Member Info for Richard365054

£53 million!!

Oh heck! I want one too. What can I sell?

I remember reading a few months ago that the various dealerships and road test reporters would be needing around 500 DBXs. So it's easy to see why a high proportion of the initial production would not consist of sales vehicles - although doubtless these will be sold on, just not initially.

Kibkalm, take a look at www.am-online.com

Aston Martin 77 and 460
Bentley 158 and 689
Ferrari 117 and 601
Lamborghini 35 and 211
Maserati 64 and 303
McLaren 36 and 229
Rolls Royce 23 and 152

dimi, I can see why a Vantage wouldn't be powerful enough for you!!

dimi, your contributions are much appreciated by many. Keep them coming as and when you can. Thankyou.

dimi, AMR use the same engine in their GT Black Edition and it's producing nicely over 700 BHP. Maybe AML Engineers are already working on a GT version of the Vantage !! You might need to put an order in.

3300, endurance racing takes my breath away. They sit one foot from the boot lid at 170mph approaching the braking point. I'm talking GTs. How the heck do they do it. I have been to Spa for F1 but I definitely must go for wec. Just wish there could be a Valkyrie.
johnpwh, I've never worked out the hours you spend restoring a car as it's usually a labour of love. You'd end up many times being into pocket if you bought a car where the work had been done, but you wouldn't have the same memories or pleasure.
I used to do my own engine rebuilds as I couldn't afford to pay to have them done. I remember one Friday night my S engine was still out and I had practise on the Saturday morning. So I worked through the night to assemble it and got it fitted by about 5.00am, but it wouldn't start. I eventually worked out I'd refitted the distributor drive 180 degrees out. It then fired up first time, no silencer mind you and I drove it onto the trailer and away for practise. I think the neighbours had got used to me in the end and one or geonasked for standing starts on racing tyres outside their houses, which I duly obliged. Oh to be young, but to be honest, I'd do the same now!

Johnpwh, I still have the little Cooper S, now 29 years of ownership. But I also have another one which I used to race and then sprint and hillclimb. I've had that even longer and it's now beginning a full rebuild into a one off deseamed Group 6 Cooper S that BMC built for Paddy Hopkirk to do the '68 Circuit of Ireland. I remember the real car bring offered in Motoring News in the early '70s for under £1,000. Nowadays well into six figures. It's also a bit of a time warp as it has a Janspeed full race head, Mangoletsi manifolds, Salisbury lsd, etc.
I used to get Motoring News for years, starting when I was quite young. I saved hundreds of copies and then some years ago removed all the articles from the victorious days of BMC. I saved the adverts for works car that used to appear in the classifieds as well and it was a who's who of famous cars for silly money. Their works background didn't put much of a price premium on them in those days and you could find ex factory Cooper Ss, Healey 3000s, Sunbeam Imps, Tigers, 2.5 PIs, Cortina Lotus, all for relatively small money but remembering that they had all had hard lives.

Hi johnpwh, I quite understand and agree with you. I'm old fashioned in liking analogue and if I had the choice would always select what in my mind has style and purity. A different time and age, I guess. One of my Cooper Ss has Speedwell instruments ( Graham Hill's old company ) and I couldn't ever choose more appropriate instruments on a car.
I do admire Porsche for refining and improving an almost 60 year old design. It has it's many fans and has become a timeless design. Aston Martin could have the same appeal with one of their models as they have the heritage and the history.

johnpwh, agree with you re the Vantage. How that front end ever made production is beyond me but at least AML recognised the problem finally and remembered that the Aston grille is a thing of beauty. It took rather too long though but at least the remedy is available to buyers. Something I said before is that Marek Reichman was quoted as saying Aston are not car stylists, they are design engineers. I think Palmer said Aston delivered dreams so between the two of them they should have given the design of the Vantage a little more thought and maybe the sales volumes would have been somewhat better and the discounts smaller.
Whatever your view on the 911, Porsche did and have created an icon and somehow they maintain the sales by only subtly altering the design. A gradual evolution and yet the buyers keep coming back. I happened to be looking for some late low mileage first generation Vantages on Motors and they are difficult to find now. Maybe owners of these cars realise what gems they have.

I loved the sounds of the 6R4s in the forests. Very similar to the Stratos, another of my rally favourites. I maintain the British right to keep my minis as they're only small.

Works "Computervision" MG Metro 6R4.
Jaguar D Type long nose.
Casino Royale Aston Martin DBS.

If you try and make too many then you'll be seen as just chasing profit at the expense of exclusivity for your customers. A limited edition should be just that and no more. There will always be other models to evolve and celebrate. Years ago I used to buy limited edition prints by artists such as Coulson, Taylor and Shepherd. In those days 500 units around the world and rarity of signatures. Then the pounds signs started to flash and editions went upto 1500 in number. No thanks, I stopped then and saved for the occasional original.

A recent statement said the investment in AML is tiny. "I bought a few shares". That makes my investment microscopic!

NoahsArk, WG, 3300, the site that 3300 posted about TV coverage was the official WEC site that broke down the coverage country by country. Motorsport TV.com covered the full 6 hours live and I believe you can subscribe for £3.99 per month. It's available to rewatch as well. This is the one I use. If you go on the official fiawec site you'll see they offer coverage which includes selecting which car you wish to watch from. It's pricier but maybe worth it if you follow one particular car.

Hi 3300. Have a watch when the weather's rubbish one day, it'll keep until then. I do admire these GTE crews who go hammer and tongs for 6 hours and even 24 hours. For part of the race the lead Aston and Porsche were half a second apart, each trying every which way to get past the other. They are race cars pulling 2g under braking and round the corners so we can't imagine how hard that is. One of the drivers in a Ferrari did a four and a half hour stint. That's some fitness and stamina. Lap after lap at 170mph and up the rear end of the car in front and still they hit their braking points. I do love the purity of this racing. No worries about tyres going off - just race flat out stint after stint.

That was always my dream to see the Valkyrie win at Le Mans. Whether we'll ever see one race at all, who knows. The only hope I have is that "R" Motorsport may have the means to run the can, but will it comply with the regulations now that matters have seemingly been sorted out. A Valkyrie at Le Mans was always what Andy Palmer wanted but the emphasis and sponsorship is now very much F1. Just have to wait and see but I would definitely make the trip again. I'm one of those old sods who loved the sight and sound of the Silk Cut Jaguars. Pure racing in those days. I think Martin Brundle still purrs at the thought of those wonderful cars, when the Mulsanne straight didn't know what a chicane was.

Found some figures that may be of interest, but whether these are European sales, European registrations or sales to Dealers, I do not know.
DBS 1st quarter 118
2nd quarter 84
DB11 1st quarter 187
2nd quarter 92
Vantage 1st quarter 116
2nd quarter 43
Rapide 1st quarter 16
2nd quarter 2