At nearly 110 years old, Aston Martin has existed almost as long as the motor car, and during its tenure as one of the worldu2019s finest sports car manufacturers, much has changed in the automotive world. This week, Aston Martin Reading and Cheltenhamu2019s long-awaited first destination drive-out of the year saw 12 customers and their guests heading to the Haynes International Motor Museum in Somerset for a post-lockdown immersive journey through Aston Martinu2019s history and much more.
The day for all 12 customers began at their respective showrooms in Reading or Cheltenham, lining up a collection of the latest Aston Martin sports cars and GTs, including Vantage, DB11 and DBS Superleggera. From there, with the destination set for the museum u2013u00a0just outside Yeovil in the South West u2013 the cars headed off in convoy, planning to congregate for a quick break at Leigh Delamere before completing the final leg to the museum in a spectacular 14-car convoy.
On arrival, the Aston Martin Reading and Cheltenham guests headed straight to the Napier Room u2013 named for D. Napier & Son, famed for producing the engines that powered many speed record holders u2013u00a0within the museum for a welcome drink before heading out to see the exhibits.
The museum itself is one of the largest living and working motoring museums in the world, with each of the pieces regularly run, driven and cared for. Exhibits are dedicated to Williams F1, early motoring pioneers, Great British Marques u2013 including an Aston Martin or two u2013 and The American Dream. This latter exhibit hosts one of the jewels in the museumu2019s crown, a Duesenberg Model J valued in the millions. Upon its release in 1931, the Model J was twice as powerful as any other American car on sale.
Once guests had finished meandering through the museum, they were free to enjoy lunch in the on-site restaurant at their leisure, before making their way back into their state-of-the-art Aston Martins, with a new-found appreciate of their rich history.
