A display of modern and heritage Aston Martin vehicles at the Hatfield House and Gardens
Have you ever heard hunters and conservationists say that some things must be experienced in their natural environment? As in – you should see a lion hunt in the natural to understand its character, rather than look at a lion that’s been caged in a zoo.
In a way, this is true of cars. The automobile is best experienced in its natural environment, which makes the car come alive. Cars from a long-standing racing tradition are better experienced on the racetrack rather than on the road. Cars created based on the concept of gran turismo should be taken to the open road for long road trips. Think of driving along the Southern Coast of France, the Cote d’Azur, or along the English countryside.
When I tell American owners here where I live that in order to really experience the essence of Aston Martin, they need to spend time in England and see and drive the cars there, they look at me funny. And yes, I know they drive on the wrong side of the road and sit on the wrong side of the car—I get it. It’s terrifying, yes, but please do it anyway.
Go.
Drive.
Discover.
Explore.
Experience.
And yet, this all makes complete sense when you walk into a reunion of the Aston Martin Owners Club in the heart of a grandiose historical setting in England. It’s almost like you understand the brand and the cars better that way. You breathe the brand’s history, tradition, and rich heritage.
As a visiting American who travels to the UK for races and attends AMOC events whenever possible, I always receive a very warm welcome. Every owner is excited to show me the custom features of their vehicle. There is a sense of pride in sharing every detail, how they chose a specific color for the stitching or the interior, and what individual options they selected and included to make the car truly theirs.
And that’s really just England being England and saying to the foreigner – come in, here’s a cup of tea, come and spend time, look and listen, and learn about our heritage.
AMOC events are family gatherings and ways for friends to stay in touch and participate in road trips and races together. One of the most active customer racing and experience groups, AMOC meets worldwide and organizes races and travel experiences that members can bring their own cars to and occasionally test drive new models and unique vehicles.
The signature events, however, are the yearly AM festival and the area group meetings, where members participate in local events to showcase their vehicles. Some of the most well-known are the various Supercar Sunday events at different racetracks and venues (most recently at Silverstone during British GT) and the heritage displays, such as last month’s open display at the Hatfield House and Gardens.
Owners and AMOC members also often participate in the social Astunday theme, originally initiated by Dr. Andy Palmer, former CEO of the brand, who encouraged all owners and brand enthusiasts to include something Aston Martin in their day each Sunday, and share their moments on social media with the hashtag #Astunday.
This year’s Hatfield House display was organized by Area 12, and the Area 11 members joined in for a masterful heritage display of over 80 vehicles that took over the entire section by the feature fountain in the courtyard in front of the House and all along the main drive to the House.
Among the cars displayed, the James Bond movie replicas received plenty of admiration – and a few of the heritage vehicles proved to be the crowd favorites: among the latter were a 1935 Mark II, one of the Ulster Le Mans cars, and a DB3S.
A black 1935 Aston Martin Mark II was restored and raced by Andy Bell at some point. The car, now owned by Marion Martyr, has been fully restored, and Marion—a veteran of the Mille Miglia and many other classic events—regularly drives it to reunions, displays, and other classic car events.
One of the Ulster Aston Martin Le Mans racecars, the 1935 chassis F4/447/S, part of the red Ulster team cars that also included the LM18, which achieved 12th overall at Le Mans and 5th place in the TT of 1935. An interesting fact about the LM Aston Martins built to race in Ulster is that at some point, Bertelli considered the color green unlucky, and that’s why this group of cars was painted Italian red. The red group of LM cars proved successful: the LM15, LM16 and LM17 got 1st, 2nd and 3rd place in their class and won a team prize.
A DB3S, chassis number 104 – the 1955 car that Cosh and Cobden drove to the 3rd place podium in the 12 hours of Hyeres in 1955. This DB3S was part of the so-called ‘Kangaroo Stable Cars’: Chassis 102 was driven by David McKay and Tony Gaze, chassis 103 by Tom Sulman and Jack Brabham, and chassis 104 by Les Cosh and Dick Cobden. All three cars were completed in early 1955, with the DB3S/104 completed just a few days before the 1955 Hyeres 12 hours race, where it took third place, right behind the DB3S/102 coming in 2nd, and in front of the DB3S/103. Canonica and Munaron had won the race on a Ferrari 750 Monza, followed by the trio of Aston Martin DB3S cars.
The chassis 104 car was eventually sold to a racecar driver in California, becoming the first DB3S to come to America. Then in more recent years it was once again auctioned in the UK, where David and Marion Martyr acquired it and restored it.
When looking at the DB3S, we all stand there, silent, for a moment – in admiration. And just for an instant, it’s like the Kangaroo Stable Team drivers are still here with us, sharing a timeless story about a memorable day at the racetrack.
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