Member Info for Richard365054

Sad there are no crowds at Le Mans this year, but the racing will be no less intense. The Prodrive run AML Vantages plus TF Sport have a great chance this year of claiming some of the silverware. In qualifying for the hyperpole today the Astons were 1 and 2 in GTE Pro and 1 and 2 in GTE Am. Only the six fastest cars in each category would qualify for hyperpole, so round one to Aston Martin.
AML lead the drivers and constructors championships in GTE Pro and are 2nd and 4th in the GTE Am championships. Le Mans carries double points so success or failure is very important. We tend not to think of Ferrari being represented in prototype racing although in the past they set the standard. In GTE racing however, it is a very different matter. No fewer than 16 Ferraris will contest Le Mans this year, somewhat outnumbering the Astons. But we love a good scrap.

I'll be interested to hear some figures for the Vantage, particularly the Volante. This was previously the "volume" model but the current iteration has never sold the numbers. The stock clearance of DBS and DB11 have been quite high numbers. Whether we will get an update on Vantage/DB11 and DBS orders remains to be seen.

The ceiling of 150 road Valkyries has been set for quite some time with an additional 25 track machines. David Coulthard had an order accepted quite a long time ago. Whether there will ever be a Valkyrie at Le Mans seems unlikely at this stage. Having said that, the future rules remain as clear as mud and it's perplexing that only 5 LMP1s will contest Le Mans this year. Half the entire field will be GTEs which I love, and 90% of the remainer will be LMP2s which all look exactly the same. Unfortunately the glory days of multiple manufacturers competing are still a thing of the past.

3300, I don't disagree with you at all. The Palmer legacy with regards to vehicles was pretty good. The pile them high and sell them cheap philosophy is partly why we are here today.

It's in partnership with a company headed by Darren Turner, so it's an official line with AML input and design. It may date from the the Andy Palmer days but he did leave behind the infrastructure we have today. He was as much a petrol head as Stroll - he just needed a better CFO and reigning in with some of his wilder ideas. But his heart was very much with AML.

Sadoldgit, all I've done from time to time is Google about low emission diesel engines or more specifically Bosch developments in this area. They are all out there but Governments and campaigners are fixated on their own agendas. It amuses me somewhat that many items we wear and use without thinking are all oil based. For some reason it seems we should all be driving two and a half ton electric vehicles with the associated increased tyre particulates. Yes, they are cleaner to drive but goodness me, there's been a lot of pollution caused elsewhere to get them onto our drives.

3300, you shouldn't get me started on this, but then again I only need the slightest of nudges.

As a small boy my dad used to take me to races at places like Croft and Oulton Park, sometimes even Silverstone and Brands Hatch. Croft was close by and Oulton not much more than an hour away. In those days you would see current Grand Prix drivers in sports cars, like Denny Hulme and Jo Siffert and Pedro Rodrigues. The little Mexican was my favourite. I saw him win in a BRM at Oulton and completely massacre the opposition at a wet Brands Hatch in a 917. I've seen tube video of him banging doors with Siffert going up through Eau Rouge, both in 917s. He lapped Spa far faster than the then current F1 cars in his 917. 600bhp and 800 kilos in weight. They were true gladiators and Rodrigues was my hero. A terrible death to follow doing what he did best - driving flat out.

F1 I follow but I'm not really a fan. Tyre conservation immediately the lights go to green is not racing. But endurance racing, particularly GTE, now that rocks my boat. Tyres that last and can be driven hard, no silly DRS and overtake boost. Strategy over double stinting, pitting early, and taking track advantage of faster cars coming through. Totally engrossing and marvelling how you pick your braking point when you're literally up the bootlid of the car in front utterly staggers me.

F1 gets the TV coverage but endurance racing is the purer formula. Whether we will ever see a Valkyrie at Le Mans, I have no idea. I don't think Stroll is interested but I'm also not sure how the rules have changed and whether the Valkyrie could comply. If there is a team that could take on a brace, particularly for Le Mans, I think the circuit would he completely taken over by AML fans, just like they were in the days of the Silk Cut Jaguars.

I've heard the 1000 BHP Cosworth V12 on the dyno and in the cars as they have been testing at Silverstone. They do make the hairs on my neck stand up. Utterly glorious. Thank goodness we don't have electric endurance cars.

If anyone follows US GT4 racing which you can pick up on utube as live transmissions, there are quite a number of new Vantage GT4s being run very successfully. Apparently AML have put a lot of effort into providing complete race packages for the new race car and the results are matching the effort. Nice to see as hopefully this will springboard into increased US sales.

Thanks 3300. Paul, did you have any opportunity to ask a question about Gaydon or hear anything about the current status. From what I recall, it was originally scheduled for beginning August restart and then it was put back to the end of August. I'm guessing from odd conversations I've read that the Vantage Volante will be coming off the line in reasonable numbers.

Who was it that was at the speed meeting at an airfield last week when AML attended. I'm curious if any of the participants had a conversation about Gaydon up and running again. Some months ago there was a report that Vantage Volante orders were very good, but there's been no mention of production commencing again.

I'm kind of impressed with the DBS numbers that are being moved. It's a very premium priced GT and even with discount they're moving considerable numbers. There is money out there.

It's a very incomplete picture as I have no figures for the rest of the world. But AML, when Gaydon was functioning, were producing around 100 units a week. July sales for Europe were 130, so draw your own conclusions. A lot of the initial DBX production will have been dealer cars and road test cars. I think in one of the recent AML statements regarding DBX numbers, they needed around 500 units for dealers and road test/report purposes. Those would naturally be moved on fairly quickly at some sort of discount as it appears demand is much bigger than supply.

Good morning 3300 et al, I similarly cannot find a breakdown of August UK registrations that shows Aston. There is another site that I look at but this updates much later.
Some interesting figures for European sales for July though, but i don't know the extent of the countries covered.
DB11 60 last July 63
DBS 36 last July 32
Vantage 37 last July 64
Rapide 6 last July 8

No mention of the DBX but I think this is because the site is a little archaic and still shows DB9 models and others from the past. They've obviously been moving a lot of inventory as the above are Gaydon models. Watched a very brief recent utube that showed a Vantage Volante pounding round the Nurburgring.

Wouldn't it be nice if someone like R Sport could run a brace of Valkyries. Does anyone remember the massive support that Jaguars received in the Silk Cut days. Half the spectators at Le Mans each year came from across the Channel. If Vettel took a year out from F1, could he do an Alonso and jump into a sportscar. The only thing is I don't know if the rule changes would now encompass a Valkyrie. But what a dream.

Totally agree, 3300. Aston Martin's history is sports car racing and endurance and whether we ever see a Valkyrie at Le Mans, the project is way too far advanced to cull. The engine investment with Cosworth must be huge and if Turner, Albon and Verstappen all rave about it then the car must be pretty close to first customer deliveries.

It would be nice to hear the current state of play with the Valkyrie. There was one negative report a week or two ago and then nothing. There's about £350 million of turnover resting on that model.

Things have gone quiet on this front and one or two people are surmising that Racing Point will continue with the same drivers next year when the team is rebranded as Aston Martin.
I was also trying to think who made the comment many years ago that the Ferrari road division is always super successful when the F1 team are not. Certainly their car line up is impressive. Conversely, I have to say that perhaps the Italians need to accept that their psyche is not sufficient alone for success in F1. In the last 40 years, only two drivers have won world championships in Ferraris. Both drivers had a cosmopolitan team around them. Without checking, I think in the same period Williams' had 7 different drivers who became world champions. Passion is not enough! Could be a new Bond title.

3300, I am in that category but fight it all the time. Off for a walk in the Dales with battered rainbow trout and chips for lunch. No jokes please!

I'd go for originality every day. Those 75% DB5s are actually longer than my minis!!

Still have mine, but no box and the baddie has disappeared. If you have a pristine one and all complete, around £150 and even a little bit better. They did make a lot.