ASTON MARTIN HERITAGE FESTIVAL MARKS A MILESTONE FOR ‘A3’
Published: 19/05/2021
- Aston Martin Heritage Trust’s 2021 festival celebrates centenary of the brand’s oldest surviving model - ‘A3’
- Event promises huge gathering of Aston Martin sports cars; a display of the current Aston Martin range and unique Q by Aston Martin bespoke models
- Aston Martin’s Official Safety and Medical Cars of Formula 1® also set to be on display
Monday 17 May 2021: The Aston Martin Heritage Trust (AMHT) is proudly celebrating a major milestone in the history of the great British luxury car marque as it draws together hundreds of owners from across the UK, and beyond, to mark the centenary of the oldest surviving Aston Martin model, ‘A3’, next month.
The AMHT’s ambitious celebration will take place on Saturday 26 June at the Dallas Burston Polo Club, Southam, Warwickshire, with a fantastic festival promising to showcase a very different type of ‘horsepower’. A number of hugely rare and highly prized Aston Martin models will be on show in a carefully curated timeline leading visitors on a guided tour through the fascinating era-themed car parks.
Aside from ‘A3’ itself – the star of the show, of course, fresh from a comprehensive restoration by pre-eminent pre-war Aston Martin specialists Ecurie Bertelli – the displays will include:
- Pre-war Aston Martin models
- Pre-war Lagonda vehicles
- Feltham era members of the DB2 family
- Newport Pagnell six cylinder cars, to include DB4, DB5, DB6 and DBS
- A V8 showcase covering the period 1968-2000 – Saloon, Volante, Vantage, Lagonda and Virage
- Aston Martin Tickford specials – Frazer Metro, Tickford Capri
- DB7 & V12 Vanquish
- Gaydon VH-era sports cars to include examples of DB9, Vantage, Rapide, and Vanquish, as well as appearances by rarities such as the One-77, Cygnet and Aston Martin Vulcan
- Current range – Vantage, DB11, DBS Superleggera, and DBX
The celebration is a fund-raising event for the AMHT, the charitable organisation formed in 1998 and dedicated to preserving, celebrating, and sharing the history of this iconic luxury British sports car brand. World leading-design, exceptional engineering and extraordinary craftmanship are central to each model produced by the 108-year-old automotive manufacturer.
Undeniably, though, it is ‘A3’ that will be the draw for many enthusiasts attending next month’s celebrations. Aston Martin chassis number 3, known as ‘A3’, is the jewel in the AMHT’s collection and is the oldest surviving Aston Martin.
Built in 1921, ‘A3’ marks its 100th birthday this year. This exceptional piece of iconic British automobilia was used by Lionel Martin, co-founder of Bamford & Martin Ltd, manufacturers of the first Aston Martin sports cars, for both personal and competitive use. The car took several light-car records at Brooklands in 1921, including averaging 100 miles at 86.2 mph. Today, ‘A3’ is a regular at AMHT events and toured the world as part of the Aston Martin centenary celebrations in 2013.
Over the last two years, the drivetrain has been completely re-built by the expert team at Ecurie Bertelli in Buckinghamshire in order to keep this historic car on the road.
Vying for the spotlight in Southam next month will be a number of more modern examples of Aston Martin excellence, as the marque brings its newly-created Vantage, official safety car of Formula 1® and DBX, official medical car of Formula 1® to the polo club. Engineered by the experienced team at Aston Martin headquarters in Gaydon, the Vantage safety car benefits from significant chassis and aerodynamic upgrades. With a few additional modifications to make it FIA-compliant, the new safety car is the current pinnacle of Vantage performance. Aston Martin DBX, the brands critically acclaimed first SUV, has also been modified to take on the role of Official Medical Car to Formula 1®, showcasing its own power and handling prowess.
Visitors will also be able to get closer to the marque’s latest models at a dedicated stand which will feature the current sports car and SUV line-up. Vantage, the company’s flagship sports car, will be joined by the majestic DB11 and visceral DBS. Sitting alongside them will be the striking new DBX, Aston Martin’s first SUV. Moreover, the car marque’s bespoke luxury personalisation service, Q by Aston Martin, will also be showing off some of its bespoke treatments.
Tickets for this superb celebration of Aston Martin achievements, old and new, are available now priced at £28 per car driver (Aston Martin and non-Aston Martin vehicles welcome) with adult passenger tickets costing £16.65 per person. Under-16 tickets are available at £11.65 per child.
The action kicks off at 10am on Saturday 26 June 2021. For more details, and to buy tickets, please visit : https://www.astonmartinheritagefestival.co.uk/
