.25” wrap to back cover

WINTER 2011-2012

Aston Podium at 60th Sebring

An Entrants View of Kuwait 2012

Carozzeria Allemano to Zagato

Issue No. 33

$12.50 US / $12.00 CDN

ASTON MARTIN OWNERS CLUBNorth America Quarterly Journal

SEASON YEAR

Item One

Item Two

Item Three

Issue No. X

$12.50 US / $15.00 CDN

ASTON MARTIN OWNERS CLUBNorth America Quarterly Journal

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, digi-tal watches, VCRs, telephone answering machines and cordless phones. He rec-ognized 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 previ-ously 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 busi-ness 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 contri-butions to The Vantage Point.

1

from the editor

INSIDE THIS ISSUEWelcome New Contributors Chris Bolz and Andy Pargh!

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.

T h e V A N T A G e PO I N TT h e V A N T A G e PO I N T

THE VANTAGE POINT aspires to reflect the values and

spirit of Aston Martin: Innovation, Quality, Performance.

We are committed to both inform and entertain our membership,

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

common passion.

www.amoc.org

AmoC NA east Chair & Publisher 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

Aston Martin Owners Club North America Quarterly Journal

Winter 2011-2012

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: vantagepointamoc@gmail.com

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

2

TablE of CoNTENTS

1 fROM THE EDITOR Bob Epstein

4 HOTWIRE!

5 OUT WEST George Wood

5 BACK EAST Jim Hazen

6 MIDWEST WINTER WARM-UP DINNER Henry Matson

8 BOCA RATON CONCOURS D’ELEGANCE James Edmonds

14 RACING LINE Sebring 2012 — James Edmonds

22 KUWAIT CONCOURS D’ELEGANCE Jim Utaski

28 AM SPECIALS Of THE ‘50S AND ‘60S Chris Bolz

32 CAVALLINO CLASSIC 2012 Andy Pargh

38 fELTHAM RESTORATION Mike Stone

44 MILWAUKEE yACHT CLUB Henry Matson

46 IN MEMORIAM: WALTER (WHITEy) JEzEWSKI Chet Floyd

50 IN MEMORIAM: ANITA HART Chet Floyd

52 NEW MEMBERS

53 CLASSIfIEDS

54 UPCOMING EVENTS

56 CLUB DIRECTORy

Photo by Bruce Crocker

4

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.]

HoTWIRE!

Photos courtesy of bestcars

aTTENTIoN TRaINSPoTTERS!

55

AmoC-NA/eASt

baCK EaSTOver 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 repre-sents 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

AmoC-NA/WeSt

oUT WESTAnother 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 mar-garitas 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 instruc-tion, 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!

Kind regards,—George Wood, Chairman – Section West

Photo courtesy of Aston Martin Media

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 approxi-mately 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 mem-ber 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 pre-sented 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 head-quarters 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

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.

6

Jim Causey and the Oskar Ruegg Memorial Trophy

Peter Conover and the Horace Wilmhurst Trophy

Eddie Manelis and the Aston Martin Lagonda and Richard Stafferton Trophies and The Fastest V8 Award

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

The Glen View Club

By Henry Matson

MIDWEST WINTER WaRM-UP DINNER

ChiCAgo

8

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 them-selves…the cars! Modern exotica—McLaren MP4 12C, ferrari fXX, Bugatti Veyron, Alfa 8C Competitzione—mixed with clas-sics, 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

between. This year the featured marque was Aston Martin, cel-ebrating 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

aSToN MaRTIN fEaTURED MaRQUE aT boCa RaToN

CoNCoURS D’ElEGaNCE

floridA

By James Edmonds

10

garnered a “Best Post War Open Sports Car” trophy; a DB4 con-vertible 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.

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

12

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.

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

Photos by Andy Pargh and James Edmonds. Left to right: Emmet Smith; Jack Thomas and DB4GT/0135L; Field Marshal Tom Smith

14

SEBRING 2012: ASTON MARTINAMONG 60 YEARS OF STORIES

By James Edmonds

rACiNg liNe

15

“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.

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 rev-ving 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 ser-endipity 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 multi-million 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 man-ager 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.

17

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 air-port 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 enlighten-ing 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 acci-dentally. 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.

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 driv-ing. 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 environ-ment 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 rac-ing 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 daunt-ing…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 interna-tional 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.

19

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 var-ied 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, cam-paigning 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 incred-ibly happy times, but punctuated with tragedy and the reality was

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 impres-sive, 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 spray-ing 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 morn-ing, 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!

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-com-petitive 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.

Aston Martin Racing has paired with Toronto-based Multimatic Motorsports to enter a pair of white Vantage GT4s in the Grand-Am 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.

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.

aSToN MaKES GRaND aM DEbUT aT DayToNa IN JaNUaRy, SHoWS PRoMISE

20

22

aSToNS REIGN aT THE 2012 KUWaIT CoNCoURS D’ElEGaNCE

23

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 line-up 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 sun-down. 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 char-acteristic easily sensed. There were 60 invit-ed 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 ani-mated movie CARS—Lightning McQueen anyone? Kids loved it. If you’re count-ing, 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 rep-resentation 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 histo-ries 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, presi-dent 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 foot-ball field of sand covered with Persian rugs, kites flying in a desert wind, and minarets of the City left behind,and you have Walt

By Jim Utaski

24

Disney’s Middle East vision of flying car-pets, 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 two-story 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

not offered for the Briton Best Dressed all four days.

If you are keen to see Vintage Astons, including those you may not know exist-ed, 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 per-sonal 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 rac-ing 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 remark-able 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

26

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

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 cre-dentials was invited to this show field, and took home the Trophy for Most Elegant Open Car.

I close with reporting on a remark-able moment—approached by an elder-ly gentleman taking pictures, he ques-tioned 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 proto-type 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 motor-cycles 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.

28

1954 DB2 LML/506 by Bertone,

Image courtesy David Wright

29

Above: LML/506 instruments. Photo by David Wright

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 extraordi-nary. Many of my friends fail to understand my fascination with the design of the auto-mobile. 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 auto-mobile 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 recent-ly saw this Berlinetta at the Kirkland Concours in Washington State in 2012. A beautiful sunny day on the lake was the

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 dis-tributer 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 discriminat-ing 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

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 exam-ple of the DBSC in the 1980s.—Ed.

ASTON MARTIN SPECIALS Of THE ’50s AND ‘60s

IN EUROPEAN TAILORING: ALLEMANO TO zAGATO

30

this look with 762. This was Arnolt’s per-sonal 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 wind-screen 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 wrap-around curved look of 762’s front wind-screen. 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 “let-terbox” 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 adver-tising specialties, was presented with this car

by his employees. The car was a stagger-ing $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 eventu-ally 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 featur-ing 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 obvi-ously 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 gap-ing scoop but a slotted rounded front that is unified in concept with the whole of the car. Two separate small front bumpers comple-ment 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 cylindri-cal 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 appear-ance. 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

31

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 dis-cussion 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.

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 look-ing. 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 resem-blance, but it is unknown who actually built the car.

Vignale is one of my favorite coachbuild-ers 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 see-ing 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 bod-ied 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, includ-ing 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 chas-sis, 0176-0191, 0193, 0199,and 0200 that were bodied by zagato and designed by stylist Ercole Spada. In 1987, 4 unused chas-sis, 0192 and 0196-8, were given zagato bodies as Sanction II cars. [One wrecked DB4GT chassis was ‘repaired’ with a new chas-sis/ 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-

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.

32

By Andy Pargh

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

CaVallINo ClaSSIC JaNUaRy 2012: a fIRST TIMER’S EXPERIENCE aT aN aMoC EVENT

floridA

Above: Orin Smith 1936 Aston Martin 15/98 J8776LS, next to Tom Smith 1952 Aston Martin DB2 LML/50/193

33

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 automo-biles 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 compos-ing 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 rela-tive. 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.

34

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 race-way 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 deliver-ies 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-to-door, 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

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 sit-ting 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 fol-lowed 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

Glory days of Newport Pagnell: Mickey Graham DB5C, owned since new; Thomas DB4GT; Hillback DB4C; Michael Dweck DB5C

35

CAVALLINO CLASSIC PARTICIPANTS

Richard Beanland 2009 Aston Martin DBS

Mark Dweck 1964 Aston Martin DB5 Drophead DB5C 1924/R

Russell Glace 1954 Aston Martin DB 2/4 LML/664

Michael Graham 1965 Aston Martin DB5 Drophead DB5C 1520/L

Elliott D Hillback Jr 1963 Aston Martin DB4 Drophead DB4C 1083/L

Peter M Krones 2011 Aston Martin Vantage

Robert L Oatman 2007 Aston Martin Vantage V8 6C03894

Andy Pargh 2011 Aston Martin Vantage V8 GC14747

Jim Patterson 1956 Aston Martin DB2/4 Supersonic AM300/1131

J Roberto Quiroz 1954 Aston Martin DB2/4 Graber Drophead LML/562

Charles Rose 2003 Aston Martin Vanquish B501105

Frank A Rubino 1950 Aston Martin DB2 Drophead LML/507217

Orin Smith 1936 Aston Martin 15/98 J8776LS

Tom Smith 1952 Aston Martin DB2 AML50/193

Emmet Smith 1959 Aston Martin DB MK3 Drophead AM300/3/1810

David Sydorich 1961 Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato 187/L

Jack Thomas 1960 Aston Martin DB4 GT 0135/L

James R Utaski 1965 Aston Martin DB5 Drophead DB5C 1923/L

David L Van Schaick 1986 Aston Martin Volante V8 V8CGL 15443

David Williams 2003 Aston Martin Vanquish B500782

Todd Van Hezwynen 2012 Aston Martin Virage Volante

Alan Adler 2009 Aston Martin Vantage V8

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

Glory days of Newport Pagnell: Mickey Graham DB5C, owned since new; Thomas DB4GT; Hillback DB4C; Michael Dweck DB5C

36

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 mod-els 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 com-munity 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 cam-era. While I understand and respect the rules and would never want to cost someone their job, I’m hoping in the future that the pow-ers 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 experi-ence. 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 oth-ers) 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.

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.

38

fELTHAM RESTORATION

HISToRy aND RESToRaTIoN of aSToN MaRTIN Db2/4 MK 1, lMl 722:

By Mike Stone

Aston Martin DB2/4 Mark 1, chassis num-ber 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 intro-duction 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.

40

and was considered superior in handling. The DB2/4 DHC version was very exclu-sive - 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 enthu-siast but the Aston Martin appealed to afflu-ent people that wanted to drive an even more unique automobile. Aston Martins were special, even in the UK.

The DB2 was a legendary racer, win-ning 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 rac-ing 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 mar-ket. frank feeley designed the original and very stylish DB2 body. This evolved into the DB2/4. The car could now accom-modate a family, with occasional seating in the rear. With minor changes to the multi-tubular 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 per-formance 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 fam-ily noted for bespoke Rolls Royce and Bentley bodies. The aluminum work on Astons of the period was really superb.

England’s automobile industry was for-tunate 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 air-craft 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 nitrocellu-lose 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 facil-ity, 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 man-ual 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

41

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 evi-dence 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 out-building 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 amaz-ing 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 pass-ing 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,

42

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 every-thing 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 clas-sic English cars in Seattle. His shop was conveniently located directly behind my net loft. It was a sign from above. When I

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 vari-ety 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 his-tory 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 perfor-mance 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” con-dition. 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 modi-fied to quartz. All the other gauges, cigar lighter, wiper control motor, and dash switches were restored to like-new condi-tion. 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,

43

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 equip-ment 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 con-ditions. The original 4-speed David Brown transmission was completely rebuilt and remains in storage, and can be easily refit-ted to the car.

After several hundred hours of alloy work by Ted Atkins, the substrate was conversion coated, etch primed, then sev-eral sessions of high build primer applica-tions 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 dash-board 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 reproduc-tion 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 refer-ence 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 kin-ship 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 mea-surable 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 com-mittee. 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 auto-mobiles should hear that sound. It’s music to the ears.

MIDWEST aMoC aT THE MIlWaUKEE yaCHT ClUbBy Henry Matson, AMOC Midwest Area Rep

44

Henry Matson, Jan

Causey, Tom Gould, Jim

Causey, Jon Hauser, Jean

Stone dining at Pandl’s

Whitefish Bay Inn.

Photo by Eddie Manelis

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 accom-modate 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,

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 pre-pared 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.

WiSCoNSiN

iN memoriAm

46

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 experi-ences.

The first time Walter and I met, prob-ably 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.

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 deal-ership 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 read-ing 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

SToRIES of WalTER (WHITEy) JEZEWSKI aND THE aSToN MaRTIN oWNERS ClUbCompiled by Chet Floyd

47

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 appoin-tees, Norman Pickering and then David Cogswell.

In about 1963, an Aston Martin quali-fied 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 teen-ager later became very prominent in the

packaging industry and has his own collec-tion 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 giv-ing a demonstration ride to a potential cus-tomer 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.

48

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.

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 cus-tomer in the history of Aston Martin. I even was dating the distribution manager’s secretary who later married a “body beat-er”. 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 approach-ing 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 coun-tries 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 mon-etary 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, good-hearted 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 every-one 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 life-time 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

50

iN memoriAm

aNITa HaRTBy Chet Floyd

Who among the AMOC attend-ing 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 com-plications 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 lov-ing mother of three children, four grandchildren, and two great grandchildren. AMOC folk gathered at the home for a celebra-tion of Anita’s life along with family and friends including her son

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 grand-daughter, Sandra Bodisco and husband Andrew Bodisco and two great granddaughters, Stephanie and Sarah. Anita and Harry resid-ed 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 stal-wartly 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

aSToN MaRTIN oWNERS ClUb NoRTH aMERICa

QUaRTERly JoURNal

n Please contact Jim Hazen, Director of advertising.

n TEl: 617-515-3695 n EMaIl: vantagepointamoc@gmail.com

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

52

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

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

Paul G. Lemmon LaSalle, Ontario, Canada DBS

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

Charles G. Perry, IV Summerville, SC Vanquish S

Chuck Pitt furlong, PA

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

53

Richard H. Stein Glenview, IL V8 Vantage

Roger H. Sternfeld Wyndmoor, PA DB7 Vantage

John Televantos West Chester, PA DB9

Clay Tomkins New york, Ny V8

Dr. Alozie Uneze Washington, DC Rapide

Dr. Brian Van Arem Bolton, Ontario, Canada Vanquish S

Ben Venzke Alexndria, VA DBS

Robert Vigdor White Plains, Ny Vanquish S

Don Warren Belleville, Ontario, Canada DB6

Bill Weinstein Wellesley, MA DB4

George Weston Great falls, VA V8 Vantage

David Wood Gainesville, fL

WElCoME NEW MEMbERS

ClaSSIfIEDS

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]

PAymeNtS viA PAyPAl for events, etc: amoceast@aol.com

AmoC eASt Club Store on eBay: amoceastclubstore

ClASSified AdvertiSiNg iS NoW free for AmoC memberS! Ads for non-members are $100.00 at the discretion of the Advertising Manager or Editor. Please forward all ads to Editor, The Vantage Point via email: editor@amoc.org. for more classified ads, check out the Market Place section of the Club website: www.amoc.org

UPCOMING EVENTS

2012 aMoC NoRTH aMERICa EVENT SCHEDUlEPlease contact your Area Rep for additional details and information.

APril

Canada 10 Pub Night, Snug Harbour restaurant, Mississauga, ON, 7:00pm. Contact: Tom Appleton tea@cogeco.ca

PA 14-15 AMOC Eastern Pennsylvania Spring Meet—time and location TBA Contact Len Levin levin2391@verizon.net

mAy

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, con-tact Charlie Rose, crose77@aol.com

Canada 8 Pub Night, The Jolly Miller, 7:00pm. Contact: Tom Appleton tea@cogeco.ca

Mid-Atlantic 10 Annual Spring Outing—Members will gather for cocktails and camaraderie to kick off the Spring. Contact: Jon Metcalfe jona-than_metcalfe@ml.com

NJ 20 New Jersey Shore Drive and Brunch, vicinity of Rumson NJ. Contact: Paul Saatsoglou paul.saatsoglou@comcast.net

Canada 26 Annual Spring Drive, TBC. Contact: Tom Appleton tea@cogeco.ca

JuNe

PA 2 AMOC at the Cars of England at Oakbourne Mansion—Westtown, PA. Contact: Len Levin levin2391@verizon.net

Canada 2 Detailing Clinic with Tim Deakon, a Charity Benefit at The Appleton’s. Contact: Tom Appleton, tea@cogeco.ca

IL 3 Aston Martin featured Marque at Champagne British Car festival—Bloomington, Illinois. All British car show held in central Illinois. Contact: Henry Matson matsonht@yahoo.com

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 12 Pub Night—Snug Harbour. Contact: Tom Appleton tea@cogeco.ca

WI 17 Sussex British Car field Day—Sussex, Wisconsin. All British car and motorcycle show. Contact: Henry Matson matsonht@yahoo.com

Canada 17 yorkville Exotic Car Show, TBC. Contact: Tom Appleton, tea@cogeco.ca

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 levin2391@verizon.net

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 stu-dent. Prior track experience not required. Host hotel TBD. Contact: Norb Kaminski njkamin@aol.com

CT 28-30 Lime Rock—Interlaken Inn, Lakeville, CT. The AMOC East premier event. A multi-day event including a concours, rac-ing at Lime Rock race track, and a drive through the wilds of upstate New york. Contact: Jim Hazen jwhazen@comcast.net

July

Canada 10 Pub Night, The Jolly Miller. Contact: Tom Appleton tea@cogeco.ca

MD 13-15 St. Michaels Weekend—The 2nd Annual Weekend in St. Michaels, Maryland, at the beautiful Inn at Perry Cabin. Contact: Jon Metcalfe, jonathan_metcalfe@ml.com

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 mat-sonht@yahoo.com

Canada 15 Tour to St. Mary’s/Stratford for dinner and a play. Contact: Tom Appleton tea@cogeco.ca

54

55

UPCOMING EVENTS

2012 aMoC NoRTH aMERICa EVENT SCHEDUlEPlease 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 paul.saatsoglou@comcast.net

AuguSt

Canada 14 Pub Night, Snug Harbour. Contact: Tom Appleton tea@cogeco.ca

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 matsonht@yahoo.com

PA 9 AMOC at the Radnor Hunt Concours—premier Concours event in Radnor, PA (http://www.radnorconcours.org). Contact: Len Levin levin2391@verizon.net

Canada 11 Pub Night, The Jolly Miller. Contact: Tom Appleton tea@cogeco.ca

Canada 15-16 Niagara Tour, overnight, followed by drive to British Car Day, Bronte Creek Provincial Park. Contact: Tom Appleton tea@cogeco.ca

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 levin2391@verizon.net

oCtober

MI 6 fall Tour, Location TBD. Contact: Norb Kaminski njkamin@aol.com

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 matsonht@yahoo.com

Canada 9 Pub Night, Snug Harbour. Contact: Tom Appleton tea@cogeco.ca

Canada 13-14 fall Colours Drive and Muskoka Weekend. Contact: Tom Appleton tea@cogeco.ca

NJ/Ny 28 AMOC fall foliage Drive and Dinner—Bergen County NJ and Ny Hudson River Valley. Contact: Paul Saatsoglou paul.saat-soglou@comcast.net

November

VA 2-4 The 4th Annual AMOC weekend get-away to Charlottesville, VA at the beauti-ful Keswick Hall Resort. Contact: Jon Metcalfe jonathan_metcalfe@ml.com

Canada 13 Pub Night, The Jolly Miller. Contact: Tom Appleton tea@cogeco.ca

deCember

Ny 7 AMOC Annual Holiday Luncheon—Le Perigord, New york City. Contact: Jim Hazen jwhazen@comcast.net

oNgoiNg

IL Chicagoland Pub Night. Continuing our 4th Thursday of the month informal meet-ings at a pub spot near O’Hare for dinner and conversation. Restarting on february 23, monthly through October 25. Contact: Henry Matson matsonht@yahoo.com

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

56

DIRECToRyaMoC EaST offICERSChAirJIM HAzEN268 Beechwood Street Cohasset, MA 02025 (781) 383-6007 jwhazen@comcast.net

viCe ChAirDON ROSE37 Warren Street Salem, MA 01970 (617) 513-0388 fax: (978) 744-7678 007@donrose.com

SeCretAryTOM GIBB120 E. 75th Street New york, Ny 10021 (212) 628-7448 76aston@gmail.com

direCtorS At lArgeJIM fREEMANSUSAN LASKEyc/o freeman & Co 645 fifth Avenue, Suite 900 New york, Ny 10022 Jim tel: (212) 830-6177 Susan tel: (212) 830-6160 fax: (212) 265-4350 jfreeman@freeman-co.com slaskey@freeman-co.com

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

CommuNiCAtioNS direCtorSCOTT fAIRLEy42 Strathgowan Crescent Toronto, Ontario M4N 3A2 Canada (416) 483-2855 (evening) sfairley@theallgroup.com

memberShiP direCtorTOM SMITH881 Tyne Boulevard Nashville, TN 37220 (615) 297-0350 amocmembership@gmail.com

AdvertiSiNg direCtorJIM HAzEN268 Beechwood Street Cohasset, MA 02025 (781) 383-6007 jwhazen@comcast.net

regiStrArVACANT

ComPetitioN direCtorJIM fREEMAN(see Directors At Large)

CoNCourS direCtorSCOTT RUMBOLDAutosoport Designs, Inc. 203 West Hills Road Huntington Station, Ny 11746 (631) 425-1555 scottrumbold@hotmail.com

editor-iN-Chief/ the vANtAge PoiNtBOB EPSTEIN31 Wildwood Way falmouth, ME 04105 (207) 797-7895 vantagepointamoc@gmail.com

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

deSigN CoNSultANt/ the vANtAge PoiNtBRUCE CROCKERc/o Crocker Inc. P.O. Box 470858 17 Station Street, 3rd floor Brookline Village, MA 02447 (781) 237-5632 bruce@crockerinc.com

aMoC EaST aREa REPRESENTaTIVESeASterN CANAdATOM APPLETON3300 Lakeshore Road West Oakville, Ontario L6L 6S6 Canada (905) 847-9197 Mobile: (561) 827-2830 tea@cogeco.ca

floridARUSSELL GLACE1006 N. federal Hyw. Lake Worth, fl 33460 (561) 762-2908 amocflorida@gmail.com

mASSAChuSettS/ NeW eNglANdDR. BOB WELCH105 Upland Road Cambridge, MA 02140 (617) 864-6936 rjwelch1@verizon.net

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

mid-AtlANtiCJONATHAN METCALfEOne freedom Square 11951 freedom Drive Reston, Virginia 20190 (703) 464-8807 jonathan_metcalfe@ml.com

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

NeW JerSeyPAUL SAATSOGLOU120 Montadale Drive Princeton NJ 08540 (609) 216-3926 paul.saatsoglou@comcast.net

NeW yorK/CoNNeCtiCutANDy WILLIAMS165 Gun Club Road Stamford, CT 06903 (203) 321-7088 willpubs@aol.com

PeNNSylvANiA—eAStLEONARD LEVIN239 Winged foot Drive Blue Bell, PA 19422 (610) 272-3812 levin2391@verizon.net

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

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

viCe ChAirLARRy fROMM233 Avenida Princesa San Clemente, CA 92672 (949) 492-5933 l.fromm@att.net

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

regiStrArCHET fLOyD664 18th Street Manhattan Beach, CA 90266 (310) 545-5409 cfloyd24@juno.com

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

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

aMoC WEST aREa REPRESENTaTIVESCAliforNiA—SoutherN & loS ANgeleSJOHN V. MUTLOW fAIA2658 Glendower Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90027 (323) 509-7747 mutlow@gmail.com

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

mouNtAiNVACANT

teXAS/oKlAhomAJOHN LAVENDOSKI8127 Mesa Drive B206-116 Austin, TX 78759 (512) 748-1434 john@prodicus.com

NorthWeSt/WAShiNgtoNROBIN BOLz24917 NE 20th Place Sammamish, WA 98074 Home: (425) 836-9194 Mobile: (425) 503-7242 rbolz2@comcast.net

SAN diegoVACANT

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

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

JoIN THE aMoC!US and Canada. For information on 2012 membership please contact:

SeCtioN eAStTOM SMITHMembership Director (615) 297-0350

TOM GIBBSecretary (212) 628-7448

SeCtioN WeStCHET fLOyDRegistrar (310) 545-5409 cfloyd24@juno.com

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

Aston M

artin of New

England / Lotus M

otorsports, Inc. 85 Linden S

treet, Waltham

, MA

02452 1-781-547-5959 astonm

artin-lotus.com

Collectible A

ston Martins by A

ston Martin of N

ew E

ngland

Collectible A

ston Martin paintings by A

nna-Louise Felstead MA

(RC

A). V

isit her website w

ww

.alfelstead.com

.25” wrap to back cover

WINTER 2011-2012

Aston Podium at 60th Sebring

An Entrants View of Kuwait 2012

Carozzeria Allemano to Zagato

Issue No. 33

$12.50 US / $12.00 CDN

ASTON MARTIN OWNERS CLUBNorth America Quarterly Journal

SEASON YEAR

Item One

Item Two

Item Three

Issue No. X

$12.50 US / $15.00 CDN

ASTON MARTIN OWNERS CLUBNorth America Quarterly Journal