FullBore Issue 30 — Autumn/Winter 2021

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A U T U M N / W I N T E R 202 1

NICHOLAS MEE & CO’S WORLD OF ASTON MARTIN

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ISSUE 30

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Front cover image: 1965 Aston Martin DB5 Vantage blasting through the Hertfordshire lanes in the hands of Peter Tomlin.

Nicholas Mee & Co Ltd Essendonbury Farm Hatfield Park Estate Hatfield

Contacts

Hertfordshire

T: +44 (0)208 741 8822

AL9 6AF

info@nicholasmee.co.uk

United Kingdom

http://www.nicholasmee.co.uk

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MEE SPEAK It’s been another action-packed year. Nick looks back on 12 months that started with lockdown and finished with record sales, a bursting calendar of coffee meetings, concours and shows, and one very special DB4 sold to a delighted new owner.

DB5 MODEL GUIDE All you need to know about 007’s favourite Aston Martin from Evo and Vantage magazine writer Peter Tomalin. NM&CO’s Neal Garrard gives you the lowdown on DB5 values at end-2021, while Service Manager Chris Green tells it like it is on general running and restoration costs of the most famous of all ‘DB’ Aston Martins.

THE ‘ENGINEER’S ASTON MARTIN’ Nick considers a unique DB4 with the most amazing provenance, a car with a story that “is a deeply satisfying journey into the mind of a legend, whose technical prowess goes before him.”

TALKING HEADS 2021 Take four experts with strong opinions on the classic car world in general and Astons in particular and let the cameras roll. That’s what we did and, as usual, it resulted in a freewheeling discussion that covered meetings the panel had enjoyed in 2021, values, the future of AML and much more.

Pull up a chair, pour yourself a drink and enjoy the conversation.

WHAT’S IN STOCK Don’t worry, despite a bumper year for sales of modern and classic Astons, we still have a good selection to tempt you with pre-Christmas.

AN EVENTFUL 2021 At last, the live events scene was back in business this year. And didn’t everyone make up for lost time! We take a look at some of the highlights of 2021, as well as listing dates for the Ten-Two Club in 2022.

CHRISTMAS GIFTS 2021 There’s something for everyone Aston-related in our online Santa’s Grotto – otherwise known as astonstore.co.uk.

FORWARD THINKING: THE LAGONDA CONCEPT LUV It was greeted with – at best – raised eyebrows at Geneva in 2009. Some people hated it, others really hated it. But today the avant-garde looks of the big Lagonda Concept can be seen in a town near you, in the guise of electric or hybrid SUVs gliding along the High St.

© 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.

Creative Director: Adrian Morley, www.theseen.design 3

MEE S P EA K A big welcome to this, the 30th edition of FullBore, our bumper year-end issue. Once again, it’s packed with original features and photography, opinions and reflections on the year behind us, and our thoughts looking forward, all of which are covered in our end-of-year video ‘Talking Heads 2021’.

So, what a year this has been! Locked down for the first quarter, then setting record trading figures over the summer months, the last quarter and the year. To understand the past 12 months and take a look into the future, we assembled an informed panel of industry professionals to discuss 2021 and subjects related to our world of Aston Martins and the classic car scene in general. ‘Talking Heads 2021’ is full of insight, personal opinions and one or two predictions from those in the know to share with you. An unscripted live debate, we hope you will enjoy the discussion and, as ever, your views on the subjects covered are most welcome. Turn to page 32 for the feature and video.

Highlights of 2021 have been too numerous to mention, although one sale stands out. It was an historically important DB4, one previously owned by Aston Martin and used as a development vehicle in the 1960s before being purchased and driven daily by Tadek Marek, the engineer and designer of Aston Martin’s own six- and eight-cylinder engines that powered Aston Martin motor cars for 43 years. Marek’s DB4, rich in unique specifications, has a special place in the marque’s history and has been respectfully preserved by one owner since Marek’s retirement in 1970. Sold ‘off market’, we’re pleased to share with you our video presentation, one which proved to be a highly effective marketing tool in allowing the buyer to impartially understand and review this exceptional car from afar, before adding it to his collection of significant cars.

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This year has also seen a healthy number of restoration projects enter our workshops. A bellwether for the future of classic car values, there seems no lack of appetite and financial commitment today for restoration, refurbishment and the general preservation of Aston Martin cars. Interestingly, existing and future owners should take heart that the classic car industry as a whole has enjoyed average annual growth of circa 8% over the last 25+ years. With the rising level of public participation in the sports and classic car movement, ownership, organised road trips and concours events are now at an all-time high. Combine this historical background with today’s low bank interest rates and rising inflation, the investment indicators are pointing to a healthy, active period ahead in the pursuit and passion of owning and enjoying iconic cars of a type which will never be manufactured again.

Elsewhere in FullBore, we bring you a guide to Aston Martin’s brand-defining DB5 written by Peter Tomalin, motoring writer and former associate editor of Evo and Vantage magazines.

Also, a review of this year’s standout events and a provisional calendar for our Ten-Two-club events in 2022, a superb selection of Christmas gift ideas from our AstonStore – and let’s not forget our current stock offerings For now, we trust our subscribers will enjoy the videos, photography, views and opinions in this issue of FullBore, now distributed to over 6,500 qualified subscribers worldwide.

To everyone, the entire team at NM&Co would like to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year.

Best wishes,

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WORDS BY PETER TOMLIN

DB5 MODEL GUIDE

It’s the quintessential Aston Martin, the car for which all the planets aligned.

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WITH ITS BLEND OF TIMELESS STYLE, STIRRING PERFORMANCE AND EFFORTLESS CHARISMA, NO OTHER CAR EXUDES ASTON-NESS MORE PERFECTLY THAN A DB5.

HERE’S EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THIS 1960S ICON.

DB5 ORIGINS One way to think of the DB5 is as the ultimate evolution of the DB4. Which, for many people’s money, makes it the ultimate evolution of the most important car in Aston Martin’s history. It was the DB4, after all, that introduced Aston’s immortal straight-six engine and the fabulous, Touring-penned lines that instantly made Aston Martin one of the most desired marques in the world. The DB4 would be the touchstone for everything that followed.

Aston historians will tell you how the DB4 passed through five distinct series, each gaining in detail improvements and refinement. And, visually at least, the DB5 was a dead ringer for the series 5 DB4 Vantage. So why wasn’t this next evolutionary step simply a series 6 DB4?

It very nearly was, but the management decided that the new car was enough of a departure to justify being renamed, which doubtless kept the marketing men happy. And so, in July 1963, the new model was launched, and it was called DB5.

It was distinguished from late versions of the DB4 chiefly by the introduction of a new, 4-litre version of the all-alloy Tadek Marek-designed straight-six in place of the DB4’s 3.7-litre unit. Power in standard form, with triple SU HD8 carburettors, was quoted as 282bhp (up from the standard DB4’s 240bhp). From September 1964, customers were also offered the Vantage engine option, which meant triple Weber 45DCOEs, a higher compression ratio and a claimed 314bhp. Importantly, both offered usefully more torque than the outgoing engine.

Magazine road testers recorded 0-60mph times as low as 7.1sec for the standard car, and a top speed of around 140mph (6.5sec and 150mph for the Vantage).

Nothing to write home about today, but in 1963 only V12-engined Italians were quicker. The price in the UK (including taxes) was £4175 – or around £92,000 in today’s money.

The DB5 also introduced the option of a five-speed ZF gearbox (quite a novelty at the time), which quickly became standard equipment in place of the previous David Brown four-speeder. Other hardware changes included the introduction of an alternator instead of a dynamo, tweaks to the suspension geometry, and dual-circuit Girling disc brakes with twin servos – a significant improvement on the old Dunlop system.

There were lots of smaller but still significant changes, many of which hinted that the Aston was subtly changing in character. Standard kit now included Triplex Sundym tinted glass and electric windows; options now included air conditioning and a BorgWarner automatic gearbox. There were four instead of two exhaust silencers for added refinement.

It all added up to a more rounded, more capable and more sophisticated car than the DB4, albeit a heavier one (by a hefty 113kg), with the balance shifting further from sports to GT car. While clearly evolved from the DB4, the DB5 was very much its own thing.

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DB5 PRODUCTION For the definitive production figures, we turn to Tim

over the years – a V suffix in the engine number on

Cottingham , registrar of the Aston Martin Heritage Trust. According to the Trust’s records, 899 coupés – or Saloons in period Aston parlance – left the Newport Pagnell factory in the two-and-a-bit years the DB5 was in production.

the original build sheet is the evidence that it was a Vantage when it left the factory.

A Convertible version – not yet called a Volante at this stage – joined the range soon after the launch of the Saloon but was always a rare machine. A grand total of 123 were sold. Rarest of the variants was the Shooting Brake. Just 12 were built – or rather rebuilt, because each started its life as a Saloon.

The vast majority of DB5s had the ZF five-speed manual gearbox. Only around 40 had the four-speed DB unit carried over from the DB4, and fewer still (around 20) the Borg-Warner three-speed auto – and many of those have since been converted to manuals.

Unlike with the DB4, there were only a few, small changes during the DB5’s production run. The ‘DB5’ badges on the wings and bootlid, for example, weren’t present on the earliest cars; the headlight surrounds gained a little extra embellishment. But basically it was unchanged.

Vantage versions of all variants were really rare.

According to Tim, only around 60 Saloons left the factory with the uprated engine, probably as few as eight Convertibles and a solitary ’Brake. Many standard cars have, however, been converted to Vantage spec

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The Shooting Brake is an intriguing machine. It came about because David Brown himself needed space to carry his sporting paraphernalia – he was a keen polo player and huntsman – and so asked the factory to create a DB5 estate car for his personal use. When customers and business associates saw the result, a number decided they’d like one, too. But the factory was already at full stretch building Saloons and Convertibles, so Brown did a deal with Hammersmithbased Harold Radford Ltd to body the estate version. It was advertised as ‘The World’s Fastest Dual Purpose Vehicle’.

With each ’Brake beginning its life as a completed Saloon, it meant extensive reworking of the upper structure and body – basically everything from the A-pillars backwards. The work added a daunting 50 per cent to the already formidable price of the Saloon, which probably explains why just 12 were built.

The real ‘unicorn’ among DB5s, though, is chassis number 1567/L – the only one fitted with a 4-litre ‘GT’ engine, complete with two spark plugs per cylinder in the style of the earlier DB4 GT road-racers. Now, that’s a real Q-car.

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THE VIEW FROM THE SHOWROOM (NEAL GARRARD, COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR) If we put rarities like the DB4 GT and its exotic Zagato sibling to one side, of all Aston Martin’s classic road cars, the DB5 is easily the most sought-after and the most highly prized.

In a way, this has little to do with the car itself. After all, as you’ll have read, the DB5 was really just the final evolution of the DB4 series that had begun in 1958. But a DB5 might well fetch 50 per cent more than a 4 and more than double the price of a DB6 in similar condition.

The Bond connection obviously accounts for a lot of that premium (the Premium Bond, one might call it). Neal Garrard reports that since No Time to Die was released at cinemas, the team at Nicholas Mee & Co have been fielding as many as four or five DB5 inquiries a week.

‘The model appeals not only to Aston Martin enthusiasts; it fascinates general classic car collectors the world over,’ says Neal. ‘Ask any grown man to scribble down his 10-car dream garage list and there is a very good chance that a DB5 will feature on it.’ And everyone, it seems, wants a DB5 in Silver Birch.

‘There’s undoubtedly a 15-20 per cent premium for a silver car,’ continues Neal. ‘which means that in the current market, while you can generally expect to pay £600,000+ for a nice, smart DB5 in good working condition with history and paperwork, a silver DB5

saloon is in the region of £800,000 for a top, restored car.’

It explains why so many have been repainted and retrimmed over the years. AMHT registrar Tim Cottingham reveals that just 127 were painted Silver Birch when they left the factory, and none of the first 100 cars. Contrast that with today, when he estimates that at least half of them are silver.

It can be rather refreshing to see a DB5 in something other than Silver Birch. Dubonnet Rosso was popular in period and still looks good today. Caribbean Pearl and California Sage also suit the DB5 well. Other colours were very much of their time. One that was popular in period was Autumn Gold, often paired with red hide (indeed the first Corgi model of the 007 DB5 used just such a colour scheme). Practically all of those have been repainted – and you can probably guess which colour.

So the Bond Effect shows no signs of waning. But there’s another factor at play in the DB5’s consistently strong values.

While Goldfinger stoked up demand and filled the order books, Astons of this era were still built in tiny numbers. And the DB5’s production run lasted only from July 1963 to September 1965 – barely more than two years. In that time a grand total of just 1022 were built across all variants (compare that with 1284 DB4s and 1567 DB6s – or 7000-plus DB7s!).

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It’s a classic case of supply and demand. While the DB5’s glamour and the whole Bond thing provide the demand, the supply is always going to be limited.

special effects team. But many love the experience of buying a ‘new’ DB5 from The Factory in Tickford St, Newport Pagnell.

Speaking of which… With only 123 built, it’s no surprise that the DB5 Convertible commands such high prices today. Reckon on £1 million-plus for a ‘regular’ Convertible, as much as £1.5m for a Vantage, says Neal. ‘But don’t hold your breath, as they seldom come up for sale and often take pride of place in the world’s best garages alongside McLaren F1s and Ferrari 250 GTs.’

‘To respond to the dreaded ‘investment?’ question on these models we hesitate, only commenting that the best possible original DB5, matching numbers from 1964-1965 and restored by the handful of UK companies good enough to do the job, can be bought for comfortably under £1million.

One trend that has gathered momentum since the start of the pandemic is the increasing polarisation between DB5s in original condition or with an older (20+ years) restoration and cars that have had work done recently to the highest standard by the best ‘name’ restorers in the UK.

‘Rightly, in our opinion, buyers are gravitating to the latter,’ says Neal. ‘The gulf between values is everwidening. The reason is simple: a good restoration costs many hundreds of thousands, and takes years.

A car that is totally on-point and ready to go for immediate enjoyment is the way most buyers want to go today.’

Of course, Aston Martin itself has been making DB5 ‘Continuation Cars’. ‘Clearly, these have a place,’ says Neal, ‘and the world of collecting is a broad church.

Technically they are not road legal, but are equipped with an array of gadgets that were designed and engineered in conjunction with the 007 franchise

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‘So, where does that leave a ‘Continuation’ on the second-hand market when it cost far in excess of that when new? More to the point, where does it leave its first owner? Probably not in a comfortable place.’

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RESTORATION AND RUNNING COSTS (CHRIS GREEN, SERVICE MANAGER) Most leading specialists charge £300,000 and upwards for a full restoration (and with inflation at current levels, expect that figure to rise even more). That’s a big investment, but with a car as potentially valuable as a DB5, you absolutely wouldn’t want to cut corners.

According to Chris Green, Service & Aftercare Manager at Nicholas Mee & Co, a top class restoration is all in the details. There should be no cross-head screws in a DB5, for example; only slot-head ones. And under the bonnet and all around the aluminium facing panels in the door-shuts there should be tiny cup-washers under those screw heads.

Similarly, the gaps between all the body panels should be narrow and perfect; how snugly and consistently the rims for the headlight covers abut to the openings in the front wings is a good indicator of correctness and care.

All the mechanical elements can be rebuilt or recreated. The engine is fundamentally strong, but corrosion can attack the aluminium over the years.

The good news is that the original block can usually be retained but with new, uprated internals and often a capacity increase from 4.0 to 4.2 litres. Needless to say, none of this comes cheap.

It certainly doesn’t pay to skimp on servicing. Today, for most DB5s, maintenance starts with an annual service and inspection, regardless of mileage. ‘According to our Fixed Price Servicing menu, a small service is £845 including VAT and the major service for a DB5 is priced at a relatively modest £2310 including VAT,’ says Chris Green.

‘Any additional costs that might arise are directly related to the amount of use the car is getting… Like any car, DB5s are best with regular use.’

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Unsurprisingly, it’s the body itself and the structure beneath it that accounts for most of the restoration costs – and could present you with major expense if remedial work is required. Anywhere that the steel structure meets the aluminium skin has potential for electrolytic corrosion. Bubbling is a sure sign of problems beneath, but it’s also possible to remove the cover plates in the ends of the sills – and elsewhere – to check for the dreaded rot within.

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really betray its age, with crumbling, pot-holed tarmac DRIVING A DB5 TODAY Dropping down into the leather chair and running your fingers around the broad, wood-rimmed steering wheel of a DB5 is always a special moment. The view forward – of the classic Aston dash, its painted metal face inset with those timeless Smiths dials, the long bonnet with its raised wing-tops beyond – is a key part of what makes a DB Aston of this period so very appealing.

sending thumps and shivers through the body.

Unsurprisingly, this is exaggerated in the Convertible, which inevitably – and palpably – has the least stiff structure, though the payoff for having no roof is that the sounds of shudders and shakes are carried away in your slipstream. And there’s no denying the added glamour of the drop-top, surely among the most coveted of all post-war British cars.

Twist the tiny key in the centre of the dash and after a few moments’ churning, the classic straight-six bursts into vivid life, the heart and soul of the car.

Even the regular DB5 is plenty quick enough to run with modern traffic – on triple SU carburettors, the big six is wonderfully smooth, tractable and dripping in character. The Weber carbs of the Vantage version bring an added edge to proceedings – they require a little more throttle sensitivity on behalf of the driver, but they reward with an extra shot of urgency to the power delivery and a throatier roar to the soundtrack.

That said, there’s something undeniably cool about the Shooting Brake and its combination of performance and utility. It’s a genuinely practical machine, too: there’s more headroom for rear seat passengers than in a coupé and opening the single-piece tailgate reveals a decent load area for weekend luggage. Flip the rear seat-backs down and there’s even more.

Drive a well set-up DB5 Vantage and it pulls with real vigour, sounding as purposeful and classy as a Weberfed Marek straight-six Aston always should. It really is a wonderful engine in this form – its outputs swelling as the rich, brassy soundtrack reaches its crescendo – and it works beautifully with the weighty precision of the five-speed ZF manual gearbox (though some aficionados prefer the more delicate-feeling DB four-speeder).

Sure, it’s a more physical experience than any modern car, and at parking speeds the standard steering takes a bit of effort. But once you’re on the move it lightens agreeably and you can focus on the business of making swift progress with an economy of effort; slicing the gear lever around the gate; nudging the nose into turns with a rock of the shoulders; keeping the throttles clear and the straight-six singing.

The disc brakes require a firm push, but they are more than adequate for this sort of work; only in the suspension department does a period-authentic DB5

There was only a little additional weight in the ’Brake compared with the coupé, and the chassis was completely unchanged, so it’s no surprise that the driving experience is essentially the same – although retaining the coupé’s springs and dampers would have limited the loads that could have been transported without implications for the handling.

Whichever the derivative, there’s no question that a completely original DB5 is a lovely period piece and a rewarding car to drive, but it can be made better still.

Bond’s isn’t the only DB5 with modifications…

In recent times, many have undergone subtle upgrades in the course of restoration, including the popular capacity increase to 4.2 litres for superior power and torque, uprated brakes, better engine cooling, improved insulation to stop powertrain heat from soaking through to the cabin, and switchable electric assistance for the steering.

Done well and sympathetically, none of these things need detract from the character of the car, while making any DB5 much more useable in 21st century traffic conditions. And since a well-sorted DB5 is such a pleasurable device to drive, that can only be a

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good thing.

THE BOND CONNECTION Hard to believe now, but the management at Aston Martin were initially reluctant to supply a car to Eon Productions when filming began on Goldfinger, the third film in the Bond franchise.

Happily for everyone concerned, they eventually relented and in early 1964 released the by-then surplus four-speed DB5 prototype, DP216/1, at that time still painted in its original Dubonnet Rosso. Kitted out with Ken Adam’s famous gadgets, it was resprayed in Silver Birch and given the registration BMT 216A… Soon after, Aston also loaned Eon a standard production-spec five-speed DB5 for the regular driving scenes. Respectively known as The Effects Car and The Road Car, the two would soon become the stuff of Aston – and movie – legend. Goldfinger had its cinema release in the autumn of 1964, and it was immediately clear that Connery’s suave, steely Bond and Aston’s glamorous DB5 were perfectly matched.

In the movie, our first glimpse of 007’s new company car comes – where else – in the workshops of Q Branch. ‘Where’s my Bentley?’ Bond asks Q. ‘Oh, it’s had its day, I’m afraid,’ comes the reply. ‘Well, it’s never let me down,’ murmurs Bond. ‘M’s orders, 007. You’ll be using this Aston Martin DB5 with modifications. Now pay attention please…’

The shots of Connery driving the Aston on the Furka Pass, high in the Swiss Alps, would become as engrained in the memory of car-mad movie watchers as the Lamborghini Miura in the opening sequence of The Italian Job a few years later. Indeed, the Bond Aston was such a hit that the DB5 was deployed again for the following year’s Thunderball. A star had well and truly been born, and the glamour, the danger, the timeless cool of early Bond would forever be woven tightly into the Aston Martin DNA.

Over the ensuing decades, Bond would have dalliances with a number of other cars – other Astons included – but he never looked better than behind the wheel of a DB5. The producers knew it – which was why Pierce Brosnan’s OO7 found himself back behind the wheel of the 1960s classic for 1995’s GoldenEye and the followup Tomorrow Never Dies.

And when Daniel Craig’s Bond pulled open the doors of his lock-up to reveal his beloved DB5 in Skyfall, cinema audiences actually cheered. The two would star again in Spectre, and of course in this year’s Covid-delayed No Time to Die, with one or two exciting new modifications…

PETER TOMALIN HAS BEEN WRITING ABOUT HIGH PERFORMANCE CARS FOR MORE THAN 30 YEARS. AT VARIOUS TIMES DEPUTY EDITOR OF PERFORMANCE CAR, EDITOR OF EVO AND MANAGING EDITOR OF VANTAGE MAGAZINE, HE’S HAD A LIFELONG LOVE OF ASTON MARTINS AND CURRENTLY OWNS A 2006 V8 VANTAGE.

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THE ‘ENGINEER’S ASTON MARTIN’ Nick considers a unique DB4 with the most amazing provenance...

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I HAVE SPENT OVER 40 YEARS IN THE ASTON MARTIN BUSINESS. EVEN AFTER ALL THAT TIME, I STILL FIND IT INTERESTING WHEN A NEW PIECE OF THE COMPANY’S HISTORY, OR A PREVIOUSLY UNKNOWN CAR, COMES ON MY RADAR – PARTICULARLY IF IT’S ONE OF WHICH I HAD NO PRIOR KNOWLEDGE AND DIDN’T EVEN KNOW EXISTED. SOMETIMES IT SEEMS AS IF I’M ON A NEVER-ENDING JOURNEY.

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t’s a couple of months now since I first heard of a rather special Aston Martin, one which piqued my interest and was built during the so-called ‘Golden Era’ of Aston Martin production; a car from the David Brown era. This one caught my attention because of the incredible story behind it, told to me in detail by its passionate and meticulous owner.

Now, two months later and after considerable research, we are delighted to share with you a video of that car. It is an Aston that, whichever way you look at it, could be considered ‘all wrong’ but, in reality, is ‘all right’. In fact, it is exactly as it was when its renowned engineer owner last drove it before retiring to sunny Italy in 1969.

To understand this astonishing machine, it’s probably best to tell you a little about that owner; the genius who made the car we’re going to see what it is today.

The man I’m talking about was a visionary, and in Aston Martin circles a bit of a god. He is Tadek Marek, a Polish engineer, now sadly no longer with us, the man who was responsible for the design and engineering of all Aston Martin-built engines from 1957 to 2000.

Those are the straight-six and V8 powerplants that lay beneath the bonnets of all Newport Pagnell racing and production cars right up to the introduction of the DB7

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and V12 Vanquish. After serving time in the 1930s with Fiat and General Motors, Marek took up rally driving before WW2, moving to the UK in 1940, where he served on the design team that created the engine for the Centurion tank. After the War his first job was at the Austin Motor Company, later joining Aston Martin Lagonda where David Brown gave him overall control of engine development, both for racing and road car use.

Marek’s first all-new six-cylinder twin-cam engine was intended for the ground-breaking 1958 Aston Martin DB4, but debuted a year earlier in the two, big-capacity DBR2 sports-racing cars. By 1961, with Aston’s 1959 World Sports Car Championship still a recent memory, he bought himself a one-year-old, early-production DB4. Over the next few years, he used that car not only as his personal daily transport, but also as a test bed to develop his ideas, many of which would be applied to later production models.

This very Aston, referred to by one marque historian as, “the greatest DB4 that nobody knows about,” is a confection of specification that at first glance will throw the most knowledgeable experts into a whirl.

Every aspect and feature of this fascinating DB4 remains exactly as it was when, on his retirement, Tadek Marek handed it to his business partner. And so it remained, until bought by its last owner in 1973.

This embodiment of Aston Martin history has been carefully preserved and expertly maintained from that time until only recently, owned by a true custodian and unashamedly enthusiastic devotee of the marque. That is almost 50 years of conservation.

As an Aston Martin dealer of long-standing I, for once, can say without fear of contradiction that this car and its astonishing history is, in fact, unique. No matter how much money that could be spent on creating a perfect-condition DB4, the new keeper of this car, with its unique provenance and individual specification, now owns a unique and important piece of Aston Martin’s history. It was, after all, created by the man so close to the heart of every Aston Martin, and powered by an engine of his own design.

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To anyone who knows the subject of Aston Martin, its story is a deeply satisfying journey into the mind of a legend, whose technical prowess goes before him.

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Preserved in aspic, you could say. We are delighted to announce that this extraordinary Aston now has a new owner for the first time in 48 years. It retains its special details in abundance, some of which do not feature on its production cousins. But all of those carefully-thought-through detailed changes are a result of the engineer whose name is synonymous with the marque and model. Tadek Marek’s foresight, skill and determination created Aston Martin’s greatest asset: the renowned twin-cam six-cylinder and four-cam V8s, hand-built at Newport Pagnell over 40 years and installed – in different guises – in some of the most epic and iconic Aston Martins ever to have been made and enjoyed.

This, then, is the engineer’s car. To anyone who knows the subject of Aston Martin, its story is a deeply satisfying journey into the mind of a legend, whose technical prowess goes before him. Thankfully, it has been preserved for its next custodian to savour and enjoy.

Watch our full-length video documentary The Engineer’s Car, featuring Aston Martin author and historian Stephen Archer, using the link below..

This unique Aston Martin was sold by Nicholas Mee & Co in the autumn of 2021. The new owner very much looks forward to using it as intended.

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TALK HEADS

NICHOLAS MEE & C

Following the overwhelmingly positive rec in 2020, the band re-formed at the close o

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KING S 2021

CO VIDEO FEATURE:

ception received by our end-of year video of 2021, this time with two new members.

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ONCE AGAIN HOSTED BY MARKET COMMENTATOR AND ASTON MARTIN ENTHUSIAST OF LONGSTANDING STEVE WAKEFIELD.

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or this year’s review of the year Nick and Neal were joined by James Knight, former head of motoring at Bonhams and now an

independent consultant, and Charles Clegg, podcaster extraordinaire and co-founder and CEO of Custodian, the ‘digital garage’ for collectors seeking to ‘park’ all the documentation associated with their pride and joy online.

Keeping to the same format as before, it was a freeranging discussion recorded live over an afternoon at Essendonbury Farm. Subjects discussed included:

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James Knight

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Charles Clegg

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TRADING 2020-2021; THE HEALTH OF THE MARKET; AFTERSHOCK OF THE PANDEMIC. Nick spoke for all when he commented on the sense of freedom and relief that the world was starting to open up again. James Knight (JK) felt it was like a release, in the sense that “you don’t know what you’ve got until its gone.” Charles experienced the “pent-up excitement of going to events”. From a trading perspective, Neal remembers the first quarter of the year belonging to sales of newer Gaydon models that can almost be bought unseen – convenient in a world of social distancing and online viewings – while the latter half of the year saw more traditional Newport Pagnell cars sold, ones that required multiple one-on-one visits and road tests.

AUCTIONS. THE PROS AND CONS FOR CLIENTS AND THE MARKET. A perennial topic, one addressed by JK to the effect that there are specific reasons why cars go to auction: transparency; settlement of monies less commission in ca. 30 days; global marketing campaign. And the motivation for people to buy in a saleroom is mainly perceived as one of price (cheap) and the attraction of immediate delivery. Nick pointed out the danger of comparing auction prices for cars with no history or paperwork, perhaps subject to import duties, with showroom cars from an established retail brand.

BREXIT. IT’S HAPPENED; HOW IT’S REALLY AFFECTED THE MARKET.

Nearly a year on from the UK leaving the European Union, it’s become clearer how increased paperwork and potential taxes and duties have affected the Aston market. Nick has seen overseas business once 20% of the company’s total reduced to the low teens. JK made the point that the biggest losers were cars less than 30 years old (or had covered very low mileage) that were now liable to VAT at the current rate if imported or

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exported from/to the EU. Neal commented that it now made it harder to sell modern cars to Europe. Charles noted “uncertainty” in his conversations with collectors on the subject, also the effect increased paperwork has had on historic racing on the continent.

THE FUTURE OF ASTON MARTIN, THE COMPANY. Pretty good, despite short-term squalls, was the verdict. An electric or 4wd SUV Aston Martin? Why not. And the return to F1 can only be seen as a good thing, with the high-tech racing cars complemented by traditional British craftsmanship of the classic ‘DB’ straight sixes and V8s. The world becomes more aware of the brand and digs deeper into its heritage.

LATE-1980S AND ’90S SUPERCARS – WHERE DOES ASTON MARTIN STAND IN THIS POPULAR SECTOR OF THE MARKET RIGHT NOW? Or which model is “Aston’s Ferrari 288 GTO, F40 or Porsche 959”? Nick was there at the time, and you cannot get a better commentator to put the brutish British cars into perspective compared with very powerful high-tech supercars from Italy and Germany.

“The 1990s was a difficult period for Aston. The 1980s V8 Vantage was almost as fast as anything, while the ’90s Virage was a very good allrounder for four people to enjoy a weekend away in comfort. But not a road-burner.

“The company’s answer was the V8 Vantage Zagato, but so few people know about them. Look at the figures: only 50 or so coupés built.” For Charles, that period is all about the supercharged cars, with the eight shortchassis supercharged V8 Volantes sitting at the top of the tree.

EVENTS. PICK A FAVOURITE. Everyone agreed the return of live events was the big plus of the year. Charles was impressed with the Hampton Court Concours of Elegance and Goodwood

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Steve Wakefield

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Revival, while Nick and Neal noted the sheer number of events open to anyone with a classic. “You’ve got to have something to do with your car,” as Nick put it.

And post-event the enjoyment did not end there, social media expert Charles made the point that Instagram stories of fun with a classic sowed the seeds of interest for future generations.

WHAT MAKES AN ‘INVESTOR-GRADE’ CAR? AND WHY DO PEOPLE COLLECT? The obvious answer to the former is rarity, quality and provenance, while Charles believes it’s the basic human emotion of the thrill of the chase that make people collect. JK gave the ex-John Surtees BMW 507 he sold at auction in July 2018 for £3,809,500 as a prime example as it ticked every possible box, but could rarely answer clients who asked him: “What car can I buy as an investment?” Passion and personal interest should always be the driving force; ‘investment’ comes later, and it usually works out fine.

MOST MEMORABLE ASTON MARTIN SOLD IN 2021 AND TIPS FOR 2022.

For those that sold cars in the last 12 months, the suggestions came thick and fast. JK remembers the DB4GT ‘project’ he sold early last year. Neither a full restoration nor ‘Barn Find’, it nonetheless confounded experts by selling after quite a battle for £2,367,000.

For Neal, the V12 Vantage is a favourite and the Spitfire Edition he sold in 2021 was one of the best. Nick recalled the German client who – Brexit and righthand drive notwithstanding – bought a ‘UB20’ limitededition DBS at Essendonbury Farm and drove it back to Germany, VAT and all.

As far as the future is concerned, everyone had some interesting suggestions. Play the video to find out what they were…

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WHAT’S IN STOCK In this section we showcase a selection of the best examples of Aston Martin motor cars from the 1950s to the present day, all available for sale at our new, purpose-built ‘destination’ premises on the historic Hatfield Park Estate in Hertfordshire.

Prior to delivery, all cars are supplied serviced according to schedule, with a pre-delivery Inspection Report, 12 months MOT and 12 months warranty.

Finance for any vehicle is available with our dealer partner, Classic & Sports Finance.

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1965 ASTON MAR T I N D B 5 V ANT AG E £P O A

OVERVIEW A wonderful example of one of just 60 DB5 Vantages built. Fully restored in 2016 with just 250 dry miles completed since. A matching numbers example, finished in Silver Birch over Black hide. Perfection.

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2004 A STON M A RTI N DB 7 Z AG A TO £285,000

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1996 AST O N MAR T IN V AN T AG E V 5 50 £ 175,0 00

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2004 A STON M A RTI N VANQUI SH £79,950

1960 AST O N MAR T IN DB 4 SE R IE S II £ 499,9 50

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1988 AST O N MAR T I N V8 VAN TAG E V O LANT E ‘X - P AC K ’ £345, 000

OVERVIEW Finished in Chichester Blue over Tan hide piped blue, an example of the highest quality and condition.

Powered by the 410bhp ‘X-Pack’ engine and one of only a few examples built with automatic transmission.

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2018 A STON M A RTI N RAP I DE S £99,950

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1963 AST O N MAR T IN DB 4 V AN T AG E G T £ 895,0 00

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2009 A STON M A RTI N DBS M A NUA L £94,950

2004 AST O N MAR T IN V AN Q U ISH S £89,9 50

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1960 AS T O N MAR T I N DB 4 G T £P O A

OVERVIEW Finished in its original livery of Sea Green over Green hide. The recipient of a 100-point, concours-standard restoration completed in 2015. Previously driven by Stirling Moss, Jack Brabham and Darren Turner, one of 75 production DB4 GTs built.

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1971 A STON M A RTI N D BR 2 ‘ REC REA TI ON’ £P OA

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1997 AST O N MAR T IN V8 COUPE £86,9 50

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2003 AS T O N MA RTI N DB 7 G TA £P OA

1 968 AST O N MAR T IN DB 6 £ 325,0 00

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1988 AST O N MAR T I N V 8 VOLANT E V ANT AG E Z AG AT O £P O A

OVERVIEW Presented in ‘time warp’ condition and with just 59 miles from new, this sensational V8 Volante Zagato Vantage, one of just 7 Volante Zagato’s built with Vantage Specifications. A compelling investment opportunity for any Aston Martin collector!

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2016 ASTON M ARTI N V 12 VANTAG E S M A NUA L £146,950

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2005 AST O N MAR T IN V AN Q U ISH S – MAN U AL C O N V E R SIO N £126,9 50

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1979 ASTON M A RTI N V8 – M A NUA L £199,950

1 965 AST O N MAR T IN DB 5 V AN T AG E SHO O T IN G B R AK E £POA

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1984 AST O N MAR T I N V 8 VOLANTE ‘VANT AG E SP E CI F I CAT I O N’ £225, 000

OVERVIEW An old friend and a delight to have in stock, this superb UKspecified and supplied V8 Volante ticks every box of V8 ownership and satisfaction. Complete with a list of desirable and established V8 upgrades, they elevate the Volante driving experience from merely pleasing, to highly pleasing.

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Fitted with Vantage-specification engine, upgraded handling and suspension, 16in Vantage wheels and tyres, a TF2 ‘quick shift’ transmission upgrade and sports exhaust, the mechanical specs excite. Effectively a ‘PoW’ Volante in all but title, all upgrades were carried out over 20 years ago, since when the car has had limited use, whilst being maintained by established Aston Martin specialists.

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2015 AS TO N M A RTI N VA NQUI SH V O LANTE AM WORKS 60TH ANNI VERSA RY L E £175,000

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2 007 AST O N MAR T IN DB 9 V O L AN T E £44,9 50

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2016 A STON M A RTI N LAG ONDA TA RA F £499,950

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AN EVENTFUL 2021

After so many of our favourite motoring events were cancelled or postponed in 2020, we found that one the happiest aspects of 2021 was to finally be able to meet friends and talk cars at meetings big and small, from a quick coffee in the country to a day out at one the world’s best concours.

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LONDON CONCOURS

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ne of the first events in a hastily rearranged calendar this year was the London Concours, held for the fifth time in the grounds of the fantastic, heart-of-the-City Honourable Artillery Company. It is an event that is going from strength to strength, really establishing its place in the calendar.

We were delighted to be there again, this time showcasing the ‘DB5 Vantage Icons Collection’ for the first time in public.

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CONCOURS OF ELEGANCE

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n September, the Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court was once again sublime. In fact, we might go as far as to say that it was the best edition yet.

The organisers reported their best-ever ticket sales, demonstrating both how desperately we have all been missing the opportunity to socialise and the high standing the event has now achieved. Highlights of the three-day celebration included the debut of the freshly restored William Towns’ designed Aston Martin ‘Bulldog’ and the incredible 1907 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost 40/50 HP. With 2022 being its 10th anniversary, next year’s Concours, once again organised by Thorough Events, promises to raise the bar yet further.

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GOODWOOD REVIVAL AND MEMBERS’ MEETING

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n honourable mention should also be given to the Duke of Richmond and his team on the Goodwood Estate for bouncing back in fine style after the cancellation of the 2020 Revival and Members’ Meeting. Both race meetings ran in late-2021 and were as good, or better, than ever.

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ESSENDONBURY FARM

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ere at Essendonbury Farm we greeted visitors again, at several full-capacity events where we threw the gates open to two different AMOC Areas, the Supercar Driver Club and the #Astunday group, who enjoyed a day at the Farm this October. In addition, our ever-popular Ten-Two Club gatherings ran on three separate occasions. We had so much advanced interest for the latter that, in the light of Covid precautions, we had to limit the number of attendees.

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LOOKING FORWARD TO NEXT YEAR

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e have circled four dates in the diary: three for quarterly Ten-Two Club meetings and one for a new-for-2022 midsummer evening get-together for followers and friends. Details to be revealed in due course. You can stay up to date with announcements about our various events by following our dedicated Instagram feed @ten_two_club, the news pages on our website and, of course, in future FullBore mailers!

2022 TEN-TWO CLUB DATES: Saturday 2 April Tuesday 21 June (Midsummer Social) Saturday 9 July Saturday 1 October

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Whether you are looking for Christmas gift in your life or fancy a bit of self gifting, ou Martin related items, all available to browse From Aston Martin Racing merchandise t browse our selection

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Wheel Centre Cap Kit

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FORW A RD THINKI NG: THE LAGONDA CONCEPT LUV

My, how we laughed in March 2009. But, in the cold light of today’s new ‘electric age’, perhaps the joke was on us.

Such was the opprobrium poured on AML’s Lagonda Concept LUV on the press day of the 2009 Geneva Motor Show that it was whisked away overnight and replaced with a more conventional One-77.

Nothing to see here, move along, we’re Aston Martin and we make beautiful and powerful two-door coupés.

The giant SUV crossover had Mercedes GL Class underpinnings but was styled at Gaydon by the regular AML team led by Marek Reichman. Its target market was Russia, China, the Middle East and those areas of the world with roads that do not treat low-slung sports cars kindly.

Although it was fitted with an Aston Martin V12, the idea was for the Lagonda to be the first model in a range of hybrid, or electric-only, cars. Which is where things get interesting in 2021.

Hybrids have been with us for a while, but all-electric is the future now. Aston’s DBX luxury 4wd has been on sale for over a year and sells in small numbers across all markets, a ‘mild hybrid’ model is slated for the Chinese market in 2022. The giant ‘mouth’ of the Lagonda concept has been adopted by BMW and Mercedes for its top models, an ungainly feature admired in the Far East. The relatively small wheels and broad expanse of metal spanning the top of the rear wheel arch and rear window can be seen on the latest Range Rover Discovery, while the whole car has a ‘Volvo XC40’ look about it.

The unique Lagonda Concept was later sold by AML and now lives in a private collection. After 10 years hidden away, by special arrangement with the Aston Martin Heritage Trust and its owner the controversial luxury SUV received its first public viewing at the 2019 AMOC Spring Concours.

As for future of the Lagonda brand and the possibility of a large electric/hybrid seeing the light of day, while AML has enough on its plate right now, don’t write off the possibility of any non-ICE SUV looking very similar to the once much-derided Lagonda LUV. It’s what concepts are for.

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