ASTON MARTIN OWNERS CLUB

.25” wrap to back cover
WINTER 2011-2012
Issue No. 33
ASTON MARTIN OWNERS CLUB
North America Quarterly Journal
$12.50 US / $12.00 CDN
Aston Podium at 60th Sebring
An Entrants View of Kuwait 2012
Carozzeria Allemano to Zagato
The VANTAGE POINT
Aston Martin Owners Club
North America Quarterly Journal
Winter 2011-2012
AMOC NA East Chair & Publisher
Jim Hazen
Executive Editor
Bob Epstein
Senior Managing Editor
Richard “Nick” Candee
Managing Editor—West
Guy Simpson
Editor—West Coast
Kohei Saito
Art Director / Designer
Bruce Crocker / Heather LaPierre
Advertising Director
Jim Hazen
(617) 515-3695
Copy Editors
John David, Robert Obie
Mark Ransome, Jane Ransome
Photographers
Robert Dennis — West
CJ Gutch — East
Tim Cottingham — UK
from the Editor
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Welcome New Contributors Chris Bolz and Andy Pargh!
I would like to take this opportunity to
recognize some new contributors to this
edition of The Vantage Point.
Chris Bolz is a family physician living
in Eugene, OR with his beautiful wife
of 34 years, Heidi. He has been in the
AMOC over a decade. His contribution
of the article on coachbuilt DB2 Aston
Martins came from seeing one at this past
summer’s Kirkland Concours. As we had
recently featured coachbuilt DB2s from
Graber and Bertone, we felt an article
further investigating the type would be
interesting. The resulting article speaks for
itself. An additional Graber DB2 has come
to light and was featured at the Bonham’s
annual Aston Martin auction.
Andy Pargh, also known as The Gadget
Guru, started in sales and marketing
of new items such as calculators, digital watches, VCRs, telephone answering
machines and cordless phones. He recognized in himself a talent for explaining
these new gadgets to people and started
a weekly TV news segment in Nashville
showing and telling new devices. This led
to a syndicated newspaper column and
eventually a biweekly segment on NBC’s
Today Show. His article on the Cavallino
Classic will hopefully not be Andy’s last
for the quarterly.
Jim Utaski, who contributed previously his experience at the Villa D’Este
Concours D’Elegance, has been an Aston
Martin owner since 1990. His first Aston,
DB4/801L, was the Road & Track test car
in 1962. A graduate of Northwestern and
Harvard Business School, where he saw
“all the great ‘60s sportscars he couldn’t
have”, he has spent 40 years in the business world, the majority of the time in
the Mergers and Acquisitions department
of Johnson & Johnson. His report from
Kuwait speaks for itself.
Thanks to all who have made contributions to The Vantage Point.
THE VANTAGE POINT
aspires to reflect the values and
spirit of Aston Martin: Innovation,
Quality, Performance.
We are committed to both inform
and entertain our membership,
but moreover to provide context
for connection and exploration,
and fanning the flames of our
common passion.
The Vantage Point (formerly the AMOC Quarterly) is the
official publication of the Aston Martin Owners Club—
North America, and published by the AMOC-NA Section
East. Statements appearing in The Vantage Point are those
of the authors and do not necessarily represent the position
of the Aston Martin Owners Club or its officers. We reserve
the right to edit all materials as necessary and may refuse
content that is not Aston Martin Owners Club related, or
otherwise not deemed relevant, at the discretion of the Editor.
The Vantage Point is published quarterly for members of the
Aston Martin Owners Club, a non-profit corporation.
Submissions to the Editor:
[email protected]
Deadlines are 30 days after the start of each
calendar quarter, for the next quarter issue.
On the cover: The 2007 V8 Vantage of Kevin Whalen. With the power upgrade performed by Aston Martin Lotus Motorsports
in Waltham, Massachusetts, the car is a five time veteran attendee at the Montreal Grand Prix. The car is described as fast,
comfortable and a crowd pleaser; one year the car got a thumbs up from Mark Webber who was returning from the circuit after
practice. The car recently raised $2400 at a charity auction for 826 Boston, a youth writing and tutoring center in Roxbury,
Massachusetts. For $2400, the lucky bidder won a day trip to the Paul Russell restoration shop in Essex, Massachusetts, a
personal tour of the facility donated by Alex Finigan, and lunch at Woodman’s Restaurant. Cover photo by Bruce Crocker.
www.amoc.org
1
Table of Contents
from the editor
1Bob
Epstein
classic 2012
32cavallino
Andy Pargh
4
restoration
38Feltham
Mike Stone
HOTWIRE!
West
5Out
George Wood
yacht club
44milwaukee
Henry Matson
east
5back
Jim Hazen
memoriam: walter (whitey) jezewski
46in
Chet Floyd
­ MIDWEST WINTER WARM-UP DINNER
Henry Matson
6
n memoriam: anita Hart
50IChet
Floyd
­ boca raton concours d’elegance
James Edmonds
new members
8
­
52
line
14racing
Sebring 2012 — James Edmonds
classifieds
concours d’elegance
22kuwait
Jim Utaski
upcoming events
specials of the ‘50s and ‘60s
28am
Chris Bolz
56Club Directory
53
54
Photo by Bruce Crocker
2
HOTWIRE!
ATTENTION TRAINSPOTTERS!
Gear needed: Telephoto lens, keen eye, a
bit of skullduggery and a website to track
all One-77s. A new site­—The One-77
Register www.astonone-77.com has been
launched to catalog all known examples
of the One-77 supercar. The site features
photos and location of sightings for each
one listed. My favorite has to be the baby
pink example seen in Switzerland.
Could it be the world’s greatest reward
for a Mary Kay Cosmetics top performer?
We’ll never tell. [Still waiting for the Cygnet website.— Ed.]
Photos courtesy of bestcars
4
AMOC-NA/west
AMOC-NA/East
OUT WEST
BACK EAST
Another year is here and three big events
in the West have already gone by. January
21 was the annual track day at Thunderhill
Raceway. This winter event has never seen
rain and didn’t this time either, though strong
storms swept through during rounds of margaritas and food the night before. The fear
of wet weather kept numbers a bit low this
year, but that meant unlimited track access for all who attended,
and there was a very good showing of our Members from the
Southern California area. Included in the day were free instruction, a catered breakfast, lunch that was sponsored by Los Gatos
Luxury Cars, as well as test drives of the Rapide and Virage. As
always, the staff at Thunderhill couldn’t have been more helpful,
and were kind enough to let our photographers join the track
workers in the flag towers in order to obtain some excellent
pictures. Thanks to everyone who participated.
April 13-15 saw Aston Martin Racing debut their V8 Vantage
GTE car on the West Coast in the Long Beach Grand Prix
weekend, where AMR was competing in the American Le Mans
Series. The practice session was unfortunately cut short by heavy
rains, forcing organizers to fashion a starting grid that left the
Aston starting in last place, despite being second fastest before the
black flag was dropped. Nevertheless, drivers Darren Turner and
Adrian Fernandez put on a stellar performance to have the car in
5th place at the end of the race. AMOC members also had the
opportunity to take advantage of the hospitality offered by AMR,
and the day ended with a champagne toast for a job well done.
The following weekend, April 20-22 was the North South
meet in Morro Bay. This year it was the North’s turn to host the
event, and Don and Terry Lovasik did a fantastic job organizing
this getaway weekend. Friday evening there was a reception for
all of the participants, then a drive on Saturday and lunch hosted
by Gary and Brooke Moore, along with other activities to fill
out the day before the club dinner. We now look forward to the
South hosting next year’s meet.
As I write this, AMR are back at Laguna Seca for another
round of racing in the ALMS. So it’s time to go cheer them on.
Hope to see you there!
Over the past several years I’ve periodically
sent out an email asking NA East members
to vote in the AMOC elections in the UK. I
very much appreciate those that were able to
do this. It’s had a positive impact and represents a level of involvement that is not lost on
members in the UK.
Most recently there was an election for
Chairman. The two men running for the position were Ian
Barclay and John Goldsmith. I know both personally and think
very highly of each. The election went for John and he is the
new Chairman of the AMOC.
While I believe either candidate would have been a fine
choice, John represents a new direction for the AMOC and it
will be a good one. Over the term of the previous Chairman
there was controversy and some animosity over decisions made.
It reached a head over a significant financial loss from AMOC
club racing activities in 2011. The racing activities have been
subsequently spun off and are now run under the auspices of an
external organization.
John moved quickly to mend fences and put plans in place
to reinvigorate the Club after a period of negative results. John
and his wife Gillian have been visitors to our events and they are
friends with many of us here in North America. John’s election
is a good result for the future of the AMOC, for our interests in
North America as well as for the Club around the world.
Also, in previous messages in this space I’ve asked for your
energy and your time to help organize events AMOC NA East.
Two persons are due recognition for stepping up and doing just
that in recent months. One is Charlie Rose for organizing the
Rally and Tour of Gulfstream Aerospace and the other is Marc
Fierman for organizing the Beach Boys weekend. They along
with our great group of Area Representatives are what make our
group so special. My sincere thanks goes out to them all.
I hope to see you in 2012
Enjoy the drive!
—Jim Hazen, Chairman – Section East
Kind regards,
—George Wood, Chairman – Section West
Photo courtesy of Aston Martin Media
5
chicago
MIDWEST WINTER
WARM-UP DINNER
By Henry Matson
On the evening of Saturday, February
4, members, and spouses of the Midwest
AMOC met for dinner at the Glen View
Club in Golf, Illinois near Chicago. The
Glen View Club was founded in 1897 by
John Dewes. The club sits on approximately 200 acres of land. O. C. Simonds,
one of the Club’s first 100 members, was
responsible for planning and developing
the Club grounds, along with fellow member Daniel Burnham. The original building
was destroyed by fire in the 1920s and the
current building was constructed on the
same site.
We were all hosted by Bob Albert, a
member of this beautiful club. Cocktails
were served in the anteroom of the private
Chick Evans room where we were to dine
as the members assembled. After a quorum
was present we entered the dining room at
sat down for dinner.
Everyone reviewed the menu and chose
their dinner for the evening. Conversation
filled the room as the members recalled
events from the year just past. Food was
expertly served and everyone seemed to
enjoy the wonderfully prepared and presented meals.
After the main course was consumed
I addressed the group to recognize the
accomplishments of several of our Midwest
members. The weekend before this dinner,
Members Jim Causey and family, Peter
Conover and I and my wife, Peggy had
traveled to England for the 2011 Clubs
Awards presentation at the club’s headquarters at the “Barn”. Jim had received
the Oskar Ruegg Memorial Trophy for
his outstanding service by an International
Member as the prior Midwest Area Rep.
Peter had received the Horace Wilmhurst
Trophy as the best newcomer to concours
The Glen View Club
Peter Conover and the
Horace Wilmhurst Trophy
Eddie Manelis and the
Aston Martin Lagonda
and Richard Stafferton
Trophies and The Fastest
V8 Award
Jim Causey and the Oskar
Ruegg Memorial Trophy
6
after the completion of a five and one-half
year restoration of his 1957 DB Mark III
and entry in several concours events in
2011.
In addition, at the 2011 Lime Rock
event in June, Eddie Manelis had won
three awards with his 1976 Aston Martin
V8. These included the Aston Martin
Lagonda Trophy for the best V8 with his
participation in tour, concours, and race
events, the Fastest V8 with his time of 1
minute 13.1 seconds around Lime Rock
Race Track, and the Richard Stafferton
Trophy for traveling the farthest to Lime
Rock at 890 miles one way.
Desserts and coffee were served and
conversation continued for some period
of time. Last year was certainly a great one
for the Midwest Area of the AMOC. We
all had a wonderful time and are looking
forward to the new year ahead.
Dinner attendees, left to right: Peggy Matson, Eric Peng,
Wayne & Colete Hedien, Jon Hauser, Jean Stone,
Kristi Sloniger, Peter Conover, Eddie Manelis, Jan &
Jim Causey, Bob Albert, Henry Matson, Elliot & Sally
Kamenear
florida
ASTON MARTIN
FEATURED MARQUE AT BOCA RATON
CONCOURS D’ELEGANCE
By James Edmonds
The sixth annual Boca Raton Concours d’Elegance kicked off
Friday evening at the Boca Raton Executive Airport on 24 Febuary
2012, as Palm Beach and Broward society members were mingled
at hangers with friends, colleagues and owners of the stars themselves…the cars! Modern exotica—McLaren MP4 12C, Ferrari
FXX, Bugatti Veyron, Alfa 8C Competitzione—mixed with classics, e.g. the 007 Aston Martin V8 and the DBS in which Mrs.
Bond succumbed. A memorable event for some 2,500 people!
The Concours was held on Sunday at the Boca Raton Resort
and Club on the golf course driving range. Sponsored by Rick
Case Automotive, show proceeds support local chapters of Boys
and Girls Clubs of America. The event is run primarily by local car
club volunteers, and whether they admit it, they have a thoroughly
enjoyable time.
The show features something for everyone, from microcars
to muscle cars, from Dodges to Duesenbergs, with everything in
8
between. This year the featured marque was Aston Martin, celebrating their 100th anniversary (this date has been the topic of
many a heated bar room noggin and natter mind you, with dates
as late as 1921 being mentioned!) as well as the 50th year of the
James Bond franchise. The class was huge at 23 cars—more than
the normal two or three seen at most of the British car shows.
Yours truly was the Field Steward for the Aston class, and I was
thrilled, as an AMOC Member for 32 years! Although sans Aston
at present (I’m still waiting for the right car to find me again!), I felt
right at home meeting many owners and Club Members whom I
had not met previously.
We had some gorgeous cars in the Aston class with a pre-war 2
litre 15/98, a couple of early DB2s—Tom Smith (also performing
judging duties) with his lovely example and show director Russell
Glace’s car displayed in bare polished aluminium. There was a
DB2 DHC, a DB Mk III DHC belonging to Emmet Smith, who
garnered a “Best Post War Open Sports Car” trophy; a DB4 convertible resplendent in Aston Racing Green and an ultra rare DB5
Vantage convertible. A sole Newport Pagnell V8 Volante shared
the grass with new cars, including several V8 Vantages, as well as
open and closed versions of the DBS and DB7 Zagato. A new
V12 Vantage was a pleasant surprise as was my personal favourite,
a 2005 DBR9. One distinguished gentleman brought seven of the
Astons and eleven other beauties, from Ferrari, Rolls, McLaren,
Porsche and Jaguar! I wish I had thought of “memory foam”, as it
seems to have served him rather well!
The Race Car class had a lovely 1953 DB2/4 with Brian
Newton of Automotive Restorations/Vintage Racing Services,
Stratford, CT. They acquired the car in 1991 and prepared it for a
customer to run in the Carrera Panamericana. The car successfully
completed the race and was then disassembled ready for a rebuild
that never came. After collecting dust in shop rafters for almost 20
years, VRS reacquired and re-commissioned the forlorn machine.
10
Now in the hands of Josh Lewis it is ready for action once again.
It was interesting to see Bond Astons from the Dezer Collection,
including the OHMSS DBS, the A License to Kill V8, the Goldeneye
DB5, and the Die Another Day Vanquish.
Out of all the production Astons, the one that created the most
buzz was the 1960 DB4GT/0135/L of Jack Thomas. The car
raced at Sebring in 1961, but retired in the seventh hour. It has
passed through the hands of custodians mindful of its provenance.
The GT remains in beautiful original condition with a priceless
patina. The red interior has the atmosphere and aroma of many
fun hours at the wheel and befits the condition of the 50 years
old body. The ultra thin alloy coachwork has lovely small ripples
along the tops of the wings, where mechanics of yore leaned over
to work on the engine, and the fuel cap still has the welded loops
for the plombeur’s locking wire. This kind of “preservation class”
car is fast becoming the darling of Concours judges as you can
literally smell and see the history that it wears so evocatively. As
Photos by Andy Pargh and James Edmonds. Left to right: Emmet Smith; Jack Thomas and DB4GT/0135L; Field Marshal Tom Smith
the owner rightly says, “You are only original once!”
Many Pebble Beach cars made the show this year, e,g, the Ghia
bodied DB2 “Supersonic” (See cover story in TVP #32, Fall 2011).
This one off car was driven in the ‘50s by F1 star Harry Schell and
was found by its current co-owners, James Patterson of Louisville
(with the car at the show) and Brian Joseph, languishing in an open
junk yard in Detroit. Jim was unaware of what they’d bought, just
thought that it looked “cool”. Fortunately he is one of the owners
of well renowned restoration facility, Classic and Exotic Service in
Troy MI, and brought the car back to former glory, making many
parts from scratch. This car was virtually unknown even to the
folks at Aston Martin or AMOC, having disappeared in the late
‘50s. What a thrill to see this Aston resurrected!
Other British classics includes several XK Jaguars, Allards, Alvis,
a large class of ALL genuine Shelby Cobras (unfortunately, guest of
honour, “Ol’ Shel” himself, was unable to make the event due to
health concerns), spectacular vintage Rolls Royces and Bentleys, as
well as new Astons and McLarens.
12
The judging at this show is more formal that the “popular vote”
which is the norm at most British car shows, but not the same
“white glove” fastidiousness of Pebble Beach. It falls somewhere
in between with “French Judging”, where the cars are judged
by their beauty and eye appeal only. No engines are required to
be displayed and no mechanicals are checked for operation. This
makes it quite an easy affair and the owners need not be present
for judging – another logistical nightmare avoided, as most of them
enjoyed the delectable wares of local luxury restaurants in the
Concours Des Gourmet pavilion.
The quality of stunning, voluptuous show cars this year
marked a new high, and as more wrinkles are ironed out, I hope
more of these one-of-a-kind cars will visit south Florida and
make this event mentioned in the same breath as Pebble Beach
and Amelia Island.
Be on the lookout this time next year if you would like a day
out with cars of a different flavour. You won’t be disappointed.
More information: www.bocaratonconcours.com
RACING LINE
SEBRING 2012: ASTON MARTIN
AMONG 60 YEARS OF STORIES
By James Edmonds
14
“A Sleepy Little Town Called Sebring” is how Mario Andretti described
the center of the Sunshine State. Although the former WWII airfield now
hosts year round historic and private events, Sebring is still unknown
to most people. But Sebring was made famous by the annual 12 hour
race that in 2012 saw its 60th anniversary; now every March, 150,000
dedicated fans make the pilgrimage.
15
The race has long since taken on mythical status; to many, this is
racing Mecca. Although the 24 Heures du Mans is still Granddaddy
of them all, LM has, over recent years in my opinion, become so
commercial that it has diluted the purity of the event.
Sebring, although evolved from 1952, retains the essential
flavor that made it popular way back when. Fans can still talk to
their heroes, see cars up close—in the paddock and on track; the
party runs all weekend long; the cars are as diverse now as they
ever were—perhaps even more so. Most importantly, the event
remains dedicated to fans—the key to its long lived success.
The early morning drive into Sebring is usually cool and
misty, with the scent of orange groves. As Florida sun burns
away the mist, and the engines start, the orange blossom aroma is
replaced with the smell of burnt ethanol, brakes and clutches—as
groggy campers stumble from tents to the sound of engines revving early and often.
Vacation for some means a cruise or an island getaway. For
me it means a Big Race, and in 2012, Sebring was one of those
memorable events that leave you with a warm glow, feeling
that you’ve been up on the podium spraying the Champers.
Everything—friends and camaraderie; balmy weather; gourmet
food; cars and stars came together in a rarified weekend of serendipity as one for the ages—a legend in my journal of Sebring
pub tales.
My longtime race partner, Dave Lobou PhD and other friends
trekked early Thursday to our traditional spot off the famous
“Midway”. We set up camp, but our famous mouth-watering
camp food was replaced by culinary delights of Chef Claude
in the Audi hospitality building! After weeks of wrangling, I
procured enough hospitality passes for ‘my’ team. One benefit:
witnessing the unveiling of Audi’s newest Le Mans challenger,
the R18 e-tron quattro by Audi Sport Chief Wolfgang Ullrich,
driver Emanuele Pirro as well as race engineers Brad Kettler and
Leena Gade [the first female race engineer to win Le Mans—Ed.].
One fluke was meeting my very favourite automotive author,
Peter Egan. In pre-race planning, I made ready several Audi
press fleet cars for VIP guests. Receiving the spread sheet with
cars and their assignments, my heart raced when I saw Peter’s
name there. Not sure if we would meet him, I had made a CD
of my choice jottings and was going to leave it on ‘his’ TTRS
in the Audi parking area, but, we sat down for coffee early on
Friday, finding ourselves next to The Poet himself. Chatting
with him would have been enough, but Dr. Dave, an equally big
fan, was delighted at having Peter sign a book that he’d brought
along (just in case).
I will not hold my breath while awaiting my call from Road
& Track though!
Armed with pit passes, golf cart (the most essential bit of race
kit), camera and voice recorder, we set off to find what makes
Sebring Sebring from the British perspective. We met sports car
glitterati from past and present, with their captivating stories!
You can read about racing elsewhere. “Race? What race?” is our
motto—it’s the back stories that make Sebring special.
Cars racing here were not always the super-hi-tech multimillion dollar machines that we are used to today. When Sebring
started the cars were little more than race prepped road cars that
could be purchased for very little money.
I chatted with Mike Barrett, former BMC competitions manager who saw action here in the early ‘60s. “They tried to get me
16
SEBRING,
ALTHOUGH
EVOLVED
FROM 1952,
RETAINS THE
ESSENTIAL
FLAVOR THAT
MADE IT
POPULAR
WAY BACK
WHEN.
to write a book, but quite frankly, if we’d written it honestly and
colorfully, there would have been at least a half-dozen divorces!
We just knew too much. I was diverting flights and procuring
airline hostesses. It was actually written into some contracts that
we provide the driver with suitable female companionship.”
Priceless. “Once one of the MGBs went through a fence at
Sebring and destroyed the windscreen. The car limped back to
the pits, but we’d made no provisions to replace a windscreen,
so I sent two mechanics down the paddock to find a car—we
never bothered to find out who the owner was—we just took
the windscreen out of his car and got it into the race car as soon
as possible, but not before being detained by the local plod! We
did leave a note on his car, and after the race we wined and dined
him and paid all his expenses, so he had a good story to tell!”
BMC and Mike Barrett had many famous names racing
the cars besides hundreds of privateers—Steve McQueen, Paul
Newman (who the team had arrested as a gag at Lime Rock for
impersonating an actor!), Stirling Moss, Pedro Rodriquez and a
certain Bob Tullius.
Bob Tullius has headquartered Group 44, Inc. at Sebring airport for many years. If you know Clive Cussler’s novels, picture
Dirk Pitt’s airport hangar to imagine what Tullius’ place looks
like—immaculate, with cars and planes neatly arranged, an office
off to the side. Bob was to drive the freshly restored Group 44
XJR7 on parade laps before the race, but reveled in enlightening us on earlier times and how the team name was born: “It
came about right here. My first race at Sebring was in 1963 with
the pseudo-factory Triumph team. I had just won two national
championships in ’62 AND ’63 and was synonymous with the
number 44. I didn’t approve of the name Tullius Racing, so it
made sense to use the number in a logo somehow. One of my
partners wrote Group 44 on a napkin, and the logo even now
is in his penmanship. The backwards numbers happened accidentally. In my first year as a club racer, my then wife put the
number pattern on the contact paper upside down. We didn’t
have enough numbers, so we put the backwards numbers on the
trunk lid thinking no one would notice it, but they did, and once
you see it, you never forget it.”
Next stop was the Aston Martin Racing garage. AMR is
fielding a brand new Vantage GTE in the FIA World Endurance
Championship, with Sebring as first event on the calendar.
Oxford-based AMR stalwart Darren Turner is the longest
serving driver on the squad, with AMR since he won here on
the debut of the DBR9 in 2005. He has since won the GT1 class
twice at Le Mans, and has driven all of the Aston racers to have
come out of Prodrive, including last year’s ill-fated AMR One
LMP1 challenger which suffered public humiliation at Le Mans
when both cars retired pretty much before the fluids had fully
warmed. How was it to be back in a GT car again? “The LMP
car from last year was a lot different from the LMP car of 2009
and 2010, but I was already doing GT1 World Championship
anyway, so it doesn’t take long to adapt. Now we have the GTE
which is different from the GT1 car and I have to learn where
the limits are. It’s still early in development though.”
The earlier iteration driven by Lord Drayson had its share of
long-race reliability issues and I quizzed Darren on this. “There
have been one or two niggly things that weren’t show stoppers.
They need to be improved, especially for Le Mans, but we have
a general package—fingers crossed—that will get us to the end
WHEN
SEBRING
STARTED THE
CARS WERE
LITTLE MORE
THAN RACE
PREPPED
ROAD CARS.
Reggie Smith of Nimrod Aston fame with this year’s drivers.
17
of the race at Sebring.”
Back at Sebring in a GT car rekindles rivalries with old
friends such as Oliver Gavin from lifelong foe Corvette Racing.
“I race a lot of these guys in GT1, so I’m looking forward to it
as it’s hugely competitive, but we’re playing a bit of catch up
with Corvette Porsche, BMW and Ferrari.”
Darren has had fun in recent years racing old cars at the
Goodwood Revival. His DB2 Drophead barn-find will be on
the auction block at Newport Pagnell in May, but this has made
way for another classic: “My mate and I bought an old Zodiac
at auction last year to go club racing. We’ll take it to Goodwood
next year. It’s a totally different driving style, but the aspect I like
most is that it goes back to driving cars just for the sake of driving. It’s my weekend off. I’m there just to enjoy it and I don’t
have to worry about anyone else other than me having some fun.
I’ve driven Minis at Goodwood for the last couple of years and
I love it…it’s amazing.”
I last chatted with DT at Road Atlanta a few years ago.
His horizons have broadened to include his own company,
Base Performance Simulators, catering to drivers whose need
to practice is tempered by test restrictions and the high cost of
track rental. BPS can allow them to test in a controlled environment on state-of-the-art machines featuring wrap around hi-res
screens and F1 chassis for full experience immersion. Plus, if you
toss it at the scenery, you can stop for a cuppa tea if you feel like
it. Anyone need a fun corporate function with expert coaching?
Darren can arrange that as well.
Sebring is a favourite for many, and Darren tells me why he
likes it so much, “2003 was my first time here with the Prodrive
Ferrari. I couldn’t believe the circuit—it was my first time racing in America—and compared to a European circuit, it’s a big
difference. No runs offs, the walls, there’s no gravel traps. It’s
totally different. The first time you come here it’s quite daunting…The second time, you love it because of that. They’ve
kept the true values of going racing and being challenged by the
circuit as much as the cars. It’s up to you then where your limit
is and how much risk you want to take. Look at most international circuits now and they are like parking lots. You have the
racing line between the white lines, but if you make a mistake
there isn’t much of a penalty, other than a few tenths lost, that’s
it. Here if you make a mistake, it’s usually quite costly.”
This storied place always has an electric buzz in the air for
fans and teams alike. Why? “For a lot of us, you’re coming
somewhere warm after a long winter, it’s a massively challenging
circuit, it’s very old school, and it’s cool that you’ll get to catch
up with friends that you haven’t seen for a few months. Once
the season gets under way, you’re in a process—get on a plane,
go to a hotel, go to a race track, do your job and go home. But
this is a whole winter of anticipation. It’s a bit like Christmas
really and that’s why it’s so fondly held by so many drivers.”
Another surprise this year: Morgan returned to the fray with
a Judd powered LMP2 Oak chassis. (Oak in name only—no
timber this time!) Charles Morgan cuts a dashing figure, every
bit the fun loving British gentleman. I happened upon him at the
Morgan garage. At the first “Sebring” in 1952, in front of 6,000
rain sodden fans, a certain Gus Ehrman contested that event—
and was one of several drivers present this year. Charles spins
the yarn: “Gus worked for MG and his car didn’t show up. He
was in a bar and met a chap named Bob Wild who’d turned up
18
THIS
STORIED
PLACE
ALWAYS HAS
AN ELECTRIC
BUZZ IN
THE AIR FOR
FANS AND
TEAMS
ALIKE.
in a Morgan plus Four, brand new, and he persuaded this guy to
let him race the car under his entry. Ehrman won his class and
finished 9th overall—brilliant!”
On old cars: the crowd favorite, historic, had a wide and varied field this year. It was surreal to see MGAs, Healeys, GT40s,
Alpines and Loti ducking for cover as the aforementioned XJR7
and recent Le Mans winning Audi R8s thundered past, both
expertly piloted by Doug Smith—though not at the same time!
Doug is grandson of former race promoter/Sebring Hall of Fame
member Reg Smith, and nephew to Reggie Smith who YOU
may remember raced the Aston Martin Nimrod in 1983 here to
its best ever finish, 1st in class, 5th overall. When listening to an
Audi Sport team driver complaining of closing speeds with the
GT cars, he quipped, “Until you’ve been on track driving an R8
alongside MGAs, I don’t want to hear it!”
Andy Wallace, former Le Mans and Sebring winner with
Jaguar and Audi, was on hand with Rogers Motorsport, campaigning their other R8. “The 12 hours is always referred to as
being worse than Le Mans in terms of endurance for the car and
the driver. It is without doubt the bumpiest track in the world.
Favourite win here? I remember in 1992 having just come back
from LM endurance tests in Australia with Toyota. That car had
so much downforce, that after a week of hitting a flat out left
hand curb at 195 mph, I had two broken ribs. After two 12 hour
flights and only a few days break, I had to race like that. It was
only two drivers then, but we won. After the race, team owner
Dan Gurney asked me why I hadn’t told him. I said, ‘What do
you think, Dan?’ ”
Crowd favourite, consummate professional, Audi blueblood
(and member of the overall winning Audi driver trio), wee Scot
Allan McNish is always armed with a good tale—“2009 was one
of the best races. We had a tooth and nail fight with Peugeot
right to the end. It was the first race for the R15 and it was the
best balanced car I’ve ever had—it was absolutely stunning. I
remember passing GT cars right round the outside of turn one
and thinking, ‘Crikey! I’ve never had anything this sure footed
underneath me!’ Towards the end of the race I had to pull out
a gap doing qualifying type laps for our strategy, and it worked.
We won the race.”
Then, there’s Derek Bell. From a current champion, to an
endurance racing legend and bon vivant, Derek has done it all.
Although never an overall winner at Sebring, the place holds
fond memories for him. “I came here in ’71 and said never again.
It throws so much at you. You get these balls of rubber that jam
up the brake pedal and it sticks under the throttle so you can’t
get the throttle open; it’s chaotic; there’s the smell of food from
the campsites that make you want to throw up; there’s dust and
dirt and bits of car lying around the boonies, but it’s an amazing
place. I think I came back about 20 more times! I just did three
laps in a GT40 and it was fabulous. It was just the same.”
Reggie Smith enjoyed the AMR hospitality when we met the
team to chat about differences between his era and theirs. I’ll give
the last recollection to him, as he has more history with Sebring
than just about anyone else living today. He lived it—literally.
His memories are not all rose tinted, and serve in counterpoint to
other warm, fuzzy comments. “The drivers back then were real
people—not properly coiffed and managed. They were clowns
with none of the trappings of modern drivers. They were incredibly happy times, but punctuated with tragedy and the reality was
The ‘works’ Vantage was the only Aston Martin
fielded this year, and the seasoned team of Darren
Turner, Stefan Mucke and Adrian Fernandez did
a masterful job with a car just as fresh as the
local orange juice. Starting 9th in class, Darren
had the car in the class lead after 80 minutes,
proving the car to be the equal of the ultra-competitive and more established field. Heading into
the evening, the car lost a rear wheel, and with it
25 valuable minutes while repairs were effected.
With seven cars on the lead lap at one point, this
kind of penalty nixed the team’s very real chance
of a strong podium finish and put an end to an
otherwise faultless run. The car did soldier on
with spectacularly fast laps to finish third in the
World Endurance Championship and 10th among
the ALMS GTE Pro competitors, thus exceeding
the team’s expectations on this maiden run and
showing real hope for the upcoming season.
that this is no game show—you can’t come back and have another
go. But then, Sebring has a place in history forever.”
I had been asked to write for British Marque club newspaper,
which provided a press credential. I hadn’t needed to use it, as over
the years I learned to use charm and a little bit of cheek to get into
restricted areas. At race end, after the Audis marched to an impressive, yet predictable overall triumph, I attended the post-race press
conference. A quick flash of the pass got me in and I took the front
row center seat—the first one in. Victors from the winning R18
Ultra—McNish, Kristensen and Capello—were cheered as they
came in beaming and laden with trophies, ribbons and Champagne
bottles. After fielding questions, the trio departed to make room for
the succession of other class winners. I noted that Dindo Capello
left his podium Champagne bottle on the edge of the table.
Okay, no one ever accused me of being shy and although spraying the Champers is still a dream, I did collect Dindo’s bottle as I
retreated from the press room and it now resides in my collection
as reminder of our extraordinary trip!
And so, another vacation over. We broke camp Sunday morning, and as we left the track with teams and vendors, the partying
over, the sounds and smells of race engines gone, Sebring was again
becoming that ‘sleepy little town’.
Until next year that is. Not long now!
19
Aston Makes Grand Am Debut at Daytona in January, Shows Promise
Aston Martin Racing has paired with Toronto-based Multimatic
Motorsports to enter a pair of white Vantage GT4s in the GrandAm series, and began its campaign on 27 January at Daytona.
Scott Maxwell and Joe Foster will drive the lead car, #55, while
heart-throb Patrick Dempsey—a talented racer in his own right—
will drive the second car,alongside Chris Porritt, Aston Martin’s
chief engineer and a vastly experienced Vantage GT4 driver.
20
The Aston showed encouraging potential by leading the early
phase of the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge (CTSCC)
series opener at the Daytona - a field of 81 cars. Final result was
16th overall for #55.
Dempsey and Porritt finished 32nd in the Grand Sport category
after both crews suffered punishing delays.
ASTONS REIGN
AT THE 2012
KUWAIT
CONCOURS
D’ELEGANCE
22
By Jim Utaski
Aston Martins featured prominently at
the newest major international show, the
Kuwait Concours d’Elegance. Now in its
third year, this still improving event on the
concours circuit strives to quickly achieve
international importance and recognition.
Its location in Kuwait, in the heart of the
Middle East, hard by the Persian Gulf,
makes it unique in many ways beyond
Costume and Custom. It is hosted by
the Former Prime Minister of Kuwait,
His Highness Sheik Nasser Mohammed
Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah, who is himself an avid
car aficionado. It is clear Sheik Nasser has a
world-class event in mind with improving
the experience for all involved.
Before going to the impressive lineup of Astons, I’ll share some of the other
unusual characteristics of this event.
The cars are available to public viewing
for three days, instead of the usual one-day
10:00 AM to 4:00 PM schedule. Did I say
days? The largest crowds appear after dark
and under stadium quality outdoor lighting.
Likely due to the usual heat of day, most of
the tours/crowds build quickly after sundown. The Sheik himself toured and spoke
with each exhibitor on Wednesday night at
the Opening Ceremony, along with a large
entourage including TV cameras, paparazzi
and the Chief Judge, Leonardo Fioravanti.
Mr. Fioravanti was Director of Design at
Pininfarina for 24 years during which many
legendary designs became Ferrari reality.
Something for everyone is another characteristic easily sensed. There were 60 invited Concours Cars in four Historic Classes
divided by build years. Also expected were
10 Racing Cars and further nine Grand Prix
Cars. The inclusion of 16 “Muscle Cars”
of the 1960s/70s, all U.S. made, is a move
toward the unusual, as are the Hollywood
full-size movie cars from the PIXAR animated movie CARS—Lightning McQueen
anyone? Kids loved it. If you’re counting, that’s over 100 cars, each class set to
an appropriate background of their own.
Frankly, I was a bit jealous of the Grand
Prix cars’ location behind blue velvet ropes
set aside a stone sea wall facing the flotilla of
yachts in the Harbor at the Marina.
The depth of international owner representation was also unexpected. Of the 57
cars actually present in the Concours Class
of Historics, 17 different countries were
represented. Included in the list beyond
Kuwait were owners from Pakistan, Egypt,
Japan, Bahrain, with most all the European
countries represented, and with five entries
from the U.S.A.
A hard cover book of photos and histories of all the entries is published with 2 to 4
pages devoted to each car in two languages,
a remarkable keepsake.
You know you are somewhere “ELSE”
when you see a camel being guided along
the seashore, or hear dignified ceremonial
chanting. Then, exotic palm trees you can
only imagine seeing in Las Vegas, with
many spectators in traditional ladies dress in
black robes and men in white.
Another aspect of the event you might
not expect from a new concours, unless
they have high aspirations, was the level
of experience among the large group of
Judges. To pick just a few names familiar
in the U.S.: Marek Reichman, Director of
Design for Aston Martin; CEO Ulrich Bez
of Aston Martin; Horst Bruning, president of FIVA; Sandra Button, Executive
Director of Pebble Beach Concours
d’Elegance; and Andrea Zagato, current
head of Coachwork Zagato.
There was also a chance for the public to
see all the cars, not just winners, do a parade
lap around the Marina, although some of
the more enthusiastic entrants chose to do
a lap or two outside the official grounds
on Kuwait city streets. (See Don Rose or
Daniel Waltenberg article as side bar).
Speaking of sights which spark the
imagination, one of the offered tours was
into the surrounding desert: imagine a football field of sand covered with Persian rugs,
kites flying in a desert wind, and minarets
of the City left behind,and you have Walt
23
Disney’s Middle East vision of flying carpets, Sultan’s Arabian horses, camels and
falcons aside white tents at a Palm studded
oasis coming alive in our imagination if not,
in reality.
Back at the Concours, the sight of rare
machines like a Ferrari 250GT Breadvan in
red, or a Maserati 250F Tipo 61 “Birdcage”,
or the Silver and Blue 1938 Talbot Lago
150 “Teardrop coupe”, the eventual Best
of Show Winner brought by Chip Connor,
Hong Kong, brings you back to the fact
you came here for a very unique car show.
THE ASTONS REIGN
Before you even enter the Concours
Cars area, you are treated to a huge display
at the Aston Martin Outdoor Showroom
specially built in an all white and glass twostory structure.
All the current offerings are there,
including the latest production version
of the V12 Aston Martin Zagato. Works
Service offered a smaller display, including
a DB5 and DB2/4. Overseeing the lot,
Managing Director of the Aston Martin
Works Service, Kingsley Riding-Felce,
clearly would have won a prize though
24
not offered for the Briton Best Dressed all
four days.
If you are keen to see Vintage Astons,
including those you may not know existed, this was a missed opportunity. Let’s
start with the oldest Aston—a one-of-one
1923 Aston Martin Side-Valve Racing Car,
owned by U.S. AMOC West member,
Peter Read, appropriately shown by Pete
Racely. The next rarity was a 1939 Aston
Martin 15/98 Open Sports, coachwork by
Abbey, one of 25 of this model entered
and shown by the AMOC East Vice Chair
Don Rose.
The next, a 1949 DB2 Prototype, one
of four—this one built for Sir David Brown
himself, and originally used for his personal transport. It was raced by the next
owner in the 1950 Targa Florio and Coppa
Intereuropa at Monza. This car was last seen
at Villa d’Este in 2010,and is now owned by
Swiss AMOC Member Daniel Waltenburg.
Can we get rarer yet? How about a racing 1953 DB3 not in Spyder form? Yes, a
Coupe, another custom car built for racing
in the 1953 racing season. Its best finish: a
7th Place at Goodwood. Wait, there’s more.
David Brown’s daughter later owned it for
three years and also raced it. She also had the
only Aston custom wood dashboard installed.
This owner also AMOC, Swiss Section, Uls
Mueller, tells me he has only shown the car
twice at Concours since 1998 as it is still used
for racing throughout Europe.
The award for Class C runner-up, 1946
to 1960, was taken by a 1958 DB2/4 Mark
I in Green owned by Ali Mustafa Mahkseed
of Kuwait. He was overjoyed at the Awards
Ceremonies with a Class Award given the
pedigree of the 19 cars in this remarkable class. The fourth Aston in this Class,
1958 Aston Martin DB2/4 Mark III also
of Kuwait in Cream is owned by Sheik
Mubarak S. Al-Sabah.
In Class D, 1961 to 1975, an Aston
regally sat last seen at Villa D’Este in 2011.
It’s another rarity, one of 19, the 1963
Aston Martin DB4GT Zagato owned by
AMOC U.K. Member, William Loughran.
No surprise here, the Zagato won the
Award for Best European Car. It received
even more than the usual high attention as
it could be easily compared with the latest
V12 Aston Zagato with its designer Andrea
Zagato present. This DB4GT/0189 was the
last Zagato GT built.
This Class D Winner among 15 entrants
was a recently completed restoration by
the Aston Works Service itself: a 1966
Aston Martin DB6 Short Chassis
Volante owned by Mohammed Rezam
AlRoumi of host country, Kuwait.
It was Ivory with Crimson Connolly
leather and top, one of the short run
of only 37 cars on the remaining DB5
Chassis.
As we near “overheating” on the
one-off’s, Brown’s ownership, and the
short production runs, I close with
another very unusual one-off. A 1972
Aston Martin DBS Ogle Design owned
by the Kuwait Historic, Vintage &
Classic Cars Museum itself. Based on
the DBS V8, the body was done in
Fiberglass. One unique feature was 22
round holes cut in the Stainless Steel
rear panel. The harder you brake, the
more taillights illuminated. This car
is not stylish in today’s eyes in the
sense of the DB4 to 6 series. Recall
the 1970s also produced other unusual
Aston designs including the razor-like
Lagondas.
In total, there were nine Astons in
the five appropriate Classes, Historic
and Racing, which total 68 cars. Thus,
Astons were a very impressive percent
26
of the total. Perhaps this should not
be surprising since the Aston Martin
Company has a large Kuwaiti-based
shareholding. Outside the judging
field, large assemblies of locally owned
Ferraris, super cars and motorcycle
owners created another major spectator
attraction for all.
Your reporter got to enjoy the event
without my Aston, a 1965 DB5C,
which did not have to fly the necessary
14 hours. The 1955 Siata 208S Spyder
with 2011 Pebble Beach Class win credentials was invited to this show field,
and took home the Trophy for Most
Elegant Open Car.
I close with reporting on a remarkable moment—approached by an elderly gentleman taking pictures, he questioned me:
Q. “Are you American?”
A. “Yes.”
“We love Americans. We could
be living under the rule of Saddam
Hussein!”
WHAT HAPPENS IN KUWAIT,
STAYS IN KUWAIT!
Don Rose
It was only afterwards that Jim reminded me of the
organizers’ instructions: DON’T GO ON THE
PUBLIC ROADS!
Oh well. At the risk of inciting an international
incident, I was dying to drive my 1939 15/98
and—as it turned out—so was Daniel Waltenberg,
owner of UMC272, the ex-Le Mans DB2 prototype from 1949. So after the ‘crescent procession’
we took a hasty stage left onto the coastal highway
leading up to the magnificent Kuwait Towers and
a bit beyond, with UK dealer/aficionado Nicholas
Mee in tow.
(After all, why take your car halfway around
the world without experiencing a bit of local
color, eh?)
The coastal road is jammed but traffic moves
along quickly. There are many fast cars and motorcycles in Kuwait City, and it turns out that there is
a kind of ‘American Graffiti’ scene going on with
the young folks. My impression is that dating in
this Islamic culture is subject to some generally
strict mores, so all the action apparently happens
in moving cars. Porsches and Ferraris do burnouts
for 50 yards and brake to skids in between traffic
while motorcyclists are often seen doing wheelies
for hundreds of feet, while honking their horns at
the young ladies.
So it was this pool that we waded with our
archaic machinery, taking photos of one another
while dodging the multiple mishaps that were
apparent at nearly every intersection. What could
possibly go wrong?
Turned out we became just another circus act
on the roadway, with cars following too close,
honking horns, giving thumbs up or showing off
how much faster they were. Meanwhile we got
a few polite point-bys and had some good fun
shooting our cars at odd angles in front of the
Kuwaiti Towers.
We somehow found our way back to the
Marina, where the police seemed a bit cross
because we’d gone ‘off-piste’ and weren’t quite
sure whether to let us back onto the show field.
This precipitated the only sign of trouble when,
for the first time, my temp gauge went to full tilt
and the radiator began to steam. But all’s well that
ends well, nothing burst as cool heads prevailed
and soon enough we were back in our lineup.
The moral of the story? Ha—there isn’t one,
except that our cars lead us on to great adventures
so when in Kuwait City, don’t hesitate to give it
a go.
1954 DB2 LML/506 by Bertone,
Image courtesy David Wright
28
ASTON MARTIN SPECIALS
OF THE ’50s AND ‘60s
IN EUROPEAN TAILORING:
ALLEMANO TO ZAGATO
By Chris Bolz
I love design. To take the ordinary and
make it extraordinary is truly a gift. The
fact that you are reading this article, in
this magazine, instead of the latest issue of
the Dodge Omni Owners Club magazine,
means you too appreciate the extraordinary. Many of my friends fail to understand
my fascination with the design of the automobile. They view the car as transportation
and nothing more. Four wheels, an engine,
a steering wheel, seats and an exterior that
protects one from the elements are all that
they see and want. I, and I am guessing
you as well, see something more. Recently,
my wife, Heidi and I went to the Allure
of the Automobile at the Portland Art
Museum. In the very front, the first automobile everyone saw was David Sydorick’s
DB4GT Zagato. Apparently, I am not
alone in my love of design.
Aston Martins are not ordinary.
However, there have been those who have
taken the extraordinary Aston and have
made something even more extraordinary.
While very rare, there have been a number
of limited run and one off Astons by spe-
cialty European coachbuilders, tailors that
express a love of design.
Mr. J. O’Hana of Casablanca was such
an individual. He had a DB2/4 tailored to
his taste. LML761 was fitted with a DB3
engine and designed by Giovanni Savonuzzi
of Carrozzeria Allemano. Savonuzzi had
also designed the 202 for Cisitalia. I recently saw this Berlinetta at the Kirkland
Concours in Washington State in 2012.
A beautiful sunny day on the lake was the
Italian style influenced other British
cars as well, with Michelotti styling the
Triumph TR4, and Touring designing
the new pretty Jensen Intereceptor
on the old chassis—although the first
Jensens were built by Vignale before
production moved to England. After
Touring designed the Jensen, their
last Aston project was the two Aston
DBSC coupes done in the late 1960s.
Former editor of the precursor to
this magazine, Steve Smith, then of
Philadelphia, restored the LHD example of the DBSC in the 1980s.—Ed.
perfect venue to see this fantastic car, now
in the Blackhawk Collection. The slightly
recessed headlights and refined nature of
the front is a work of art. At first glance,
I thought this is a wonderful modification
of the DB4, but when I saw that the car
was built in 1953, nearly 5 years before the
DB4, I was even more impressed. Clearly
Touring of Milan had to have seen this car
before designing the DB4. This is one of
my favorite Astons of all time.
S. H. “Wacky” Arnolt was a car distributer in Chicago, Illinois in the 1950s.
He acquired eight DB2/4 chassis from
David Brown and had them sent to Italy for
Bertone to clothe in style. He had done the
same with MGs and Bristols for discriminating clients. LML 502-507, 762 and 765 had
varying designs from two different stylists.
Franco Scaglione created 3 spyders (502, 505
and 507). These are wild cars by anyone’s
definition. Their sharp creased and very
high arched front and rear fenders give them
an almost cartoonish look. A very short
windscreen and projecting headlights add to
the racecar like character. Scaglione refined
Above: LML/506 instruments. Photo by David Wright
29
this look with 762. This was Arnolt’s personal car and it is known as “Indiana”, since
Arnolt had another car facility in Warsaw,
Indiana. For “Indiana”, Scaglione decreased
the height of the fender arches to a single
very gradual curve that goes from front to
back in a less dramatic and more graceful
fashion. A very modern taller curved windscreen with chrome surround is also more
refined than the minimalist windscreen on
the earlier spyders. Scaglione’s final effort
in 1954 was 765, the only berlinetta of the
bunch. The rear window features the wraparound curved look of 762’s front windscreen. That feature would be much copied
in the future. Think Stingray. The fender
creases of the spyders are moved down to
the side of the car beginning at the top of
the front wheel arch and slightly sloping
down through the door. This side crease is
also a styling cue that continues today. That
leaves the lost car, LML503. It is presumed
to have been bodied by Bertone and styled
by Scaglione but its fate is a mystery.
Also at Bertone, stylist Giovanni
Michelotti penned two drophead coupes,
504 and 506. These are more sedate in
appearance compared to the spyders. The
grills are surrounded by significantly more
chrome and with the larger bumpers it gave
the front end a very heavy look compared to
the Scaglione spyders and the berlinetta. The
use of chrome as accent on the side of the
car is much more refined and stylized than
the front and gives a hint to the iconic “letterbox” front fender vent that has been on
nearly every Aston since the 1958 DB4.
Many AMOCers have come to know
the story behind 504. Charles Ward, owner
of Brown & Bigelow publishing and advertising specialties, was presented with this car
30
by his employees. The car was a staggering $13,000 back in 1953 and had a large
number of custom options. Mr. Ward was
quite an adventurer in his earlier days. He
apparently crossed over into Mexico in
his youth and became “quartermaster” for
Pancho Villa. He made a significant amount
of money smuggling drugs and eventually was captured back in the US. There
he was imprisoned in Leavenworth and
became cellmate with Hubert Bigelow. Mr.
Bigelow was there for “tax evasion” from
the 1920s, so we can only guess his true
offense. Eventually they were paroled and
Bigelow hired Ward to help with his new
calendar business. They apparently invented
the pinup calendar but had others featuring Norman Rockwell. Eventually Bigelow
passed away and left the company to Ward.
Mr. Ward was known for giving ex-felons
employment in the firm. They were obviously quite appreciative.
The final Bertone bodied Aston for
sometime came several years later and was
built on the final DB4GT chassis 0201/L.
It was the young Giorgetto Giugiaro who
created the Bertone Jet in 1961. It has a very
short roofline that gradually slopes back with
the C pillar to a longer rounded rear that
perfectly balances with the front of the car.
The bulge on the hood does not have a gaping scoop but a slotted rounded front that is
unified in concept with the whole of the car.
Two separate small front bumpers complement the subtle Aston curve of the grill that
is raked backwards slightly to give the sense
of speed. Gentle arches over front and rear
fenders lighten the look of the car, although
this was the only DB4GT that was made of
steel. I loved this car when I saw it in person
at Pebble Beach in 1997, and it remains one
of my favorite Aston Martins.
The Allemano Berlinetta was not
Savonuzzi’s only Aston Martin. A star of
the 1956 Turin Auto Show was his DB2/4
Mark II, AM300/1132, the “Supersonic”
by another Italian company, Ghia. The car
is anything but subtle and its name hints at
the jet airplane look of the car. A very large
non-Aston looking grill is above a very
aerodynamic thin curved singular bumper.
Front headlights are surrounded by cylindrical extensions of the front fender. A very
prominent crease runs straight the entire
length on the side of the car. The rear end
with slight fins completes the jet like appearance. Savonuzzi designed several cars with
the supersonic theme including the DeSoto
Adventurer II.
Hermann Graber of Switzerland (yes,
there are tailors outside of Italy) designed a
drophead coupe on DB2/4 chassis LML562
in 1954.
The very conservative design has a
Teutonic elegance and simple “less is more”
philosophy. The Bugattiesque grill and lack
of ornamentation of the front is consistent
with the smooth body panels. However, I
think it was Frank Lloyd Wright who said,
“more is more” and the Italians seem to lean
in that direction.
Preceding the extremely close ties
between Aston Martin and Touring of Milan
that lasted a decade with the DB4, DB5 and
DB6, Touring designed three DB2/4 Mark
II cabriolets. Under the guidance of Carlo
“Cici” Anderloni, AM300/1161-3 were
created and debuted at the Turin Auto Show
in 1956 along with the Ghia Supersonic. It is
hard to believe that these two cars were built
on the same chassis. The multiple horizontal
lines of the wide stylized Aston Martin grill
with the singular simple front bumper makes
this car seem low and hugging the ground.
The narrow front fender adds to the effect.
The very smooth door panels without
exterior door handles make for a very clean
look. However the car is not plain looking. Not one, but two hood scoops and
a chrome accented intake vent in front of
each rear wheel and behind the door break
up any hint of monotony. A simple accent
in just the right location is great design. And
you know I love design.
The AMOC Registry mentions another
possible Touring designed car. DB2/4 LML
810 was a special “Disco Volante” built for
Lord O’Neill. Touring had designed the
very funky Disco Volante (Flying Saucer)
Alfa Romeos both in spyder and coupe
forms. A photo of this car shows the resemblance, but it is unknown who actually built
the car.
Vignale is one of my favorite coachbuilders when it comes to Ferrari. Unfortunately
I can’t say they were as successful with
Aston. King Baudouin of Belgium had
DB2/4 chassis LML802 fitted with a body
by Vignale in 1954 It is said that after seeing the car he declined to accept it. After
seeing the front half of this car I say that
the King had excellent taste. The AMOC
Registry also lists LML608 as being bodied by Vignale. It’s last known owner was
Baron de Kergal in Paris in 1960, but no
other details are known.
Last, but far from least and some, including myself, would argue the best tailored
Aston Martins of the late ‘50s and early ‘60s
were the Zagato cars. Ugo Zagato started
building cars in 1919 after building and
designing aircraft. He was the first to build
cars with steel structures instead of wood.
He was the first to craft aluminum bodies.
He was first to integrate exterior lights into
the body of the car. Innovation in design
was who he was.
There were 20 original DB4GT chassis, 0176-0191, 0193, 0199,and 0200 that
were bodied by Zagato and designed by
stylist Ercole Spada. In 1987, 4 unused chassis, 0192 and 0196-8, were given Zagato
bodies as Sanction II cars. [One wrecked
DB4GT chassis was ‘repaired’ with a new chassis/ body slipped under the old chassis plate.—
Ed.] Volumes have been written about these
cars and I feel quite inadequate to write
much more. In a word, I would describe it
as muscular. Not heavy or bulky looking,
but like a guy who is in really good shape.
It is lean through the waist and bulging
at the shoulders and hips. It is like a well-
conditioned athlete rather than Arnold on
steroids. I prefer the look of the 3 bulges on
the hood (I can’t bring my
self to call it a bonnet on this car) rather
than an open scoop because they go with
the overall theme of the car. The front end
has the most beautiful nose, which leans
well over the top of the grill that is raked
backwards for further accentuation. Cowled
headlights flow from fender to the subtle
compound curve that is the Aston Martin
grill. Three large air intakes below adds to
the aggressive look. Like a well-tailored
suit, it highlights what is underneath rather
than masking what needn’t be there. It has
always been and will always be my favorite
sports car of all time.
Zagato went on to design several more
cars for Aston Martin. I will leave that discussion for another day. Needless to say,
Aston Martins are extraordinary cars and
over the years, from Allemano to Zagato,
there have been those who have gone
beyond extraordinary in design, and you
know how I love design.
Facing page: 1954 Aston Martin DB2 Competition
Spider by Bertone, LML/507. Courtesy of RM Auctions
Above: Dramatic rear view of DB2 LML/761 Allemano
Coupe. Photo by Chris Bolz
Coachwork by Graber of CH. Photo courtesy of Kevin
Kay Restorations.
31
FLORIDA
By Andy Pargh
CAVALLINO CLASSIC
JANUARY 2012:
A FIRST TIMER’S
EXPERIENCE AT AN
AMOC EVENT
Being a relatively new Aston Martin owner, upon receiving the
invitation to January’s Cavallino Classic, my initial thought was
to pass.
After all, I’m just a regular guy and although I live in the Palm
Beach area, I typically skip the more formal events and prefer
the ones that are a bit more casual. While I have friends who’ve
attended this event in the past, I understood that the Cavallino
is basically a vintage Ferrari owner’s event. Other than seeing
a number of interesting cars, what could this relatively new V8
Vantage owner possibly have in common with a bunch of classic
Ferrari owners?
And, to be perfectly honest, I know very little about what goes
on under the hood of my car and consider it proper maintenance
to place fuel in the tank before the low fuel indicator illuminates,
have it detailed each week and take it to the dealer if and when any
service is needed. During my few months of having a Vantage, to
me the most important aspect of Aston Martin ownership is that
it’s a blast to drive! With that said, why would I even consider
committing the time required to attend this type of event?
The simple answer is that to me, cars are an art form. They
Above: Orin Smith 1936 Aston Martin 15/98 J8776LS, next to Tom Smith 1952 Aston Martin DB2 LML/50/193
32
are beautiful objects that at first glance speak volumes in terms of
heritage, culture and design. So for me, just having the opportunity
to take a digital (DSLR) camera that requires an degree from MIT
to operate (or, just place it on the Auto setting) and attempt to
capture the beauty and elegance of some of the historic automobiles was in itself a wonderful opportunity. While I enjoy digital
photography, I never said I was that great at it, but it’s a fulfilling
hobby for this semi-retired technology-oriented person. However,
with digital as opposed to film, instead of capturing just a few
photos and hoping all the settings were correct and not knowing
the results until the photos return from the developer, with digital,
you can see your results immediately. Compared to film, you can
take hundreds of photos, instead of just a dozen or so, and when
returning home, you can see if you captured just a few shots that
slightly resemble what your mind’s eye imagined when composing the image through the viewfinder. On a related note, it’s quite
possible that I purchased my Aston Martin with the funds I saved
when I converted my photography hobby to digital. Yes, my
film processor had to close his doors when I stopped dropping off
countless yellow Kodak canisters for developing in search of that
one that wasn’t out of focus!
As long as I’m being honest here, allow me to somewhat get
back on topic and tell you why I joined the AMOC in the first
place. It was to gain access to the various sections of the AMOC.
org website that were only available to Members. It’s the most
I’ve ever paid for an Internet membership, but I never thought
I’d be buying an Aston Martin either! Some things are just relative. My hope was to have a place to learn more about the car I
had just purchased, have a place to ask questions and maybe even
meet a few others who shared my growing interest in this brand.
Sadly, it seems that the vast majority of the active site members live
approximately 4,000 miles from me and many of the posts on that
site sometimes contain an element of humor and/or sarcasm that’s
slightly above the level of this native Tennessean. Allow me to say
that while I’ve picked up bits and pieces of information about my
car on the AMOC website, I did find a great resource in the book,
“The Definitive Guide to Gaydon Era Aston Martin: A Buyer’s and
Enthusiast’s Guide to: Vantage V8 and V12 - DB9 - DBS - Roadster
and Volante.” It was in this book that I found the all important
instructions that Fuse 22 was moved to Fuse 15 on the 2011 V8
Above: Elliott Hillback DB4C, New York Auto Show Car; Jack Thomas DB4GT/0135L was 7th at 1961 Sebring when it retired.
33
Vantage. That information in itself was worth the purchase price!
But, I digress.
The South Florida Cavallino Classic is a series of events that
are setup in various locations in Palm Beach County in the South
Florida area. I was able to attend two days of track racing at Palm
Beach Raceway and enjoyed watching and photographing vintage
Ferraris on and off the track. One of the great aspects of this raceway is that professional and amateur photographers alike can setup
just behind the concrete barricades and using a long zoom lens
capture some breathtaking action shots with superb depth of field
characteristics. While I would like to take full credit of selecting
all the correct settings to capture the vivid characteristics of the
track shots, since the action was fast and furious, I’ll give the credit
to my Nikon D7000’s automatic settings and the 270mm zoom
setting on its lens. While I was given the opportunity to make the
track day spectator reservations via the Cavallino organization, I
didn’t take advantage of it and paid the non-discounted rate at the
gate. Yes, it was well worth the price of admission!
Speaking of reservations, allow me to say that the Cavallino
folks don’t make it easy to secure reservations for the various
events. Allow me to explain:
In this day and age of online reservations and ticket deliveries via email, this event takes history seriously and requires the
reservations to be made on paper. That wasn’t so bad, but I still
don’t understand why I had to drive to the Breakers to retrieve
my tickets the day prior to the event when they just as easily could
have been emailed or for a few cents more, sent via USPS. Those
who have been to the Breakers Hotel already know there is no
such thing as a quick trip to the Breakers. It’s a huge property and
takes a while just to park, walk around and then find the room
where your tickets are waiting. But, it was a beautiful Florida day,
so I’m not complaining.
I retrieved my reserved tickets for the lawn entrance as well as
the lunch buffet. Also included was a map to the AMOC Friday
Dinner at the Palm Beach Yacht Club that I reserved via email. I’d
never met anyone involved with the AMOC and wondered what
the attendees would be like. So, like any gathering, after walking
up to the bar and flirting with a Waitress, I gathered my libation
and started walking through the crowd of 30 or so Aston Martin
owners. As chance would have it, the first person I met was Brian
Clark from Aston Martin Marketing. While he’s relatively new
with the company, he was a true pleasure to speak with and is a
wonderful extension of the factory for the owners. I was able to
discuss with him my experience at the Aston Martin Performance
Driving School I had attended immediately after delivery of my
Vantage in September and told him of the two things I would
change to make it even more memorable: 1) Make it a door-todoor, all inclusive experience by including and coordinating the
hotel and car service reservations. 2) Provide more photo ops.
Since taking photos is taboo at the facility, while they did provide
one staged photo, having their photographer capture photos and
video of the on track experience would be an ideal way to share
your experience with your friends afterwards. So thank you Brian
for listening!
The other person I met was Tom Smith, the AMOC
Membership Director. Tom is one of those guys who is just fun to
be around. His welcoming smile and Tennessee accent makes him
ideal for his position in the AMOC. Tom also took a moment to
introduce me to Russell Glace, the AMOC Florida Representative
who told me about the upcoming Concours d’Elegance event in
34
Boca Raton. Also in attendance was Candace Cogan who made
the trip from California from Aston Martin USA Headquarters.
When cocktail hour ended and we headed into the dining
room, the first sight was one very long (did I say, very long?) table.
I was seated next to Jim Utaski and he introduced me to others sitting in the vicinity and we had a wonderful dinner conversation. I
was very clear to him that I felt a bit like a fish out of water as this
was the first time I’ve attended either an AMOC or a Cavallino
event. He was very patient in answering numerous questions and
describing in detail what the weekend’s events were all about. He
also was telling me about his DB5 which, I have to tell you, is a
must see vehicle. The attention to detail in the restoration and
maintenance of this vehicle is absolutely amazing. You can also
blame Jim if you feel this story is taking up too much space in this
magazine as this was his idea, not mine. Since he’s been attending
these types of events for many years and since this was my first, he
thought it would be refreshing to hear about it from a newcomer’s
point of view. In summary, even being one of the few newbies
in the group, I was made to feel right at home and my thanks to
those who were so kind in answering in what were to them, the
most basic of questions.
The next and final event I attended was the Aston Assembly
at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach. I arrived around
9:30am with one of my car aficionado neighbors while another followed in his 2006 Ferrari. As stated previously, I understood that
the Cavallino Classic was basically a Ferrari event and that Astons
were allowed on the lawn as well. Imagine my surprise when my
friend’s bright red Ferrari was directed towards the rear of the field
and my 2011 V8 Vantage was pointed to park on the front side. The
location where I was parked was on the 2nd row of cars and by pure
coincidence, just behind Jim’s gorgeous DB5. Seeing all the various
Aston models in one location was truly a wonderful sight.
While there was just about every model of Aston Martin ever
made on display, the one that caught my immediate attention was
the One-77 parked just a chip shot away from my V8 Vantage. I
wasn’t alone as the One-77 drew a constant crowd of admirers. The
Aston representatives were on hand to answer questions. Needless
to say, they were busy!
I can’t emphasize what it was like to see all those Astons in one
place. Yes, there were a large number of Ferraris on hand as well
as various other vintage and new models from the likes of Jaguar,
Mercedes, Rolls Royce as well as the new Lexus LFA. For whatever
reason, more people seemed to gravitate around the vintage and new
Astons than they did the sea of Ferraris. To me, considering I rarely
CAVALLINO CLASSIC PARTICIPANTS
Richard Beanland 2009 Aston Martin DBS
Frank A Rubino 1950 Aston Martin DB2 Drophead LML/507217
Mark Dweck 1964 Aston Martin DB5 Drophead DB5C 1924/R
Orin Smith 1936 Aston Martin 15/98 J8776LS
Russell Glace 1954 Aston Martin DB 2/4 LML/664
Tom Smith 1952 Aston Martin DB2 AML50/193
Michael Graham 1965 Aston Martin DB5 Drophead DB5C 1520/L
Emmet Smith 1959 Aston Martin DB MK3 Drophead AM300/3/1810
Elliott D Hillback Jr 1963 Aston Martin DB4 Drophead DB4C 1083/L
Peter M Krones 2011 Aston Martin Vantage
David Sydorich 1961 Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato 187/L
Robert L Oatman 2007 Aston Martin Vantage V8 6C03894
Jack Thomas 1960 Aston Martin DB4 GT 0135/L
Andy Pargh 2011 Aston Martin Vantage V8 GC14747
James R Utaski 1965 Aston Martin DB5 Drophead DB5C 1923/L
Jim Patterson 1956 Aston Martin DB2/4 Supersonic AM300/1131
David L Van Schaick 1986 Aston Martin Volante V8 V8CGL 15443
David Williams 2003 Aston Martin Vanquish B500782
J Roberto Quiroz 1954 Aston Martin DB2/4 Graber Drophead LML/562
Todd Van Hezwynen 2012 Aston Martin Virage Volante
Charles Rose 2003 Aston Martin Vanquish B501105
Alan Adler 2009 Aston Martin Vantage V8
Glory days of Newport Pagnell: Mickey Graham DB5C, owned since new; Thomas DB4GT; Hillback DB4C; Michael Dweck DB5C
35
see another Aston on the roads in my area, it was a lovely sight.
The vintage models seemed to provide a contrast to the new models and the One-77 was just the icing on the cake. Since I operate
a motorcycle social networking website (www.TheVOG.net) and
have a long history in the TV industry, I pulled out my camcorder/
tripod/microphone from the trunk and set it up to do a story on
the One-77 that I could share with those on the motorcycle community as well as on YouTube. Yes, most motorcycle riders also
enjoy reading, talking and watching videos about cars, so a quick
story on the One-77 was a natural. Since I wasn’t pre-cleared as
“Press” by the factory, the personnel could not talk to me on camera. While I understand and respect the rules and would never want
to cost someone their job, I’m hoping in the future that the powers that be allow this 20+ year veteran of newspaper and network
television journalism be allowed to talk to the factory personnel on
camera. But since this was not planned, I just “did my thing” on
the One-77 and posted it online. Those who’ve commented on this
video all have one thing in common...they are blown away by it’s
grace, beauty and power specifications. Did I just almost say Power,
Beauty and Soul?
Afterwards, I spent some time walking around various cars with
my friends and talking to the owners. It was a wonderful experience. If I could do one thing differently, I would have taken my
camcorder over to Jim’s DB5 and talked with him (as well as others) about the history of his car. I think that documenting on video
that type of information from the owner’s point of view would
have made for a very interesting video experience and been a great
resource for future research on the various models.
36
The final portion of the day was the Sunday Brunch and
Awards Ceremony. Mar-a-Lago’s setting and buffet was fitting for
this event as it delivered an upscale feeling with a Florida casual
flair. The large room was packed and people were buzzing about
the event. Even Donald Trump came in off the golf course to take
a look at what was going on.
Included on the concours field were a number of former
Pebble Beach participants. David Sydorick, J Roberto Quiroz,
Emmett Smith, Brian Joseph and Jim Utaski all had their prior
Pebble entrants on the field (see sidebar for the complete list of
Aston Martin participants).
While my car was on the field and judged by the attendees,
I thought it was a very long shot for me to consider my stock
model to win any sort of competition. After all, I was a first time
attendee and while I do my best to keep my quantum silver/sahara
tan V8 Vantage properly detailed, I truly didn’t think that there
was a chance for me to take home the prize for the best of its
category. Imagine my surprise when they called out my name for
the Excellence in Class award and the engraved tray was handed
to me by Candace and Brian.
It must have been those bright red brake calipers that caught
the attention of the judges!
Andy Pargh, best known as The Gadget Guru, is a retired syndicated
columnist and book author who was a contributing correspondant for the
NBC Today Show.
FELTHAM RESTORATION
HISTORY AND RESTORATION OF
ASTON MARTIN DB2/4 MK 1, LML 722:
By Mike Stone
Aston Martin DB2/4 Mark 1, chassis number LML 722, a right hand drive Drophead
Coupe, was sold new to William R.
Vincent in England. Mr. Vincent was
owner of “Vincent’s of Reading Ltd”, a
well known coachbuilder and automobile
dealer. Vincent’s was originally a builder of
horseless carriages, in downtown Reading,
Berkshire. A visit to Vincent’s was often the
first time the local townsfolk saw the very
latest design of automobile, from the introduction of the Austin Mini to the newest
Rolls Royce. The owner’s manual shows
Mr. Vincent took delivery on “Friday PM,
June 18, 1954”. Original UK license plates
JRD 555 are still on the car today.
According to the build sheet from
Roger Forsham at Aston Service Dorset in
1982, LML 722 was fitted with a 2.9-liter
VB6J engine number 158, with 140 BHP
and twin HV 6 SU carburetors. This engine
was an enlarged version of Willie Watson’s
famous 2.6 liter “Vantage” (VB6E) twin
overhead cam six cylinder inline engine,
rated at 125 BHP (Net). The engine, based
on the design by W.O. Bentley, powered
both the DB2 and early DB2/4 models
and was destined to be produced through
the Mark III—and power the DBR1 to
its world championship in 1959. Autocar’s
period road tests reported that the new,
more powerful 2.9 liter engine provided
acceleration to 60 MPH in about 10.5
seconds and an average top speed of 118
MPH, making the Aston quite a fast car for
the mid-1950s. Although it couldn’t quite
match the higher speeds attainable by the
3.4 liter Jaguar XK120, a half-liter larger,
the DB2/4 was comparable in acceleration
“as found” photos by the author; restoration photo by Mark Jones; photos of the finished Aston and author by professional photographer, Stuart Tilger. Note of the bullet hole in the one
shot of the unrestored Aston.
38
and was considered superior in handling.
The DB2/4 DHC version was very exclusive - with a total production of only 102
units, and quite expensive, with a suggested
list price of £2,621 (GBP). The Jaguar was
certainly a better bargain for the car enthusiast but the Aston Martin appealed to affluent people that wanted to drive an even
more unique automobile. Aston Martins
were special, even in the UK.
The DB2 was a legendary racer, winning 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in class and the coveted
Index of Performance at Le Mans in 1951.
Aston used racing successes to help market
their road cars. It was apparent that Le
Mans cars were evolving from modified
production cars to special purpose built racing machines and Aston responded to the
challenge with the new DB3.
Aston Martin began to focus their main
production on fast and comfortable “grand
touring” cars for the lucrative export market. Frank Feeley designed the original and
very stylish DB2 body. This evolved into
the DB2/4. The car could now accommodate a family, with occasional seating in
the rear. With minor changes to the multitubular space frame the fuel tank was made
smaller in order to enlarge the cabin area.
The headlamps were raised in the bonnet to
meet new safety requirements in the UK.
The DB2/4 marked a major change in the
direction of David Brown’s new enterprise
—from pure sports racing toward high performance touring cars. The DB2/4 became
Aston’s best selling model at that time.
The aluminum body (number 808)
was from J.M. Mulliners of Birmingham,
a respected coachbuilder from the family noted for bespoke Rolls Royce and
Bentley bodies. The aluminum work on
Astons of the period was really superb.
England’s automobile industry was fortunate to have a highly skilled work force
proficient in aluminum fabrication, engine
building, electrical systems, and other
trades. Many had been employed as part of
the war effort building RAF combat aircraft in factories like Bristol, DeHaviland,
Supermarine, and Hawker.
This particular car was fitted with both
trafficators on the bonnet as well as front
and rear turn signals; an interim model,
adapting to changing regulations.
LML 722’s original paint was nitrocellulose lacquer in Ivory color (Glasso 117061).
The Connolly VM 3006 vat-dyed leather
interior, and “hood and cover” of Everflex
XTWP/729, made at the Caernarvon facility, were red. Optional equipment included
a “special steering wheel”, which was fitted
at 2,136 miles, and Alfin “Turbo wheel
discs” for the brakes fitted at 2,370 miles.
The red leather covered steering wheel
found in the trunk was obviously the
custom one originally purchased by Mr.
Vincent.
On November 1, 1963 the owners manual records that the car had 89,500 miles.
March 20, 1966 it showed 6,250 (106,250).
Rings and valves were replaced at 16,700
(116,700). Stephen B. Williams (second
owner) took possession on February 17,
1970; the car’s odometer showed 32,000
miles (probably 132,000).
John Sodder was the third owner. He
had the Aston shipped to the US from
England. The car needed a lot of work
and John put barely few hundred miles on
it over the next six years. John broke the
front wheel stub axle while “driving in a
hurry” and he put the car in the shed in
1976.
In 1981 I was dealing with the financial
shortfall brought about by a disastrous king
crab fishing season in Alaska. I’d been a
working aboard the FV Pacific Fury since
THE DB2 WAS A LEGENDARY RACER, WINNING
1ST, 2ND, AND 3RD IN CLASS AND THE COVETED
INDEX OF PERFORMANCE AT LE MANS IN 1951
40
1974. I sold my beloved Porsche 911S just
to have some liquidity, but I still wanted
another sports car. I searched for something
special, but inexpensive. Maybe I could
find a nice project car?
I saw an advertisement in the Seattle
Times classifieds for an Aston Martin and
called my father-in-law Bill Clysdale to see
if he wanted to go take a look. Although
both serious car buffs, neither Bill or I
had never seen an Aston DB2 series in
the flesh.
LML 722 was in John Sodder’s wooden
shed out on Oilwell Road in Snohomish,
Washington. Like most real “Barn Finds”
it looked pretty rough. John explained that
this model was used by Tippi Hedren in
Alfred Hitchcock’s classic horror movie
“The Birds”. We wondered aloud “why
didn’t we remember that?”
The Aston showed 32,232 miles on the
odometer. The car had a thin layer of green
moss forming on the top surfaces. The
Aston was painted black but showed evidence of once being British Racing Green
and apparently a light beige color (the
original Ivory in the records) before that.
The black interior (dyed over red) was in
bad shape. Near the Aston, in even worse
condition was an old Morgan 3-wheeler,
also for sale. I wish that we’d had more
money!
Birds living in the trusses of the outbuilding had left their mark all over the
tattered convertible top and the faded paint.
Rodents had burrowed under the bonnet.
Aside from cosmetics, the car was in amazing shape, very straight and complete. The
only real aluminum damage was a poorly
repaired dent on the rear quarter near the
tail lamp and dings on the skirt under the
front bumper.
John Sodder showed us where his
“crazy old lady” had fired a pistol at him
after a late night argument, the bullet passing through the driver’s side rear fender
and out the windscreen. It was a narrow
miss and John was lucky to have survived!
The large caliber bullet hole was a topic
of conversation throughout the restoration
process. John was a real character. He had
a voice like gravel and moved like a tree
sloth. Although he knew the car was worth
“more than twice what you could afford to
pay for it” he also knew he’d be lucky to
“find someone else foolish enough to buy
it before I pass on”. After a few too many
toasts with a bottle of Jack Daniels whiskey,
the sale was completed.
William Clysdale and Mike Stone
became fourth owners on April 13, 1982,
purchasing the car from John Sodder for
the sum of $3,500. License was transferred
on April 16th. The next day we drove back,
loaded the DB2/4 up on a rented U-Haul
trailer and hauled it back to my garage for a
thorough inventory.
The car was first carefully cleaned inside
and out. Within a few hours of ownership,
41
we wire brushed the spark plugs, drained
and replaced the lube oil, shot some oil
into the plug holes and turned the engine
over by hand. Since the fuel tank was not
installed, we rigged up a coffee can full
of gasoline to the carburetors and bravely
fired up the engine. It started up right
away and we let it run for about a minute.
Although the plug wires were bad, it idled
fairly well.
Bill was certain that the best thing to do
was a complete “frame up” restoration, so
over the next few months we disassembled
the Aston, labeled the parts, and put everything into boxes. Bill fabricated a rotisserie
from tube steel and the frame was placed
there. The engine was put into a mobile
steel stand made by my father, Marvin
Stone, and then sent to Precision Engine
where the engine was checked over. The
cylinder head was rebuilt by John Maloney,
of Johnny’s Machine/Precision Engine,
Seattle’s exotic engine guru.
Years of more important priorities put
the Aston on the back burner. In 2003 I
bought out Bill’s share in the car, as he was
retiring and could use the money for other
things. In 2004 the job of restoring LML722
began again in earnest. At this time I was
managing a net making company, building
trawls for the fishing fleet.
Britsport, owned by Mark Jones, is a
recognized leader in the restoration of classic English cars in Seattle. His shop was
conveniently located directly behind my
net loft. It was a sign from above. When I
42
changed jobs to manage the small fleet of
my alma mater, the “Fury boats” in 1999,
I rented an office in Fishermen’s Terminal
and I’m still only a few blocks away.
Mark has restored an amazing variety of cars from Triumph, Jaguar, Austin
Healy, and MG, as well as many other
marques. He shares space with Tom Eller,
widely regarded for mechanical wizardry.
Trusty sidekick Gabe Stephens assisted
Mark throughout the restoration of the
Aston Martin.
Ted Atkins labored to produce very
high quality work on the aluminum body.
He had previously been the “panel beater”
at Shadow Works; a Seattle shop working
with aluminum bodied classic cars. Wood
work on the aluminum panel framing and
convertible top bows was completed by
carpenter Mike Chandler.
I sent the engine back to Autosport for
a rebuild. The technician, John Maloney,
had previously been at Precision Engine
and had repaired the cylinder head for us
back in 1982. John is well known in Seattle
for his high quality work on classic Ferrari
and Jaguar engines. New pistons, bearings,
water pump and a new oil scavenger were
installed, The VB6J was in pretty good
shape overall but John went through the
engine, making sure everything was up to
specifications. At some point in the cars history engine number 158 was replaced with
another VB6J engine, number 843. There
is no record why this change was made, but
at the time I bought the car there was an
old broken crankshaft included with parts.
Kitsap Powder Coating finished the
frame in a satin black, and then sent it
to Group 2 Motorsports owned by Joe
English. Joe has a strong following for his
work in suspension tuning of high performance sports cars. At any given time Shelby
GT 350s, Jaguar XKEs, Ferraris or other
exotica are on the rack being set up for
competition. Group 2 services a number
of Alfa Romeos for local classic road races.
Joe set up the chassis as original, rebuilding
or replacing brakes, master cylinder, brake
lines, shocks, steering components, throttle
linkage, differential , etc., to “as new” condition. Most of the parts came from Antony
Forshaw at Aston Service.
The original Smiths gauges were sent
to Margaret Lucas at Mo-Ma in New
Mexico. The clock was restored and modified to quartz. All the other gauges, cigar
lighter, wiper control motor, and dash
switches were restored to like-new condition. Charles Tobin at River Carriage in
Cleveland supplied mint condition Lucas
trafficator signals and took my old ones in
as a core deposit.
I stripped the dash and replaced the
veneer with a beautiful English burled
walnut (as per original) obtained from
Steve Evavold at Jensen Motor Boat. The
Jensen boatyard restores classic wooden
yachts. Chris Craft and other boats can be
seen in various stages of completion. Uta
Klingele at Custom Dashboards did the
final stain and finishing work on the dash,
the trim on the doors, and matched finish
of the steering wheel, an Aston MartinDB3
reproduction.
A complete new wiring harness was
purchased from British Wiring. The wire
wheels were restored and tuned by Ben
Foster of Foster’s Wheel Service, and
fitted with new Dunlop Road Speed 6
x 16 bias ply tires, as per original equipment from Universal Tire Company. A
new safety glass windscreen came from
Pilkingtons Ltd.
The car was fitted with “Feltam Fast”
high performance road springs, 30% stiffer
than stock from Tim Stamper, an Aston
specialist in the UK. A new Ford Tremec
5–speed transmission was adapted to the
car with a special conversion package from
Kevin Kay Restorations with the goal of
improved drivability in modern traffic conditions. The original 4-speed David Brown
transmission was completely rebuilt and
remains in storage, and can be easily refitted to the car.
After several hundred hours of alloy
work by Ted Atkins, the substrate was
conversion coated, etch primed, then several sessions of high build primer applications utilized during the flatting process.
The entire car body was then sealed. The
exterior paint was very carefully matched
to the original Ivory color paint that we
found in good condition under the dashboard on the speaker panel. Every surface,
inside and out, was painted to a very high
standard befitting an Aston of this stature
with Glasurit # 2381A acrylic enamel, then
with clear.
Mark Jones painted the car and James
Emmi assisted in the final finish sanding
and polishing.
Kevin Kay also provided new reproduction carburetor air cleaners and the tool kit,
which was from a DB Mk III since Mk I
tool kits were simply unavailable.
Gabe Stephens flew down to La Jolla,
California in April, 2011 to photograph an
original 1955 DB2/4 (LML740) for reference to assist in providing the small details
prior to completion of the boot interior and
under the bonnet.
Steve Shepp from Classic Interior
Restorations is responsible for the trimming
of interior leather, carpeting, convertible
hood, and cover. The Claret red materials
are matched to the original Wilton wool
and Connolly products. The chrome work
was completed by Queen City Plating of
Mukilteo.
LML722 participated in the 2011
Kirkland Concours d’Elegance. This was
the first time the car had been in running
condition outside of a shop since John
Sodder put it into the shed. It was an honor
being asked to show the car.
I think the Aston Martin and other cars
of the 1950s and 1960s draw in enthusiasts
for a number of reasons. For me it’s a kinship to that single principle designer with a
pencil sketching on a piece of paper. I can
envision engineers and craftsmen providing
input and further developing a concept. A
basic plan goes from paper to metal and
evolves into a moving work of art.
Today’s cars are more efficient, faster,
safer, and certainly “better” in every measurable way. It’s the immeasurable qualities
that make old cars so special. The early auto
makers used aerodynamic theory mixed
with artistic license as their guide. They
didn’t have computers, wind tunnels, or
other technologies to assist them. There
were no plastics to speak of and certainly no
carbon fiber was available. They learned by
experimentation—trial and error. They did
very strange things sometimes, with mixed
results. They learned through experience.
The shape and construction of the cars
improved over time.
The older cars are usually lighter (no
safety air bags or air conditioning systems),
simpler, more “pure”, and they invariably
look quite unique. They are the imperfect
product of a man’s dreams not the final
thesis paper presented by an engineering
team or an international marketing committee. The old sportscars didn’t have
decent stereos. You couldn’t hear them
anyway! It really doesn’t matter because
nothing sounds like an inline six with twin
cams at full song. Everyone that likes automobiles should hear that sound. It’s music
to the ears.
43
wisconsin
Midwest AMOC at the
Milwaukee Yacht Club
By Henry Matson, AMOC Midwest Area Rep
Tom Lacy’s 2003
Vanquish, Eddie
Manelis’ 1976 V8,
Henry Matson’s 2007
V8 Vantage, Tom
Gould’s 1964 DB5,
John Hauser’s 2011
DB9, Tom Lacy’s 1997
DB7 Volante, and Jim
Causey’s 1953 DB2
DHC
Late in August the Midwest AMOC had an event
planned in Milwaukee, Wisconsin that didn’t accommodate all of our members that wanted to participate.
So, Tom Lacy, an AMOC member from Milwaukee,
suggested we instead attend the Classic & Performance
Car Show at the Yacht Blast for Kids held at the
Milwaukee Yacht Club on Lake
Michigan . This event donates
its proceeds to the Make-a-Wish
Foundation of Wisconsin.
The event director suggested
we arrive at noon to get a spot to
park our Astons together. Tom
Lacy, our man on the scene,
arrived even earlier and secured
the best spot for our machines. We had seven Astons
ranging from a 1953 DB2 Drop Head Coupe to a 2011
DB9. Our cars generated a lot of interest from the
yacht club members as well as the other attendees.
The day was beautiful with moderate temperatures
and plenty of sun. A complementary lunch was served
by the yacht club for car show participants. As we
filled our plates another AMOC local, Tom Gould,
44
ushered us out to the sun deck to eat. He noted that
we were dining at the only tables actually on the
Milwaukee lake front! What a great venue and view.
As the event came to an end Jim Causey won
a trophy for the best classic car with his 1953 DB2
Drop Head Coupe. Apparently everyone appreciates
a beautifully restored and prepared Aston.
After the event we were
all ready for dinner. Our local
members conferred and Tom
Gould secured a reservation for
dinner at Jack Pandls Whitefish
Bay Inn, operated by the Pandl
family since 1915. Across the
street at one time was the Pabst Whitefish Bay Resort,
a fairground of beer gardens, picnic tables, bandstand,
dancing pavilion, and Ferris wheel. People came on
steam ships and a railroad with special cars to the
resort for a good time. Prohibition closed the resort
but the Pandl’s restaurant lives on as a Milwaukee
County Landmark with excellent food and great beer.
A grand time was had by all.
Henry Matson, Jan
Causey, Tom Gould, Jim
Causey, Jon Hauser, Jean
Stone dining at Pandl’s
Whitefish Bay Inn.
Photo by Eddie Manelis
in memoriam
STORIES OF WALTER (WHITEY) JEZEWSKI
AND THE ASTON MARTIN OWNERS CLUB
Compiled by Chet Floyd
Longtime AMOC member and keen Aston
enthusiast Walter Jezewski passed away in
Palos Verdes Estates, CA on February 11,
2012, aged 87. Walter was well known
in the 1960s by AMOC East, and later
AMOC West, and is here remembered by
his close friend, former AMOC member
Marshall Weingarden.
After my father, Walter was the most
important man in my life. He comforted
me during very troubling times. And he
was a generous man. Before I was married,
there were times when he and I went to
dinner together three or four times a week.
It was hard to get a check before Walter
had paid it.
Here are some of the interesting things
about Walter and the AMOC that came to
me about 2am when I could not go back
to sleep…thinking of all my Aston experiences.
The first time Walter and I met, probably around 1960, was on the estate of
Elisha Walker, Jr. It was an estate like
those on Masterpiece Theatre with a brick
wall was around a parking area. Elisha had
a Rolls Royce filled with balloons and a
Good Humor truck with driver stationed
on the field waiting for us. None of us
had met Mr. Walker before, but he was
financing a DB-2/4 Mark III racing team
and flying the car to various races. Sad end
to Mr. Walker’s support of his team…but
that’s for another time.
I was driving a high mileage DB2/4
Mk. II and Walter had his DB4, a sharp
looking redhead with him, Bunny was her
name, leather patches on his sleeves and a
pipe…I found him very impressive.
46
We got friendly and decided to have
an Aston Martin party of our own at my
studio apartment in Greenwich Village.
Walter really was into this. He had AMOC
invitations and AMOC name tags printed.
Bunny contacted a professional bartender
she knew from her days as a restaurant
bookkeeper. We invited all the Aston
owners east of the Mississippi, owners
from Canada, and people from the dealership and the motoring press. Most of
the invitees had read of the others in the
AMOC newsletter and we had nametags
for everyone. We anticipated having about
65 guests who would come and go during
the evening, but we did not realize that all
were bringing their spouses and staying for
the duration of the party. People had read
about others in the AMOC newsletter and
now could find them at the party by reading their name tags. The crowd of about
125 was in my not-very-large apartment,
on my terrace and in the hallway outside of
the apartment. Years later, the PR man for
Rolls Royce said it was the best party he
ever attended. It started many friendships
and led to other events.
Not being big spenders, we figured
out how to both do something for those
at the party and also pay for the party.
The AMOC, in the UK, had beautiful
Christmas cards at way below U.S. prices.
However, they always sent the order form
when it was too late for anyone in the U.S.
to buy them for the current Christmas.
Well, we offered the cards with a markup.
I think one cost us $0.08 and we sold it for
$0.25 each, another was about $.13 and we
sold it for $.35. With the orders batched, I
called an AMOC member in London with
whom I had stayed and traveled, and had
him order them for me. They were shipped
to the U.S. by air freight. Thus, the party
cost Walter and me almost nothing.
The British appointed a head of the
East Coast AMOC, but Walter and I were
running the AMOC and doing all the
work which was fine with the appointees, Norman Pickering and then David
Cogswell.
In about 1963, an Aston Martin qualified at the Indy 500 but was later bumped.
When Walter learned that the engine was
available, he bought it for installation in his
DB4. He and Norman Pickering worked
on the engine for six months. When
installed he decided that he could not rev it
very high until he completed a 2,500 mile
break in period. One night, I was with
him in the car in Manhattan on 9th Street
heading from Sixth Avenue (Avenue of
the Americas) to Fifth Avenue when the
odometer read 2,500. Walter floored the
accelerator and we zoomed to the corner
only to stop for a red light. The car behind
us was flashing its lights, but we ignored it.
We turned to head south on Fifth Avenue
and the other car followed. When we
stopped the driver flashed his lights and
honked his horn. I turned and saw that it
was a Ferrari. I got out and approached the
driver of the Lusso which I think was the
fastest street Ferrari at the time.
I knew the driver. He was a teenage
gofer at one of my customers driving his
boss’s car. He said that he could not believe
that he couldn’t keep up with Walter’s car
when he floored the accelerator. That teenager later became very prominent in the
packaging industry and has his own collection of high priced sports cars. A few years
ago, we met and discussed that night.
That winter night, Walter left the car on
the street in Manhattan. When he tried to
start the car the next morning, the Webers
caught on fire. His fire extinguisher did
not work, having become either frozen or
depleted by use.
Walter was so distraught that he took
the car to an Aston repair specialist in
Manhattan and just left it there. I don’t
know what happened to the car after that.
[The engine has apparently survived and is now
in the UK, in a DB4—cwf]
We had loads of fun with the club. A
few times we rented the Bridgehampton
race course. At one event the head of Aston
Martin in the U.S., Roy Bamford, was giving a demonstration ride to a potential customer and never made it around. Someone
went looking for him and found the car
on the track upside down with the roof
crushed to the beltline. No photos were
permitted. No one was seriously hurt. Roy
wound up as a Volvo salesman and then
married a wealthy woman and retired. It
is because of Roy I did not buy any more
Astons and sold the car to Walter…more
on that later.
In 1967, Walter got a bunch of tickets
for the Indy 500 and gave them to AMOC
members. That was the year that Parnelli
The source of Mr Jezewski’s DB4 engine.
This is the car the Indy engine was in.
47
Jones was within 3-1/2 laps of winning
in a turbine powered car when a bearing
broke. It rained Sunday, the scheduled
day of the race. Then it rained Monday.
Walter and the others left for home. Only
Frank Urruita (DB Mark III) and I stayed.
The race started Tuesday, but was stopped
because of rain. It was finally run on
Wednesday.
When “Goldfinger” was to have its
U.S. premiere, Walter and I arranged to
have all the local Aston owners and their
cars meet at the Tavern On The Green
in Central Park. We were each given a
celebrity to drive to the theatre and then
we saw the movie.
We used to get together with AMOC
members for dinner, sometimes with Rex
Woodgate who was first Aston’s tech rep
and then manager in the U.S.. He had been
Stirling Moss’s and Carroll Shelby’s racing
mechanic. We all went to Watkins Glen.
48
I think Walter, Frank Urrutia, and Peter
Gabriel went in my car. [Rex is still racing
Astons—now vintage—in UK—cwf]
Regarding Walter’s DB5: When I hit
130,000 miles on my 1956 DB-2/4 Mk. II,
I bought a DB5 with delivery in Newport
Pagnell. It required many adjustments and
repairs so I became the first resident customer in the history of Aston Martin. I
even was dating the distribution manager’s
secretary who later married a “body beater”. I took a ride with Mike, the factory
test driver, at over 150 mph. Weeks later,
Mike took a 200 mph Le Mans car, I think
a 202 or 212, on a joy ride and flipped it.
I drove the DB5 through Europe
when there were no speed limits outside
of the towns. I loved drifting through
curves. However, I blew a head gasket in
Switzerland and had a problem outside of
Milan, where, luckily, Aston had its only
Italian dealer.
When I got home, I found that car
needed so much warranty work that I
leased a car which the dealer let me garage
free of charge in his Manhattan shop. I
think that DB5 was too early in the run.
It was the first customer owned DB5 on
USA’s East Coast. David Ash, a Bonneville
record holder, asked to test-drive the car
for an article he was writing. Doing 90 mph
on a local highway, he saw an approaching police car turn around to chase us. As
a Ford consultant, he knew the police car
could not do much more than 100 mph
so he accelerated to 120 mph and left the
highway at the first exit.
After about 18 months and 30,000
miles, I asked Roy Bamford to let me trade
for a newer car and pay the difference. He
never consulted with Newport Pagnell and
turned me down, losing me as a potential
customer. I sold the DB5 to Walter. This
will be hard to believe today, but DB5s
were advertised at about $7,700 then
and not selling. I sold mine to Walter for
$5,500 and was lucky to get that price for
an 18 month old car with about 30,000
miles on it. List price new was $14,500
and I paid $12,500. Walter kept it over 25
years and sold it for well over $20,000.
Walter had a great deal of energy and
gave his all to every project. He was very
generous with his time and helped me
through difficult emotional and physical
times. I could not have asked for a better
friend, and my friendship with Walter was
the best thing I got from owning Aston
Martins.
I have many stories of my adventures
with the Astons…falling in love with the
first one I saw, a DB-2/4 near Trafalgar
Square, being trapped between two countries without my passport, police incidents,
drag racing against an E-type Jag on the
Champs Elysee, overheating and being
invited into Stirling Moss’s trophy room
while the car cooled off (he wasn’t home.)
and the list could go on. [And we hope to
hear more from you soon in the pages of TVP,
Marshall!—cwf]
Fast forward to 2011. My daughter was
to be married in Manhattan and she invited
Bunny and Whitey. They could not come
because of poor health. My daughter was
not telling Barbara and me what monetary gifts she received. However, she
was shocked at the check she received
from Walter. It was much more than one
would expect. We agreed that it would
not be deposited until after I checked with
Walter. I thought he had made a mistake
and Bunny might be angered. I called and
Bunny told me that they had discussed it
and that is what they wanted to give to
Alison. I spoke with Walter and asked if
he had put the decimal point in the wrong
place. His answer was, “We are friends”.
Walter was a kind generous, goodhearted Brooklyn, NY native who was
famous for his animated colorful stories.
He was a great dad who always provided
well for his family. He made sure everyone else was taken care of before his own
needs. He will be dearly missed by his
devoted wife Bernice (Bunny) of 61 years.
They met at Pratt Institute in New York
City, New York. He spent the rest of his
life spoiling her. He also leaves behind his
four children, seven grandchildren and
his brother. He enlisted in the United
States Marines and served in the Hawaii
Islands while working as a radio operator.
He sustained his dedication to the United
States of America throughout his lifetime via American artwork. He practiced
exceptional woodworking in this arena for
a number of years. He was a member ‘til
death of the Aston Martin Owners Club
and proud owner of a DB4 and DB5.
He attended numerous races at Watkins
Glen and Bridgehampton, New York. He
worked for Herman H. Smith in Brooklyn,
New York, then moved to California
in 1971 and was self-employed owner
of Component Development Corporation
until 2004 when he retired at the youthful
age of 79.
49
in memoriam
Anita Hart
By Chet Floyd
Who among the AMOC attending Monterey over the years do
not recall Harry and Anita Hart
rolling through the Casa Munras
parking lot to “AMOC Party
Corner” in their dark green
DB2/4 MkIII. And in later years,
the Grasmere Blue DB7 Vantage
Volante. One of those Astons
was Anita’s great favorite.
Anita, 83, passed away on
January 7, 2012 following complications of a fall at home in
Indian Wells, CA. Anita was
born in 1928 in St. Paul, Minn.
She was the beloved wife of Harry Hart for 55 years, and the loving mother of three children, four grandchildren, and two great
grandchildren. AMOC folk gathered at the home for a celebration of Anita’s life along with family and friends including her son
50
Jeffrey Hart and wife Julie Hart; grandchildren, Johnathan and
Natalie; her son, Stanley Rudnick and grandson, Matthew; her
daughter, Sharon Nelson and husband Brad Nelson; her granddaughter, Sandra Bodisco and husband Andrew Bodisco and two
great granddaughters, Stephanie and Sarah. Anita and Harry resided in Belmont, Calif. from 1963 until 2003 and were very active
in AMOC Northern California events in those years.
She was an active participant in the Belmont League, where
she formed lifelong friendships, worked with crippled children
and raised money for their care. In 2003 they moved to Indian
Wells, where Anita enjoyed desert living but escaped the warmest
months at their chalet in Incline Village, Nevada.
One of Anita’s charming granddaughters confided to us that
Anita’s favorite Aston was the DB7 Vantage. And that she stalwartly travelled with Harry anywhere, anytime, in any of Harry’s
cars, whether Aston Martin, Siata, or Buick alloy-engine Apollo.
But she revelled being with the Aston people, and connecting
with the ladies. Anita was a friend we miss and a trouper, no
doubt about that.
A N
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
f o r
A D V E R T I S E R S
Start at the Top…
with an ad in The Vantage Point.
Our readers are at the very top of the business and professional world; there’s no waste
circulation. If your target is the top 1 percent
of decision-makers by income or net worth,
our fellow members could be prospective
customers for your products or services.
TVP is cost efficient; just $450 a page for
high quality, four-color ads next to world
class editorial content four times a year.
Plus, 100 percent of what you spend with
The Vantage Point goes to AMOC North
America. Your support of TVP helps us cover
increased production and postage costs, leaving
more funds for club events and promotion.
Of course, our Aston owners love their
cars—and to spend for new Astons and other
collectible cars, as well as accessories and
services as diverse as car transport, restoration,
and leasing. The Vantage Point readers include
buyers of the latest Astons as well as owners of
classic Astons that may be in the value range
of six to seven figures.
While the magazine’s art director is a retained
professional, our editorial team is a set of
club volunteers—which does not preclude
professional handling of your advertising!
Several members of our team have career
publishing and editorial experience—and
we’ve worked hard to produce a car club
quarterly that is as “uncommon” as the
Aston Martin brand itself, and a great showcase for your company’s ad.
n Please contact Jim Hazen, Director of Advertising.
n TEL: 617-515-3695 n EMAIL: [email protected]
Aston Martin Owners Club
North America
Quarterly Journal
WELCOME NEW MEMBERS
Simon Arscott
Brooklyn, NY
DB6
Chris Askew
Sandy Springs, GA
V8 Vantage V
John H. Barrett
Athens, GA
DB2/4
Mike Bilyk
Oakland, MI
V12 Vantage
Frank Bittner
Richmond Hill, Ontario,
Canada
DB9
David A. Boucino
Winsted, CT
Jim Callahan
Greenwich, CT
DB 2/4 Mk III
Frank Carollo
Huntington, NY
V8 Vantage
Jon Clerk
Hopewell, NJ
Carsen Cornell
Canton, GA
DB7 Volante
D. Patrick Curry
Falls Church, VA
DBS
Carlo DiPanfilo
Thornhill, Ontario, Canada
V8 Vantage
Frank DiSalvo
Fort Salonga, NY
V8 Vantage
Tony Doye
Oakton, VA
DB9 Volante
52
John G. Duncan
Dewitt, NY
William S. Farnsworth
Wellesley Hills, MA
DB2 Mark III
Berthold Frowein
East Hampton, NY
DB5
McKeel Hagerty
Traverse City, MI
DB4
Warren Handelman
New York, NY
DB7 Van/Vol
Marta Hansen
Annapolis, MD
DB9
Dalita Harmon
Oakton, VA
V8 Vantage
Shaun Henderson
Greenwich, CT
Rahn Jackson
Bethesda, MD
V8 Vantage
Michael Johnson
Paisley, Ontario, Canada
DBS on order
Les Johnson
Chatswood West, NSW,
Australia
David Jones
Salisbury, CT
DB2 DHC
Peter Kumar
Astoria, NY
Edward H. Leekley
Longboat Key, FL
DB4
Christopher LeGrand
Fort Meyers, FL
V8 Vantage
Charles G. Perry, IV
Summerville, SC
Vanquish S
Paul G. Lemmon
LaSalle, Ontario, Canada
DBS
Chuck Pitt
Furlong, PA
Raymond Lewis
Oak Park, IL
V8 Vantage
Chester Trent Lott, Jr.
Paris, KY
DB2/4 Mk III
Anthony D. MacGregor
Kleinburg, Ontario, Canada
88 V8, DB5&6
Stuart Miller
Arlington, VA
Vanquish
Jack Q. Mills
Saint Inigoes, MD
V8 Vantage
Paul Morgan
Chadds Ford, PA
David Murphy
West Chester, PA
V8 Roadster
Dan Murphy
Glen Ridge, NJ
V8 Vantage
Carmine Nigro
Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
V8 Vantage
John J. Padavano
Scarborough, ME
V8 Vantage
Andy Pargh
Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
V8 Vantage
Eric Peng
Lisle, IL
V8 Vantage
Frank Qiu
Richmond, VA
David Radwanski
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
V8 Volante
Ogi Ressel
Niagara on the Lake, Ontario,
Canada
V8 Vantage
Robert Rosen
New York, NY
DBS
Margaret (Meg) Salyer
Oklahoma City, OK
DB5C, 1 1/2 L.Mk II
Craige Schultz
Glenview, IL
DB7, DB7GT
Jeffery Scott
Ridgefield, CT
Muzaffer Sicimoglu
Lantana, FL
Rapide
Gary L. Sissel
Bettendorf, Iowa
Nigel J.N. Smith
Mountain Lakes, NJ
V8 Roadster
Conrad H. Smits
Newton, MA
DB7 Volante
Richard Solomon
New York, NY
Vanquish
WELCOME NEW MEMBERS
Richard H. Stein
Glenview, IL
V8 Vantage
Clay Tomkins
New York, NY
V8
Ben Venzke
Alexndria, VA
DBS
Bill Weinstein
Wellesley, MA
DB4
Roger H. Sternfeld
Wyndmoor, PA
DB7 Vantage
Dr. Alozie Uneze
Washington, DC
Rapide
Robert Vigdor
White Plains, NY
Vanquish S
George Weston
Great Falls, VA
V8 Vantage
John Televantos
West Chester, PA
DB9
Dr. Brian Van Arem
Bolton, Ontario, Canada
Vanquish S
Don Warren
Belleville, Ontario, Canada
DB6
David Wood
Gainesville, FL
classifieds
Payments via PayPal
for events, etc: [email protected]
AMOC East Club Store
wanted DB7 Aston. Low mileage, one-owner Aston preferred.
Solid, non-metallic paint, dark color: BRG, Deep Red or Maroon,
no Black. Not stealing: fair & correct price paid. Contact: Peter
Heydon (734)747-7070 or mobile: (734) 395-4155 [Michigan]
on eBay: amoceastclubstore
CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING IS NOW FREE FOR AMOC MEMBERS! Ads
for non-members are $100.00 at the discretion of the Advertising
Manager or Editor. Please forward all ads to Editor, The Vantage
Point via email: [email protected]. For more classified ads, check out
the Market Place section of the Club website: www.amoc.org
53
upcoming events
2012 AMOC North America Event Schedule
Please contact your Area Rep for additional details and information.
APRIL
Canada
10
Pub Night, Snug Harbour restaurant,
Mississauga, ON, 7:00pm. Contact: Tom
Appleton [email protected]
PA
14-15
AMOC Eastern Pennsylvania Spring
Meet—time and location TBA
Contact Len Levin [email protected]
Canada
2
Detailing Clinic with Tim Deakon,
a Charity Benefit at The Appleton’s.
Contact: Tom Appleton, [email protected]
IL
3
Aston Martin Featured Marque at
Champagne British Car Festival—
Bloomington, Illinois. All British car show
held in central Illinois. Contact: Henry
Matson [email protected]
SC/GA
4-6
Rally to Gulfstream Aerospace—Premier
of the AMOC Rally from Bluffton, SC
to Savannah, GA to tour the Gulfstream
Factory, Inn at Palmetto Bluff Hotel, contact Charlie Rose, [email protected]
CA
9-10
AMOC at the San Marino Motor Classic—
San Marino, CA. Additional information at
www.sanmarinomotorclassic.com
Aston Martin the featured marque of
this premier Southern California event.
Contact: Guy Simpson, guy.simpson@
verizon.net
Canada
8
Pub Night, The Jolly Miller, 7:00pm.
Contact: Tom Appleton [email protected]
Canada
12
Pub Night—Snug Harbour. Contact: Tom
Appleton [email protected]
Mid-Atlantic
10
Annual Spring Outing—Members will
gather for cocktails and camaraderie to kick
off the Spring. Contact: Jon Metcalfe [email protected]
WI
17
Sussex British Car Field Day—Sussex,
Wisconsin. All British car and motorcycle
show. Contact: Henry Matson matsonht@
yahoo.com
NJ
20
New Jersey Shore Drive and Brunch,
vicinity of Rumson NJ. Contact: Paul
Saatsoglou [email protected]
Canada 17
Yorkville Exotic Car Show, TBC. Contact:
Tom Appleton, [email protected]
MAY
Canada 26
Annual Spring Drive, TBC. Contact: Tom
Appleton [email protected]
JUNE
PA
2
AMOC at the Cars of England at
Oakbourne Mansion—Westtown, PA.
Contact: Len Levin [email protected]
54
PA
22-24
AMOC at the Concours of the Eastern
United States—This “Preview” to AMOC
Lime Rock is a premier event (http://
www.concourseast.org/) located at Skytop
Lodge & Resort in Skytop, PA (http://
skytop.com/) Aston Martin & Auburn are
the featured marque. Contact: Len Levin
[email protected]
MI
23-24
AMOC and Great Lakes Lotus Club will
be hosting a track weekend at Gingerman
Raceway, South Haven MI. Participants
can choose 1 or both days. Certified
instructors will be provided for each student. Prior track experience not required.
Host hotel TBD. Contact: Norb Kaminski
[email protected]
CT
28-30
Lime Rock—Interlaken Inn, Lakeville,
CT. The AMOC East premier event. A
multi-day event including a concours, racing at Lime Rock race track, and a drive
through the wilds of upstate New York.
Contact: Jim Hazen [email protected]
JULY
Canada
10
Pub Night, The Jolly Miller. Contact: Tom
Appleton [email protected]
MD
13-15
St. Michaels Weekend—The 2nd Annual
Weekend in St. Michaels, Maryland, at the
beautiful Inn at Perry Cabin. Contact: Jon
Metcalfe, [email protected]
WI
12-15
The Hawk with Brian Redman (Formerly
Kohler International Challenge), Elkhart
Lake, Wisconsin. Our Midwest premier
event. Track touring at Road America,
country drive, and members dinner in
Elkhart Lake. Saturday concours with
drinks and hors d’oeuvres in Elkhart Lake
sponsored by the AMOC and Lake Forest
Sports Cars. Contact: Henry Matson [email protected]
Canada
15
Tour to St. Mary’s/Stratford for dinner
and a play. Contact: Tom Appleton tea@
cogeco.ca
upcoming events
2012 AMOC North America Event Schedule
Please contact your Area Rep for additional details and information.
NY
21-22
New York Car and Boat Concours—
Clayton, New York. Antique Car and Boat
Concours. Contact: Tom Appleton, tea@
cogeco.ca
NJ
29
Mid-Summer Drive and Brunch—
Princeton, NJ Area. Contact: Paul
Saatsoglou [email protected]
AUGUST
Canada
14
Pub Night, Snug Harbour. Contact: Tom
Appleton [email protected]
WI
25
Milwaukee Yacht Club just north of
Veterans Park on Milwaukee lakefront.
Contact: Henry Matson matsonht@yahoo.
com
Canada
25
Summer Bar-b-que, Chez Sheehan Man
Cave. Contact: Tom Appleton tea@
cogeco.ca
SEPTEMBER
IL
9
Chicago British Car Festival—Palatine,
Illinois. All British car show. Contact:
Henry Matson [email protected]
PA
9
AMOC at the Radnor Hunt Concours—
premier Concours event in Radnor,
PA (http://www.radnorconcours.org).
Contact: Len Levin [email protected]
Canada
11
Pub Night, The Jolly Miller. Contact: Tom
Appleton [email protected]
Canada
15-16
Niagara Tour, overnight, followed by
drive to British Car Day, Bronte Creek
Provincial Park. Contact: Tom Appleton
[email protected]
PA
16
AMOC at the Buckingham Auto
Show—Join AMOC members at this
event (http://www.buckinghamautoshow.
org) in Pennsylvania for camaraderie and
bring your Aston! Contact: Len Levin
[email protected]
NOVEMBER
VA
2-4
The 4th Annual AMOC weekend getaway to Charlottesville, VA at the beautiful Keswick Hall Resort. Contact: Jon
Metcalfe [email protected]
Canada
13
Pub Night, The Jolly Miller. Contact: Tom
Appleton [email protected]
DECEMBER
NY
7
AMOC Annual Holiday Luncheon—Le
Perigord, New York City. Contact: Jim
Hazen [email protected]
OCTOBER
ONGOING
MI
6
Fall Tour, Location TBD. Contact: Norb
Kaminski [email protected]
IL
7
Lake Forest Sports Cars Concours
d’Elegance—Lake Forest, Illinois. Informal
Concours for Ferrari, Aston Martin, and
Maserati cars at our area dealer. Contact:
Henry Matson [email protected]
Canada
9
Pub Night, Snug Harbour. Contact: Tom
Appleton [email protected]
Canada
13-14
Fall Colours Drive and Muskoka Weekend.
Contact: Tom Appleton [email protected]
NJ/NY
28
AMOC Fall Foliage Drive and Dinner—
Bergen County NJ and NY Hudson River
Valley. Contact: Paul Saatsoglou [email protected]
IL
Chicagoland Pub Night. Continuing our
4th Thursday of the month informal meetings at a pub spot near O’Hare for dinner
and conversation. Restarting on February
23, monthly through October 25. Contact:
Henry Matson [email protected]
CT
AMOC Connecticut Pub Night—
Beginning February 23 at Madonia, 1297
Long Ridge Road, Stamford (www.
madoniarestaurant.com ), just a half mile
north of exit 34, off the Merritt Pkwy.
Plan on meeting at the bar anytime after
6:30 with dinner around 8:00
Mid-Atlantic
TRACK DAYS—Regular track days in
the Mid-Atlantic, TBD
55
directory
AMOC EAST OFFICERS
CHAIR
Jim Hazen
268 Beechwood Street
Cohasset, MA 02025
(781) 383-6007
[email protected]
ADVERTISING DIRECTOR
Jim Hazen
268 Beechwood Street
Cohasset, MA 02025
(781) 383-6007
[email protected]
REGISTRAR
VACANT
COMPETITION DIRECTOR
Jim Freeman
(see Directors At Large)
VICE CHAIR
Don Rose
37 Warren Street
Salem, MA 01970
(617) 513-0388
Fax: (978) 744-7678
[email protected]
CONCOURS DIRECTOR
Scott Rumbold
Autosoport Designs, Inc.
203 West Hills Road
Huntington Station, NY 11746
(631) 425-1555
[email protected]
SECRETARY
tom gibb
120 E. 75th Street
New York, NY 10021
(212) 628-7448
[email protected]
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/
THE VANTAGE POINT
Bob Epstein
31 Wildwood Way
Falmouth, ME 04105
(207) 797-7895
[email protected]
DIRECTORS AT LARGE
Jim Freeman
SUSAN LASKEY
c/o Freeman & Co
645 Fifth Avenue, Suite 900
New York, NY 10022
Jim tel: (212) 830-6177
Susan tel: (212) 830-6160
Fax: (212) 265-4350
[email protected]
[email protected]
TREASURER
Brewster Miner
73 Beekman Road
Summit, NJ 07901
(908) 522-1054
[email protected]
Communications
Director
SCOTT FAIRLEY
42 Strathgowan Crescent
Toronto, Ontario M4N 3A2
Canada
(416) 483-2855 (evening)
[email protected]
MEMBERSHIP DIRECTOR
tom smith
881 Tyne Boulevard
Nashville, TN 37220
(615) 297-0350
[email protected]
www.amoc.org
56
HISTORIAN
Richard “Nick”
Candee
21 Anis Road
Belmont, MA 02478
(617) 484-2561
(617) 962-2498
[email protected]
Design consultant/
THE VANTAGE POINT
Bruce Crocker
c/o Crocker Inc.
P.O. Box 470858
17 Station Street, 3rd Floor
Brookline Village, MA 02447
(781) 237-5632
[email protected]
AMOC EAST AREA
REPRESENTATIVES
EASTERN CANADA
Tom Appleton
3300 Lakeshore Road West
Oakville, Ontario L6L 6S6
Canada
(905) 847-9197
Mobile: (561) 827-2830
[email protected]
FLORIDA
Russell Glace
1006 N. Federal Hyw.
Lake Worth, Fl 33460
(561) 762-2908
[email protected]
MASSACHUSETTS/
NEW ENGLAND
Dr. bob welch
105 Upland Road
Cambridge, MA 02140
(617) 864-6936
[email protected]
MICHIGAN
Norb KaminskI
1023 Bedford Road
Grosse Pointe Park, MI 48230
(313) 882-2366
[email protected]
MID-ATLANTIC
Jonathan Metcalfe
One Freedom Square
11951 Freedom Drive
Reston, Virginia 20190
(703) 464-8807
[email protected]
MIDWEST
HENRY MATSON
1946 N. Freemont Street
Chicago, Illinois 60614
(773) 871-8370
[email protected]
NEW JERSEY
paul saatsoglou
120 Montadale Drive
Princeton NJ 08540
(609) 216-3926
[email protected]
NEW YORK/CONNECTICUT
ANDY WILLIAMS
165 Gun Club Road
Stamford, CT 06903
(203) 321-7088
[email protected]
PENNSYLVANIA—EAST
leonard levin
239 Winged Foot Drive
Blue Bell, PA 19422
(610) 272-3812
[email protected]
john stinsmen
3436 Lincoln Avenue
Allentown, PA 18103
(610) 432-7254
[email protected]
AMOC WEST
OFFICERS
CHAIR
george wood
2771 Camino Venadillo
San Ramon, CA 94583
(925) 969-7698
[email protected]
VICE CHAIR
larry fromm
233 Avenida Princesa
San Clemente, CA 92672
(949) 492-5933
[email protected]
SECRETARY
Jane Ransome
101 North Delphia
Brea, CA. 92821
(714) 529-4439
[email protected]
REGISTRAR
Chet Floyd
664 18th Street
Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
(310) 545-5409
[email protected]
MOUNTAIN
VACANT
TEXAS/OKLAHOMA
john lavendoski
8127 Mesa Drive B206-116
Austin, TX 78759
(512) 748-1434
[email protected]
NORTHWEST/
WASHINGTON
ROBIN BOLZ
24917 NE 20th Place
Sammamish, WA 98074
Home: (425) 836-9194
Mobile: (425) 503-7242
[email protected]
SAN DIEGO
vacant
WESTERN CANADA
John fairclough
28875 Marsh McCormick Rd
Abbotsford, BC Canada, V4X 2B4
Home: (604)856-6264
[email protected]
TREASURER
gary d. moore
G.D. Moore & Co., Inc.
2222 Foothill Blvd., Suite E-605
La Canada, CA 91011
[email protected]
Communications
Director
Guy Simpson
22402 Citation Court
Los Gatos, CA 95033
(408) 353-8682
Mobile: (408) 813-3303
[email protected]
AMOC WEST AREA
REPRESENTATIVES
CALIFORNIA—SOUTHERN
& LOS ANGELES
John V. Mutlow
FAIA
2658 Glendower Avenue, Los
Angeles, CA 90027
(323) 509-7747
[email protected]
CALIFORNIA—NORTHERN
Don Lovasik
6723 Corte Tercera
Martinez, CA 94553
(925) 228-9191
[email protected]
Password access to Members Area available by contacting Webmaster
with your membership number: [email protected]
JOIN THE AMOC!
US and Canada. For information
on 2012 membership please contact:
SECTION EAST
tom smith
Membership Director
(615) 297-0350
Tom Gibb
Secretary
(212) 628-7448
SECTION WEST
Chet Floyd
Registrar
(310) 545-5409
[email protected]
Jane Ransome
Secretary
(714) 529-4439
[email protected]
Collectible Aston Martins by Aston Martin of New England
Aston Martin of New England / Lotus Motorsports, Inc.
85 Linden Street, Waltham, MA 02452
1-781-547-5959 astonmartin-lotus.com
Collectible Aston Martin paintings by Anna-Louise Felstead MA (RCA). Visit her website www.alfelstead.com
.