ASTON MARTIN MEMORIES

Recent articles and references to Aston Martin in CAR rekindled an old love affair. Back in 1960, I fell head over heels in love with As‐ ton Martin cars. I even wrote to the factory expressing my deep admiration and respect for its product. Some kind soul re‐ sponded to my letter and sent me photographs of a DB4, a DBR 1/300 and a Lagonda Rapide. I framed the photos and they hung in my bedroom for many years.

When the DB5 was launched in South Africa (circa 1965), I had a friend working at Sidney Clow & Co, agents for Aston Martin, and he organised an invitation for me to attend the “Pink Champagne” launch at the company’s headquarters in Eloff Street, Jo‐ hannesburg. It was a glittering af‐ fair and the star of the show shone brightly.

Somehow my pal’s enthusiasm for the product resulted in Sidney Clow allowing him to drive the car the following day for the launch in Pretoria. He asked me to go with him and I did not hesitate to put in a day’s leave to do so.

Pretoria is just 60 km from Jo‐ hannesburg but we managed to log up about 90 or 100 km on the car’s odometer to get there. We did not partake of the bubbly that night as we had to drive home after the function.

Well, that was the only time I have had the thrill of riding in an Aston but I still think it is one of the most beautiful and desirable cars ever built. It retains all those special qualities today and I am looking forward to seeing how it shapes up in F1.

Thanks for jogging a wonder‐ ful memory and for a great read. [Nothing flows down the road in quite the same way as an Aston Martin. I have fond memories of the Vantage that was part of Per‐ formance Shootout 2019 – editor.] ________________________________

gates of the local primary school, I realised despite our challenging economy with paralysing fuel prices, the majority of the vehicles were Fortuners, Caravelles or Discoverys.

This begs the question: have SUVS and people carriers be‐ come the benchmark for being classified as “cool parents”?

I reached for the latest issue of CAR to check out some of the prices and found, to no surprise, that they’re quite expensive. Yes, you do get good value for money and all-round practicality when buying a diesel Fortuner or maybe a Trendline VW Kombi, but Discos and Land Cruisers tend to dive deep into the pock‐ ets of buyers even in the secondhand market.

As I drove home in my VW Kombi company vehicle, I con‐ cluded that I thoroughly enjoy driving a big car. Not only for the space, practicality and ex‐ traordinary fuel consumption, but the sheer driving pleasure (sorry, BMW).

Big cars have become a status symbol for the middle-class South African family. The bigger the car, the bigger the presence. And I get that. As a previous hatchback owner, I completely agree that driving a big car just makes sense, even though it’s economically senseless.

So yes, contrary to popular belief, I support the already answered age-old question that size really does matter. [Bold statement there at the end, JP. I still believe a station wagon is the best solution for a family’s needs but we all know how South Africans feel about estates… – editor.] ________________________________

Everest and Ranger. With both variants, you recommend the 2,0-litre single turbo, where I thought the bi-turbo would rank better? It seems the single-turbo engine may have some other winning attributes. [For most purposes, Carl, we deem the SIT models entirely sufficient and buyers are saving quite a bit, too, by not opting for the BIT. However, if you regularly tow a heavy trailer, boat or caravan, two turbos are bet‐ ter than one – editor.] sonal friend of the late Graham Hill. CAR tested the Speedwell VW Beetle in 1966/67. Speedwell was Graham Hill’s company and my father was the SA agent for Speedwell/empi products back then. I remember being driven in that same Beetle; it was amaz‐ ing. My interest in cars was born out of his involvement in the industry.

I read my first CAR magazine in November 1965 as a 12-year old, which I remember buying for 25 cents. I haven’t missed a single issue since. I look forward to receiving the new issue each month and compliment the team on a world-class magazine. [Certain CAR team members also own that very Lego Defender and Veyron, Mike… I built a VW Beetle during level-five lockdown and it was immensely satisfying (despite my hands having seemingly become much clumsier since I last attemp‐ ted a Lego set). Have a look on page 22 for more Lego and other ideas during lockdown – editor.] ________________________________ some words on it. Thanks for a wonderful magazine! [André, we focus on the cars that are or will become available in South Africa. Sadly, that list does not include such evocative machines as Corvettes, Chargers and the like… – editor.] ________________________________

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