Beaulieu’s new events season got off to a racing start last weekend as Simply Aston Martincelebrated the marque’s proud history on the grounds of the National Motor Museum. More than 300 Aston examples were on show, ranging from an early 1934 Aston Martin Mark II to stunning, brand-new DB11s.
More than 620 participants took part in the rally on April 8, including two examples of the special high-performance Vantage GT8 with striking Gulf racing team livery. Owners of DB9s, Volantes and Vantages were in good company, alongside modern classic DB7s. Equally impressive were classic Astons, including a 1958 DB Mark III, parked alongside several DB4s, DB5s and DB6s.
Throughout the day, rally participants and Beaulieu visitors voted for their favorite Aston Martin in the People’s Choice Awards. Collecting the most votes, a Beaulieu commemorative trophy and Autoglym prize was Londoner Humphrey Bradley for his Vanquish S named “Red 10.” His machine was one of just 10 examples built for the Red Arrows, and the only one raffled in aid of the RAF Benevolent Fund. Humphrey said: “I love everything about the car, especially the fact that it was built for the Red Arrows!”
Runners up were a pair of V8 Vantages, one a classic and the other its modern namesake. John Smith, from Huddersfield, scored highly for the 1988 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Volante he has owned for six years and maintains himself, while Rick Cullen, from Bristol, has owned his 2006 Aston Martin V8 Vantage for just 10 months and said: “It’s a real driver’s car and I love driving it. It’s a childhood dream come true!”
Simply Aston Martin was the first of Beaulieu’s 2018 Simply rallies. New for this year is Simply Audi on April 29, followed by the popular Simply Ford on May 6, Simply Porsche on June 3, Simply VW on June 16, Simply Land Rover on June 24, Simply Jaguar on July 8, Simply Japanese on July 29 and Simply Smart on November 11. For complete information about these events, please visit www.beaulieu.co.uk/events
