Event Coverage: Mad Dogs and Englishmen at the Gilmore - Aston Martin

Welcome to one of my favorite posts I've made in a while. Like all car guys, Aston Martin holds a special place for me. Part of it is the sheer cool factor brought on by Bond films, Top Gear reviews and Gran Turismo cruising sessions. But, for me, most of it is the fact that the cars are so beautifully designed. Even cars like the Lagonda you'll see in a bit.

We'll start out with the 2007 V8 Vantage. I was amazed at how modern and new this car looks, given the fact it's now 10 years old...

The owner of the car opened the hood to show another show-goer something. I couldn't help but jump in and snap a picture of the Jaguar-designed 4.3L V-8.

The interior just screams class. It might have something to do with the driving gloves sitting there....

The nicely appointed interior is done in a nice two-tone leather and some wood trim. It looks like a nice place to be for a road trip or Grand Tour of Europe.

This DB9 Volante was pretty much showroom fresh. Slightly outclassed by the other Astons, but still very cool.

The Interior on the DB9 was every bit as nice, if not a bit more plush, than the 07 Vantage.

This V12 Vantage was very cool. The 4 vents in the hood give away the V12 stuffed under the bonnet of this car.

The color was amazing. I'd love to do the Forester up in this color. And Aston nailed it with these wheels.

This V8 Vantage Volante (I've forgotten the year, sadly), was a bit different. It seems vastly different from the newer Vantages that were present.

The hood opens in reverse, like many British sports cars from this era.

This 1982 Aston Martin Lagonda Sedan is one of the strangest looking Astons I'd ever seen. At first glance, it could almost be an oddly shaped Town Car. Look closer, though, and things change...

Powered by a 280bhp 5.3L "Lagonda" Twin-Cam V8, this nearly 4,500lb car had a top speed of nearly 145mph.

The interior is my favorite part of the car, though the downward-facing gauges would take some getting used to.

The grille is much shorter than most cars of this type, and the whole front end is far more wedge-shaped than it's Luxury Saloon competitors of its time. I can't find any record of it's cost when new, but Wikipedia states that it was one of the most expensive cars you could buy at the time.

Wrapping up the Astons is this gorgeous early 70's DBS V8 coupe.

 

Like the red Vantage, the hood on the DBS opens to the front. When I stepped up to the engine bay...

where I saw the imense 5.3L Lagonda V8 twin cam engine. The owner took the intake cover off of it to show off the carburetors.

The rear of the car has square tail lamps, typical of most cars from the era. The DBS definitely draws attention that a Corvette of the same year would not.

The logo hasn't changed much over the years, which is more than can be said of other marques.

Thanks for reading. Feel free to comment below. Remember to like and share this post, and follow me here on Blogger.

Be sure to stay tuned for more content from Mad Dogs and Englishmen.

-Phil