Some Cars Create Lifestyle
Every car brings with it a certain lifestyle. Some are flamboyant. Some are versatile. Some are just boring. Every car helps tell the rest of us who you are. Every brand works to appeal to a specific part of the market. Families, bachelors or bachelorettes, adventurers, sportsters; playboys or playgirls, the careful or the carefree, bon Vivantes or traditionalists. Need a car? There’s very likely a car out there that strokes your needs and desires.
What most cars promise, but in the end very few do, however, is help make your style come to life. They are merely a display of your style; they don’t help extend it. You can name the few that do on one hand: Ferrari, MacLaren, Porsche – and Aston Martin. Aston Martin boasts the largest owner’s club in the world (AMOC) and, separately from AMOC, sponsors a myriad of events that include several racing series, race driver schools, On Track performance driving experiences, On Tour vacation driving tours, On Ice mountain driving adventures, and private factory tours. AMOC organizes racing, concours, rallies, weekend destination drives and other events for all Astons, and the Aston Martin Heritage Trust sponsors the AMHT Museum. It’s so easy one must make a conscious decision not to participate.
When I bought my first Aston I had no idea how much fun was waiting for me. Sure, I knew the cars were a blast to drive, but the world that opened was a wonderful surprise and is the best reason to own one. Aston Martin provides the thrills, the enjoyment and the training for once-in-a-lifetime events around the world. As Jay Leno says, “There’s a whole Aston Martin lifestyle. I can’t quite describe it. These are very intimate cars.”
In very British fashion, Aston has always recognized that passion for cars. Its heritage is emblematic of all things British – supreme class, understated grace, and power in execution. It makes the Aston experience special and unique. The tag line “Power, Beauty, Soul” that greets you each time you press the ignition is no coincidence. When AM builds a car, they know they are sending you the essence of being British. What follows is a glimpse of how much fun it can be to own one of these cars. There is nothing like it.
Corporate events basically come in two varieties – those with set itineraries and those tailored to the customer’s desires. Driving experiences, private factory tours, or design studio seminars, all are arranged to enhance your understanding and appreciation of Aston Martin, the cars and their owners.
Aston owners get opportunities to drive famous race tracks all over the world, like Laguna Seca, Road America, Silverstone, Spa Francorchamps. And there are more.
Then there is Aston Martin On Tour. We participated in the inaugural event back in 2010 when we were the only Americans among 22 Astons to embark on a 6-day drive through the Alps. We began in Montreux, Switzerland, traversed through Italy and France and ended at the Cap du Ferrat Hotel near Monaco. It was a top shelf vacation in every respect – great people, gorgeous scenery, challenging drives, fun dining experiences, wonderful accommodations. We have great memories and would do it again in a heartbeat.
So, why an Aston instead of any other car? Why not a Ferrari or a Lamborghini, a MacLaren or a Bugatti? For my money, I love the understated style and class of an Aston. An Aston implies so many things, but it never shouts them at you. It’s the implication that’s so intriguing. It seems to ask, “I am gorgeous, I am erotic, I am fast – can you tame me?”
David Vivian, in Vantage magazine, Issue 2, may have said it best, “It’s all about the ceremony, the theatre, that sense of occasion. Layers of experience. You look out the bedroom window and think, ‘yeah, I’m going out in that tonight.’ That’s how it starts. And the anticipation… (is) rewarded again and again, each step of the way.”
There’s also the numbers. Aston’s are much rarer than just about any other brand. They only build 4,000 to 6,000 cars a year. Surprisingly, Ferrari’s, Lambo’s, and Porsche’s are all much more common. So, to have an Aston is to really have something special and different. With the added bonus of special sponsored events of all kinds, ownership becomes a gateway to many other exciting adventures. I have formed many friendships and had lots of good times in all kinds of settings with good people who happen to own these cars. Aston owners, in my estimation, rarely feel the need to call attention to themselves by having a car that screams ‘look at me, look at me!’ They are confident, self-assured, successful. They enjoy fine things, but don’t need to shout about what they are fortunate to possess. They enjoy refinement, classic design and performance. That’s an Aston Martin in spades.
