What's the news?
Sunday 21st July saw the largest collection of Aston Martins and 50,000 visitors flocking to Kensington Gardens to celebrate 100 years of Aston Martin. The Aston Martin Owners Club, Aston Martin Heritage Trust and Aston Martin itself organised the event; and the presence of sunshine and hot temperatures helped make it a huge success.
One of the main attractions of the celebration was the enormous timeline of Aston Martins; arranged from the earliest surviving car, 'A3', to the latest Vanquish Centenary Edition, upcoming Vanquish Volante and the V12 Vantage S. In total, a massive 550 models made up the congregation on London's Broadwalk - almost one per cent of the total number of vehicles Aston Martin has ever produced in its 100 years. Also featured in the timeline was the CC100 Speedster Concept - a very striking looking thing that previews the potential styling direction of Astons to come.
As well as standard Aston models, some rare and wonderful Aston creations came out of hiding to make up the Centenary Selection. Here, show goers could feast their eyes on rare Zagato models, the three Bertone Jets and other uniquely commissioned models. This display was also joined by Aston Martin's racing heritage exhibition. The famous DBR1, DB4 GT Zagato and a Gulf-liveried V8 Vantage GTE were just some of the racers making up this display.
Elsewhere, Aston Martin celebrated its 50-year association with James Bond with seven models including the famous BMT 261A DB5 making an appearance.
In addition to the massive 50,000+ attendance record, Dr. Ulrich Bez - CEO of Aston Martin - also soaked up the sun at the events in London; as well as hosting a very exclusive black-tie reception on Saturday night at the Freemasons' Hall on Great Queen's Street.
"The weekend was a fantastic celebration of all things Aston Martin and, I believe, shows why the brand retains such a special place in the hearts of so many owners and enthusiasts around the world," commented Dr. Bez.
Anything else?
Previous UK celebrations included over 1,200 people trekking to Aston Martin's global headquarters in Warwickshire for activities such as 'Dine on the Line', where a Michelin star standard restaurant set up shop in the Aston Martin factory; and 'Tea in Design' where traditional afternoon tea was served in Aston's design studio.
Further celebrations are to take place later on this year, starting with an appearance at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in a few weeks.
James Giddings - 23 Jul 2013