The numbers behind the Aston Martin Valen, which takes its name from the Latin word valens, meaning ‘strong’ and ‘powerful’, tell the story of a supercar with immense performance. Powered by an uprated 5.2-litre Twin-Turbocharged V12 developing 850PS at 6,500rpm and 1,000Nm of torque from just 2,500 rpm, the limited-edition special debuts as the world’s …
Author Archives: Harriet Hirshcler
PRIDE OF
Automotive is a global business; cars are generally the work of ingenious engineers and creative free-wheelers from across the spectrum. You hear a lot about design ‘contamination’, but perhaps ‘diversity’ is more accurate. Ignore the overwrought media headlines: drawing on a disparate bunch of influences and nationalities can surely only be a good thing, right? …
TICKET TO
You could be forgiven for not remembering the Ford Consul Classic 315. Launched in the UK in 1961, it looked like a Toytown Ford Galaxie, with hints of Lincoln Continental in the raked-back rear roofline. Ford claimed that it would be ‘suitable for the golf club car park’, and with a 0-60mph time of 22.5 …
ALL EYES
Deep within the heart of the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One™ Team’s AMR Technology Campus, there is a room that, during race weekends, is the most important in the entire Silverstone facility. To get to it, you walk past the glass-panelled lobby and through the spine of the factory, with brightly lit rooms lining either …
ROAD TO
Like many Aston Martin owners, Juti Takagi’s love of the James Bond film franchise was what first drew him to the marque, but unlike most, the 25-year-old counts himself in a select group: one of just 100 to own the 2021 Vantage 007 Edition, a car he discovered thanks to some serendipitous intel. “A family …
A STUNNING
Normally, the discovery of a massive spider upon arriving at one’s hotel might be cause for concern. At the serenely surreal Villa La Coste in Provence, however, it’s one of many highlights. I’ve arrived behind the wheel of the Aston Martin DB12 S, steering through the hotel’s concrete Tadao Ando-designed gates, before being confronted by …
MAKING THEIR
The more specific it is, the more rooted in that particular experience, the more universal it lands,” says Botis Seva. I am speaking over video with the Olivier Award-winning choreographer and dancer, founder of Far From the Norm, at his home in London. I can hear the patter of children playing in the other room. …
THE GREAT BRITISH
Dan Lee considers himself a generous driver. If there’s ever any doubt about who has the right of way, rest assured, he’ll be the first to yield. Partly out of the goodness of his heart, partly because he’s become slightly obsessed with the weird and wonderful ways that people offer their gratitude in return. Lee, …
BE OUR
HOME Many of Britain’s finest country hotels have always had history on their side – centuries-old architecture, storied estates, the weight of the past in every corridor. What sets the best of the best apart today are the choices that their visionary owners have made to optimise all that heritage… THE FIFE ARMS, BRAEMAR The …
HER WORD
As is perhaps apt for “the man who is only a silhouette”, questions pertaining to the more quotidian habits of 007 have been asked for many decades. It was back in 1982 that Kingsley Amis, writing in The Times Literary Supplement, queried: “Does he still drink champagne with scrambled eggs and sausages? Wear a lightweight, …