machine.
Following its earlier battle, the Mücke, Turner and Fernandez
Aston Martin Racing Vantage GTE lapped consistently and
reliably, although at almost three-quarter distance Mücke
lost control at Indianapolis, damaging the car. Fortunately the
damage was largely cosmetic, repairs were soon affected and
Fernandez rejoined the race 10 minutes later, still third in class.
Keen to make up for lost time, at around 11am on the Sunday
Mücke set the fastest GTE-class lap time of the entire race, but
the gap couldn’t be closed on pace alone, and so the team
focused on maintaining its podium position, finishing third-inclass on 332 laps, just one lap behind the second-placed Ferrari
458, and four laps behind the GTE Pro-winning 458.
At the front, the big-budget LMP1 teams were having their own
scrap, although on its 83rd lap the Davidson/Buemi/Sarrazin
petrol hybrid Toyota TS030 was biffed, while in the lead, by a
much slower GTE-Am Ferrari on the approach to the Mulsanne
CTR EVENTS 2012
FULLBORE
‘the gite de la Ferme –
CTR weekend headquarters’
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CTR EVENTS 2012
Le Mans legend Jan Lammers
The CTR crowd
CTR tourers at rest at La Gite
corner. This launched the Toyota high into the air, whereupon
it landed heavily, fracturing Anthony Davidson’s back in the
process. (At the time of writing, Davidson is recovering at home,
although he’s only able to lie flat or stand bolt upright for the
next month or so. We wish him well.)
The debuting LMP1 Toyotas had certainly shown their pace, but
with the other Toyota hybrid retiring after 134 laps, the way was
left clear for the pair of diesel hybrid Audi R18 e-Tron quattros
to battle it out. Despite British fans gunning for the McNish/
Capello/Kristensen Audi, it was the Lotter/Fassler/Treluyer
R18 that, after 378 laps and 3,201 miles, took outright victory,
finishing just one lap ahead of the McNish car.
After the race, – which this year saw 19 changes of lead (eight
of those in the last 79 laps), three safety car periods totalling
2hrs 22mins and an eventual 41% retirement rate – on the
Sunday evening we held our annual CTR awards presentations.
These included our Best Presented Car award which went to
Ian McWilliams and his stunning Vanquish, and the Spirit of Le
Mans awarded to two fantastic South African guests who truly
left ‘no stone unturned’ during their visit to Le Mans. The CTR
weekend then drew to a close with our traditional ‘movie night’
on the big screen, which this year featured the car-based Driver,
a 2011 ‘neo noir’ crime thriller starring Ryan Gosling (not to be
confused with 1978’s The Driver starring Ryan O’Neal!).
With another hugely enjoyable CTR Le Mans weekend
now behind us, we’ll soon be getting to work on our 2013
programme, so anyone interested in registering their interest
or reserving places for next year should contact us on info@
nicholasmee.co.uk. See you there!
For more images visit our Facebook image library »
Pit stop for lunch in Normandy
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ASTON MARTIN ARCHIVE
SALVADORI & SHELBY, LE MANS 1959.
10th May 2012 brought the sad news that Carroll Shelby had died
in hospital in Dallas, Texas, aged 89. Then less than a month later
we learned that Roy Salvadori had also died – on 3rd June at the
age of 90. The pair famously drove a works DBR1 to victory in
the 1959 Le Mans 24hr race, giving Aston Martin its one and only
outright win at the la Sarthe circuit. The DBR1 racer was designed
by Aston Martin’s Chief Engineer Ted Cutting, who also sadly
passed away in March this year.
Before his racing career Shelby, from Leesburg in Texas, fought
in World War II with the US Army Air Corps, where he served as a
flight instructor and test pilot. After returning home in the 1950s he
began competing in motor racing and joined Aston Martin in 1958.
Shelby later achieved further recognition with the Cobras and
high-performance Mustangs that bore his name.
Essex-born Salvadori made his Formula 1 debut in 1952 and went
on to race in 50 Grands Prix, achieving two podiums prior to his
famous Le Mans victory.
He later retired from motorsport and went on to run a car
dealership before returning to motorsport to manage Cooper
Racing’s Formula 1 campaign in the mid 1960s.
Click on the image above – it’ll be two minutes well spent.
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