‘I won the Aston in an arm-wrestling contest’
1964 Aston Martin DB5 George Watkinson
How did you get to own an Aston Martin DB5?
George: ‘My dad David owned it for a long time and since it would have ended up mine one day anyway, he decided it would be nice to hand over the keys sooner rather than later. To make it fair, he offered it as a prize and challenged me to an arm-wrestling contest. I was the victor, so you could say it was won fair and square.’
regrets from dad?
‘He’s just glad it’s in good hands. He’s had all sorts of cars, from a V8 Vantage, V8 Volante, TR6, MGB, Midget, Defender and his favourite – a Triumph Stag. My great grandfather ordered one at a motor show in 1970 when the Stag made its debut and it had a profound effect on my dad. He loved the shape and the sound of it and I suppose that’s where my love of cars comes from. I’m training to be a Church of England vicar and my father always said that if you want to do the work of the Lord, why not do it in an Aston? You can do it faster.’
The car has a nice history, doesn’t it?
‘This particular car is two chassis numbers away from the original James Bond Goldfinger car. It was bought from a garage near Winchester, where it had been stored since the early Seventies. The mileage was low but it was a bit of a wreck and had been badly painted. Restoration took 15 years to complete and it was only finished last year. The engine was the biggest problem – it was all in bits. Dad wanted it to be better than it was when it left the factory.’
Does it drive like new?
‘Yes, badly! It’s pretty horrible to drive. The gearbox is awful, it rattles over bumps, and the brakes are poor. But what does that matter when it looks like this? There’s nothing quite like driving a DB5, but I probably won’t be turning up at my ordination at Winchester Cathedral in it. I don’t think that would be very wise.’
1971 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 Niall Holden How did you end up here with George and his DB5?
Niall: ‘As a member of the Beaulieu One Hundred Club, I was at the annual charity auction bidding against George’s dad. The prize was to have our cars photographed for Practical Classics by Sir Malcolm Campbell’s grandson, Don Wales. Having endured a tough bidding war, we thought it would be more interesting to have both cars at the magazine photoshoot. It got a bit silly but it was all in a good cause!’
It’s a fine car with a fine backdrop.
‘Absolutely! Beaulieu is an iconic location, so to see my car here is a proud moment. I have been lucky enough to own it for almost a decade, having traded in my old Dino to buy it. This particular example was once owned by Eric Clapton and is one of only 27 right-hand drive cars of this type. The car comes with a vast history file, having tackled Africa and numerous hill climbs. It even has the original Ferrari
toolkit which, alone, some people pay up to £25,000 for!’
You like cars with a musical connection, don’t you?
‘I do. I also own Gerry Marsden’s Aston Martin DB5 Vantage. He bought it with the money he made from Ferry Cross the
Mersey before putting it into a wall on Merseyside. Beaulieu has a unique Rod Stewart connection, you know. He came to the Beaulieu Jazz Festival in his teens, drank too much in the Montagu Arms and snuck under the fence to get in. He and an older woman are believed to have had a dalliance in a tent and Stewart wrote Maggie May about the experience. Later, he spent the royalties from the song on a Miura.’