Turning 110 is not any mean feat. Automobile brands exist within the hundreds, but few have made it past the century mark. Besides Rolls-Royce, Aston Martin is the one other ultra-luxury automaker to survive the unrelenting test of time.
Behind the gleaming sheen of its present day cars and interindustry collaborations with big-name players is a tale of many failures and salvations, but never has the brand thrive the way in which it does today.
So, for its a hundred and tenth birthday, the automaker pulled out all of the stops for a show aptly called Aston Martin Arcadia. It was, essentially, a one-of-a-kind Concours d’Elegance the likes of which the world has never seen before, right in the guts of Tokyo, Japan. In the event you find the venue familiar, that’s since it’s the distinguished Senso-ji Temple, an iconic landmark you might have visited yourself.
An exclusive permission was given to Aston Martin to tug off this unprecedented spectacle, which saw greater than 70 special models displayed throughout Tokyo’s oldest and most vital temple. Every part from the David Brown 995 tractor, the DB2, coachbuilt Zagato specials, Lagonda Taraf and Valkyrie were present, much to the delight of unassuming tourists. Really, not one in all them expected to see an ensemble of Aston Martins that weekend.
The automaker also took the chance to field the brand new DB12 Volante and limited-run Valour, effectively marking the duo’s regional debut. Models that stole the show for me were the DB5 Goldfinger Continuation (what a treat it was to see this ageless icon within the metal), DBR22, Valour, Valhalla, and DBS Superleggera.
Now, in an era where EVs are all the trend, indulge me this. The Valour, a 110-year milestone creation (clearly a bespoke one at that) with a production cap of 110 units, is deemed to be the one front-engined V12 sports automobile on the earth that currently ships with a manual gearbox.
It draws power from a 5.2 litre biturbo V12 (same engine within the DBS Superleggera) that packs 715 PS and 753 Nm of torque, complete with a mechanical LSD and bespoke suspension setup. The design may not appeal to the masses, but trust me after I say that it’s just dripping sexy within the metal.
Japan is the only largest marketplace for Aston Martin in our a part of the world, so it might have been clever to preface this story with the proven fact that most cars on display are literally privately owned. And yes, that features the Valkyrie AMR Pro, Vulcan, and V12 Speedster. All of them run, too, even after 80 years!
On the other end of the spectrum were the Cygnet (of which there are 20 in Japan), the 84-year-old Aston Martin Speed Model Type C (which won the Best in Show award), in addition to the DBX707 AMR23 Edition and AMR23 F1 automobile. The Arcadia was practically a museum.
Once the awards ceremony had concluded, a minimum of 50 cars formed what was to be the biggest Aston Martin owners parade within the Asia Pacific region. They departed from Senso-ji Temple and made a three-hour trip southwest to the gorgeous foothills of Mount Fuji. You might probably tell where that is going next.
The next morning, over 110 Aston Martin owners gathered on the Fuji Speedway (one in all my personal favourite race tracks) for a full track day. Again, this event was the biggest of its kind for the brand within the region. There was also a special surprise that literally flew in from Australia – the Airbus ACH130 Aston Martin Edition. In the event you needed to ask the value for one…
As typical track days go, there have been activities lined up over the course of the day, which included 4 dedicated driving sessions – Heritage Run, Family Run, Special Run, and a Finale Parade Run. Skilled hot laps saw steel-bellied passengers ride shotgun within the DBX707, though the Valkyrie made sure its presence was properly felt (and heard, as its 6.5 litre V12 NA engine climbs towards 10,500 rpm) at any time when it rolled out the pit lane.
We’ll close with a quote from Gregory Adams, Aston Martin Regional President of Asia Pacific, who said: “I’m immensely proud to have hosted the primary Aston Martin Arcadia in Japan, marking not only the tip of a really special yr of a hundred and tenth anniversary celebrations, but the start of a brand new tradition for our owners within the Asia Pacific region.”
“It has been a fantastic pleasure to see so many wonderful examples of Aston Martins from through the years come together in such spectacular fashion and share on this with our owners and enthusiasts alike. We look ahead to hosting the subsequent Aston Martin Arcadia in 2025, where we are going to proceed to showcase Aston Martin because the world’s most desirable ultra-luxury brand, and much more cutting-edge technology, flawless craftsmanship, and timeless design.”
GALLERY: Aston Martin Arcadia at Senso-ji Temple
GALLERY: Aston Martin Arcadia at Fuji Speedway
GALLERY: Official Press Photos
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This Article First Appeared At paultan.org
