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October 2020 News

Area 15 Rep | Published on 10/31/2020

Mark Writes

This month's report is very different for reasons that are well known and it is very strange not to have activities to report on or publicise.

So I thought I’d let you know how I became infected with Aston Martin. Like many people James Bond was an influence but when I was in technical college in Pembrokeshire, a friend of mine was an absolute fanatic and we discussed Aston Martins regularly.

Then the Bulldog was announced and it was going to be at the Motor Show in Birmingham, so four of us scruffy students drove overnight to Birmingham to go and see it. Arriving there we made a beeline for the Aston Martin stand and there it was, all futuristic straight line and those gullwing doors….wow.

Next step in our plan was to get closer to it, pleas of “please mister can we come on the stand and have a look?” fell on deaf ears but the Bulldog and the whole Aston Martin stand left a lasting impression, one day I’ll own one, was the thought when leaving.

Fast forward to 1992 and I found out that I didn’t have to be an owner to join AMOC and went to an Area 10 event at the Yew Tree and met some fantastic people, the first to introduce himself was Tom May, who ensured I was made welcome. He also acted as proposer for my membership application (as was the procedure then). This then led to many years of happy Aston Martin events, including taking my family to events at Silverstone and Wiscombe Hill Climb and somehow I was persuaded by Tom to become Area 10 Assistant Area Rep to David Lewington which I did for a few years.

I then stepped down from that role due to work pressure and then in 2014 (22 years after joining AMOC) I was fortunate enough to purchase my DB7 Vantage from Alastair Lawson, an Area 15 AMOC member. This led me to attending Area 15 meetings and finding a whole new group of friends and then becoming the Area 15 Rep.

Safe Driving