JustBritish

Having opened a new facility in Goldhawk Road, West London this week, Nicholas Mee & Co says it is the first ever high-street, officially endorsed, Aston Martin Heritage showroom.

The company was established 21 years ago and held a party to celebrate the opening, with guests including Aston Martin CEO Dr Ulrich Bez and Director of Works Service and Parts Operations, Kingsley Riding-Felce.

Riding-Felce said: “Aston Martin takes its heritage very seriously, and it is crucial that current and prospective owners of our Heritage models are able to receive the kind of levels of service and specialist knowledge that is expected of the Aston Martin brand.

“Up until now our heritage network has not had such prominence in London and it is wonderful to see Nicholas and his team investing so heavily in the future of Aston Martin’s Heritage business.”

Nicholas Mee added: “It seems essential to us that Aston Martin Heritage has a dedicated showroom in the heart of London. These premises will be London’s focal point for showing and dealing in these beautiful, collectable cars. Perfectly located at a central point between Heathrow and Mayfair, our new high street showrooms offer collectors, buyers and sellers an ideal environment to showcase their cars.”

Despite its unprecedented success and staggering popularity the world over, Apple’s iPhone is no longer Britain’s coolest brand, having been knocked off the top spot of the ‘Cool Brands index’ by Aston Martin.

The influential survey is made up of 2,000 consumers and a panel of 35 designers, style magazine editors, and website executives, who have deemed Aston Martin vehicles as Britain’s most desirable product — pushing the iPhone into second place.

The desire to own an Aston Martin vehicle is believed to have been fueled by James Bond, who can be seen driving a whole host of the company’s vehicles in the films. Despite being nearly 100 years old, the car manufacturer still maintains its appeal, according to the survey, while cutting edge technology — such as the iPhone — struggles to keep up.

For the full story, read The Cult of Mac.

The revival of the IPO market, when it comes, will give James Bond fans a chance to own a slice of British luxury car maker Aston Martin and could generate enough funds for the group to revive its famous Lagonda brand.

“It’s clear that at some point investors holding equity in an independent company need to devise an exit, and this exit is an IPO that we will do when the time is right,” Chief Executive Ulrich Bez told Reuters on Tuesday.

“Aston Martin is working on achieving a valuation comparable to a luxury goods maker.” Ford Motor Co (F.N) sold Aston Martin for 479 million pounds ($756 million) in March 2007, to a consortium led by David Richards — former Formula 1 Benetton and BAR racing boss — as well as two Kuwaiti funds.

In an interview at the Frankfurt auto show, Bez said he would hope the Lagonda brand would duplicate the success of the sports car maker’s other models, which sold just 600 in 2000 when he took over — almost all in the UK.

“Just as we have revived Aston Martin over the past 10 years, we could do the same with Lagonda. But we would need investors to finance it since we cannot, using just our own cashflow,” he said. “They do not necessarily need to own shares in Aston Martin directly, they could provide funding as limited partners, so a finance investor would be preferable.”

Provided there is a win-win situation for Aston and German carmaker Daimler, the Lagonda could be built using the same architecture as the Mercedes-Benz GL full-size SUV.

When asked about Aston’s international expansion plans, Bez said the company was focused on breaking into the Chinese luxury sports car market, where he expects sales could match those of its domestic UK market almost overnight.

“Two months ago we received the import license we need to officially export cars to China,” he said. “By the end of next year we plan to have 12-15 dealers selling about 1,000 cars, which will constitute about 20 percent of the roughly 5,000 we expect to sell worldwide that year.”

Bez wants a diversified geographical footprint, with a fifth of the sales in China, a fifth in the UK, a fifth in the rest of Europe and a fifth in North America.

Come next year, Aston’s Rapide will also become a genuine “Made in the UK” car, when production of the sleek four-door is moved to Gaydon, central England, from Magna’s MGa.TO Steyr facility in Graz, Austria. “We’ve massively increased the efficiency of Gaydon, especially in the paint shop,” he explained.

Also known for is DBS Volante cabrio and the extravagantly expensive One-77, Aston Martin premiered the V12 Zagato — retailing at 330,000 pounds before tax — at the Frankfurt show.

The battle lines are drawn. The race to build Britain’s fastest and most 
powerful production 
car is on. But it’s not McLaren, Bentley or even Aston Martin that aims 
to lead the way. It’s Lotus.

During an exclusive gathering at the company’s HQ in Hethel, Norfolk, chief technical officer Wolf Zimmermann told Auto Express of his plans to build a flagship Superleggera version 
of the next-generation Esprit – and we can show you what it will look like in our exclusive images.

Bosses held the meeting to face critics of the New Era plan, which in June 2010 revealed five new cars would be launched in five years. As well as confirming the flagship Esprit, Lotus unveiled plans for a city car called Ethos – to rival the Aston Martin Cygnet 
– plus the 2+2 Elite, four-door Eterne and the Elise Evolution.

Read more: AutoExpress

Aston-Martin and Maybach are discussing building a concept car together, possibly for the Frankfurt show in September — and the move could signal an impending partnership between Aston 
and Mercedes-Benz.

Little is known about the concept, except that it is likely to be a luxury car, with a high-quality interior finished to the hand-crafted standards of a British luxury saloon.

Aston is understood to have approached Mercedes with an idea for at least one concept, although a source suggests that two projects are the subject of discussions. Neither Aston Martin nor Mercedes would comment. But Mercedes is understood to be close to selecting a partner to co-develop future Maybach models.

In an interview in Germany, Daimler boss Dieter Zetsche recently put a date of “the end of June” for a decision, which is pressing because Maybach needs to finalise replacements for its ageing 57 and 62 saloons.

The Mercedes design studio has been working on designs for these replacements for some time, which leaves Aston’s role in the project unclear.

For the full story, check out the article in AutoCar.

Hagerty, those fine purveyors of classic car insurance, have put together their list of the top ten British cars that you should buy now – before their values go up even higher. While they are all fantastic, of course, I am not sure I totally agree with the ones they include, nor especially the ones Hagerty left off.

Much like the earlier mentioned contest for the “Best British Sport Car”, this is a fun list to fight over more than anything. I don’t know of anyone who would actually use this as their shopping list. And if there were someone with that kind of money, they probably already have that list in their head anyway.

So, what do you think of the list? What would you put on that isn’t listed, or take off that is here?

1968-2006 Morgan Plus 8: An aluminum V8 in a car similar to an MG TF is a recipe for big fun, and the Moggie delivers. Recently out of production and always in demand, there’s nowhere to go but up. $35,000-$65,000

1978-79 TVR 3000S roadster: A bit obscure, but this car really has it all–great looks, a sophisticated tube chassis and plenty of power via a 2.9-liter Ford V6. Low production numbers mean a potentially long search, but this is one vehicle that’s bound to appreciate in the long run. $16,000-$20,000

1967-74 Lotus Elan +2: One of if not the only case of the 2+2 coupe being prettier than the roadster, the Elan +2 might well be the prettiest collector car you can buy for less than $25,000. Rare, from a storied marque, quick and very attractive make a good proposition for future appreciation. $15,000-$22,000

1977-80 Lotus Esprit S1-S2: Another Lotus, this one the wedge-icon Esprit by Giorgetto Giugiaro. Good enough for 007 to use in several outings, Esprits are the supercar bargain and are not likely to stay inexpensive forever. $12,000-$15,000

1995-2004 Aston Martin DB7: The DB7 sits on the cusp between used car and collectible–it’s finished depreciating, and nearly anything Aston Martin has been hot in the collector-car market of late. Hold time may be a bit longer, but it seems a relative certainty for collectability. Opt for a manual-transmission coupe. $26,000-$60,000

1989-2000 Aston Martin Virage: The DB7′s predecessor was a hand-built car in the tradition of the David Brown-era cars. It’s big, brawny and fast and stands out as undervalued among Astons and supercars in general. Like the DB7, a manual-transmission coupe is the way to go. $35,000-$70,000

Triumph TR8: Sub-$15,000 V8 roadsters are thin on the ground these days. While the wedge styling of the TR8 is a bit polarizing and quality-control issues were legendary, survivors have been sorted out and can be quite entertaining. $9,000-$15,000

Jensen Interceptor: A British interior complete with Connolly leather and a polished walnut dash, Italian styling by Vignale and a Chrysler 440 V8 can only be a Jensen Interceptor. These cars are worth twice in the U.K. what they’re bringing now in the United States. This situation won’t last indefinitely. Buy one right now. $15,000-$25,000

Alvis TD/TF21: Relatively unknown in the States, the Alvis TS21 has the same upper-crust British look as a Rolls-Royce or a Bentley, but with available ZF five-speed gearboxes and wire wheels, it’s much more sporting. The cars generally are priced at about half of what you’d think to look at them. $25,000-$50,000

Jaguar E-type SIII: Some people compare the SIII E-type to the 1970s version of Elizabeth Taylor. Still, the complex V12 SIII has its merits. Anything else with a V12 in front, wire wheels and a manual transmission will set you back more than $600,000. Prices have been on the rise lately. $25,000-$65,000