May 2025

And we’re off!

Introduction

As the caption indicates, this was a busy month, which saw me driving all over the place (which is no bad thing!) May is when the motoring calendar really does start to take off! May was a really enjoyable month, so much was going on and it seemed like I never stopped filming. I was busy nearly every weekend with a car function, not to mention a few during the week days as well. This all means some great content to share with you, the Fuel the Passion community, on here and via the films I end up producing which gets aired on the Fuel the Passion YouTube Channel. If you haven’t subscribed, please consider doing so, as there’s some great content already there, with loads more to come. Subscribing really does help the channel out and believe it or not, results in me being able to do more, as does watch time, thumbs up and leaving comments, no matter how short.

We start of this month, at the first meeting I attended, which was ‘Sports Cars in the Park’ at Newby Hall. It’s the first time I’ve attended this event, which did not disappoint. I then went on SC:UK organised drives, attended some stunning venues with HLS, Aston Martin Owners Club and others, resulting in some amazing memoires and films, some of which I am yet to edit and upload onto YouTube. That’s the only issue with being so busy - I end up filming so much, I don’t always get time to edit the nmerous clips of film to resemble a meaningful story to then share with you. However, this will be done and all the events and drives mentioned below will end up on YouTube, some are already there!

Thanks very much for all your support. Happy reading and watching of the Fuel the Passion YouTube Channel.

We start May with Sports Cars in the Park

So things kicked off in early May with a ticket to Sports Cars in the Park, which is held each year at Newby Hall, Skelton-on-Ure, North Yorkshire. Like so many events, it was my first time to this one. I did look at a few pictures, articles and even the odd YouTube Video about this event before I attended to get a rough idea of what to expect.

FTP Vantage navigating it’s way to its parking space at Sports Cars in the Park Event - May 2025

The event was great, there were a few hundred cars that attended this. In some cases, car clubs and car makes were parked together, but it was largely mixed up. I decided to purchase some secure parking for an extra £10. It just meant I didn’t feel the need to cart all my camera gear everywhere I went, like I normally do! The secure parking is limited, so if you do want this option it’s probably best to book a space early. For an extra £10, I thought it was worth it. The picture below shows where secure parking was situated this year, which was in front of the stables.

If you haven’t seen the video on this event, it’s live now on YouTube, click here to view.

I start the video in a petrol station filling the car up for the trip ahead. You will see I got approached by a man who was very complimentary about the FTP Vantage. I captured the conversation and included some of what was said. I didn’t include all of what he said, as we talked about how the ‘public’ view Aston Martin. We agreed that they were positively received by the British public, which is not necessarily the experience of other sports and super car owners. I shared a story of someone I know, who drives a Porsche GT3 RS with a huge wing on the back. He tells me, he gets quite a bit of stick (two fingers, not let out at junctions etc). I was telling this man at the petrol station, that I’ve experienced none of that. There are two negative experiences that spring to mind, one involving a white van (man), which on a quiet morning, I’m doing the national speed limit on a nice road, when the van races up behind me and flashes its lights repeatedly, right on my bumper. I think they wanted me to put my foot down. The road was straight and the vision good, and I gave enough space for the white van man to overtake. They didn’t and just proceeded to hug my bumper and flash their lights occasionally. When I reached my end destination, I did look around the car to make sure I had nothing hanging off, in case that’s why they were flashing me, but alas not. I know not all white van drivers do this - but this is exactly what gives them a bad name! Another negative occasion was a similar situation, this time with a BMW 3 series, which had a mirrored windscreen (illegal) and green headlights. It had a matt black wrap and the suspension had been altered to allow it to hug the ground. Again a quiet morning, came right up behind me and hug my bumper for about 2 miles before we turned off on our separate journeys. Thank god I wasn’t going where they were going! I remember thinking at the time - that BMW is trying so hard to look and drive ‘cool’ what with all the modifications. The driver probably thought they were driving brilliantly - ‘look at me’ or ‘don’t mess with me as my car is faster than yours’ type of attitude. Then there’s me in the FTP Vantage, which doesn’t even have to try!

Anyhow, that’s made me feel better about those two situations. Apart from those negative experiences, every other interaction with other people concerning the FTP Vantage has been so so positive. Why is this? I have my own thoughts; British Brand, great looks, great noise to name just a few.

Back to all these cars in the park - it was a great day and attracted thousands of visitors. It’s a very big footprint, so the grounds could take a lot of cars and people. Although it was busy, it never felt too crowded. You’ll be able to get a better impression from the YouTube video, but people who brought their cars were more than happy to talk about them, if you ask. I had a close look at a classic Lotus Esprit which reminded me of James Bond, and the interior was very stylish! I also filmed a ‘Mad Max’ in appearance Porsche which had machine guns protruding from the bonnet, which apparently featured in the Live Shows of Top Gear. It was actually listed for sale, so if you see it on the video and it’s still available - the phone number to call is on the front of the Porsche (on the video!). If anyone reading this purchases it, please get in touch, I would love to come and see it, especially if you get those flame throwing machine guns to work!

Would I recommend people to visit Sports Cars in the Park - if you’re passionate or have a keen interest in cars - absolutely, it was a great turn out with a wide variety of cars from all eras and manufacturers on show.

A 1977 Aston Martin V8 entering Newby Hall Park, North Yorkshire

An evening drive to the highest Pub in the UK

The week following Sports Cars in the Park, saw me and the FTP Vantage meeting up with numerous others from the Sports/Super Car Club, SC:UK, as we hit the roads through the Yorkshire Dales, which ended up at the Tan Hill Inn, the highest Pub in the land!

I had never been to Tan Hill Inn before, so it was a great experience. I did film this evening drive and I will produce a relatively short video about it in the future. It was a great way to spend an early summers evening - or late spring evening. The picture below was taken on that evening, shortly after we arrived. It was quite overcast, pretty much all day, but the sun started peaking out from the cloud cover as it went down.

The roads, little quaint villages and views during this drive, were pretty stunning. It’s a drive I would be keen to do again, may be a bit slower paced, so I can stop off at the odd village and take a stroll around, as many looked lovely.

The drive home from Tan Hill was … …interesting! It was fine, but the windy, narrow, rabbit and sheep filled roads, in the dark, made for some slow progress being made, as I didn’t want to hit anything!

Anyhow, a video will end up being posted in the weeks ahead.

A Spring Evening Drive, with SC:UK, which ended up at the highest Pub in the UK, where we just about caught the sunset!

A Spring Coffee & Cars morning hosted by HLS - High Luxury Supercars

When I purchased my Vantage in August 2024, from Aston Martin Sevenoaks, which was part of the Stratstone Group, I automatically became a member of HLS. I remember signing a form at the time. A few weeks after I collected the car, a small credit sized box arrived in the post, in a padded envelope. In that box was a credit card with HLS on the front. That was my membership card to this exclusive club, which also came with a welcoming letter.

I thought nothing else about it or the membership. It wasn’t until early 2025 that I received an email from HLS inviting me to attend this event, which took place at Gawsworth Hall, Macclesfield. I was so pleased I accepted this invitation, as the venue (as you can see in the photo below) was stunning. Luckily this coffee & cars meet up was in that stretch of fine weather, so the sky ended up being mostly blue, the temperature warm and the cars and venue beautiful. An Aston Martin always looks good in the setting of a stately home!

If you haven’t seen the video covering this event, you can click here to view.

There were some great cars there - including some of the latest models from Aston Martin, Ferrari and Porsche. I off course, made my way to examine the Aston Martins they had brought and were on show. As you’ll see on the video, I had a good look round a new Vantage, Vanquish and DBX. Although the Vanquish wasn’t in my preferred specification, it was still lovely. It’s my favorite modern Aston from the latest range. The shape and styling are just lovely. I still think the front grilles are very large, but with a number plate D1FTP in the middle, I think it could look ok! Who knows what the future holds! It’ll be great to get one on the channel!

If you’re interested in finding out more about Club HLS click here to be taken to their website.

Club HLS Spring Cars & Coffee Morning at Gawsworth Hall, Gawsworth, Macclesfield

Time to hit the runway!

I attended this amazing event, where the variety, volume and caliber of cars was simply amazing. As you can see from the couple of photographs below, this gives just a hint as to what was on display - and more to the point, the majority of these special cars were driven along the runway very fast! What a spectacle. I haven’t yet had chance to edit the video for this yet, but I will do. It will eventually air, so I’ll leave it there for now, until the video goes live, after the Concours series, which is what I’m currently working on now. I’m sure the pictures below help to wet your appetite though!

The amazing McMurty Speirling all electric fan car at ‘The Runway’ Supercar event at Sywell Aerodrome

A couple of amazing Aston Martin Valour supercars at Sywell Aerodrome at ‘The Runway’ Supercar Event

Say ‘Cheese!’

As you may know, I’m a member of a Super/Sports Car Club called SC:UK. As a member of the club, you can book onto various drives and events which occur throughout the year. Most have limited spaces available, so sometimes you have to be quick off the mark to get a place. I managed to book a place on a ‘Photography Day’ organised by the club. The day involved meeting up, then we all headed out to various locations across Yorkshire and Derbyshire and with the aide of a couple of professional photographers, we took shots of the cars - like the one below, which is absolutely stunning!

I did film that day and I will be creating a film for the Fuel the Passion YouTube Channel, so I won’t say too much on here yet! However, the weather was fab, the cars were amazing and the locations and resulting photo’s were stunning! I’ll be using the photo below as my YouTube Banner, once the video has gone live and I credit the photographer.

FTP Vantage D7FTP posing at a fantastic location in Yorkshire

When an email arrives…

…well, when one does arrive from a dealership asking if you would like to ‘book a slot’ to come into the showroom to take a look around a new car, how can you refuse!? I certainly couldn’t especially considering it was to look around the new 2025 Vanquish Volante! If you watch my video’s you will know that I love the design of this new Vanquish. In fact in the YouTube Video called ‘Time Well Spent’ I use the Aston Martin configurator to design and spec my dream Vanquish. If you haven’t seen that video, click here.

I have to say, I was mighty impressed with this new Vanquish and the roof motion as it disappeared to the rear as it came down, was just lovely to see, as well as when it goes back up again! (all filmed and included on the video)

What colour would you spec the new Vanquish in? Well I show you what my preferred option would look like on the video. You never know, one day!?

Dan from Fuel the Passion, attending Aston Martin Leeds to film and review the new Vanquish Volante

Finding out more about Aston Martins History

The Aston Martin Heritage Trust, do an absolutely amazing job in collecting, preserving, cataloging and displaying thousands of exhibits, which includes a number of very special cars. It’s only open certain times and days, non of which seemed to coincide on the days I was in that general part of the country. I definitely didn’t want a year to tick on by without paying this stunning barn a visit. So I booked a slot via the Trusts website and travelled a good few hours, to make the visit. All I can say, is that it was well worth a visit. It was an immensely enjoyable day. I may come back and write some more on this blog about this visit, but I haven’t edited the video yet, and yes there will be a video coming soonish (after the Concours series). So I don’t want to reveal too much until then.

All I will say right now, is that if you’re an Aston Martin fan or owner or both, this barn is well worth a visit. I definitely recommend. If you want to book a slot to visit yourself, or you just want to find out more, visit the Aston Martin Heritage Trust webiste via the link below;

https://amht.org.uk/

I attend the Aston Martin Heritage Trust (AMHT) Museum, which is in a stunningly beautiful barn in the beautiful Oxfordshire Countryside

Dan from Fuel the Passion, taking a good look around the AMHT Museum

A number of various Aston Martins from a range of era’s formed up for the Aston Martin Owners Club (Yorkshire) Anniversary drive out

Celebrating the 90th Anniversary of the Aston Martin Owners Club (AMOC)

On the 25th May 1935 the Aston Martin Owners Club was formed. I’ll probably write a separate article about that and how it came about another time (I feel it’’s something I want to do). To celebrate this momentous occasion, the Yorkshire members of AMOC arranged to meet at a Golf Club, called the Manor in Yorkshire, for tea and coffee and a possible bacon or sausage sandwich, before we all left for a scenic two hour drive on lovely scenic roads through some Yorkshire Countryside, prior to arriving at Wentworth Woodhouse in South Yorkshire. Around 25 Aston Martins with their respective lovely owners, turned up. If you haven’t seen the film called ‘Marking 90 Years’ on the Fuel the Passion YouTube Channel covering this event, click here.

The day was going great and as I was out with the cars filming a few scenes for the YouTube Video, I and a couple of other owners heard a smash… …we located the cause of the noise. It wasn’t a great find! (see photo below).

Aston Martin DB6 victim of a misplaced golf ball during Yorkshire’s 90th Aston Martin Owners Club drive out day to Wentworth Woodhouse

The embarrassed amateur golfer, slowly walked over to the cars, hand over mouth and talking to his golfer colleague. Clutching the offending club in his hand, he approached and asked if he was responsible for the smashed window. “Er, Yes, I’m afraid so!” was the reply! He struck a golf ball, which cleared all golf areas and holes, flew over the access road and landed squarely on the windscreen of the DB6. I couldn’t believe the bad luck. Although I obviously wouldn’t want that for any owner and their car, that golf ball chose the oldest and probably the most expensive Aston Martin car that was in attendance. It was also parked directly next to my Vantage. In the picture above, the car to the left is my car.

The owner of the DB6 and the golfer exchanged details. There were smiles and laughter and also the odd nodding of heads. As more drivers came out, getting ready to depart and were introduced to the smashed window event, more shocked faces gathered on the green.

As Aston Martins started to leave for their drive to Wentworth Woodhouse, I stayed behind to capture as many cars as I could on film. It’s always nice to film some Astons actually moving! Aided by another Aston Martin Owner, I was able to fix one of my cameras to their V12 Vantage Convertible, which enabled me to capture some of the cars on route. This would help me tell the story in the video.

We ended the drive as planned at the stunningly beautiful, Wentworth Woodhouse. The pictures below say it all - what a stunning venue for a group of special cars to end a fabulous drive! (Not to mention a nice cream tea for the owners!)

A group of Aston Martin cars parked outside Wentworth Woodhouse, Yorkshire on 25th May 2025 to celebrate AMOCs 90th Anniversary

The FTP Vantage, D7FTP parked in front of Wentworth Woodhouse, Yorkshire on 25th May 2025 to celebrate AMOCs 90th Anniversary

FTP Vantage D7FTP covered in snow foam at Max Car Care Detailing

Preparing for Concours

In the last week of May, I took my Aston Martin Vantage to Max Car Care Detailing and Valeting Service, which is based in York. Although I feel that I’m quite competent in cleaning my car, I had entered two Concours, being the London Concours and the Aston Martin Owners Club (AMOC) Spring Concours at Burghley House, Stamford in Peterborough. I had never entered a Concours before, so I wanted to seek some professional assistance in getting my vehicle prepared for what lay ahead.

I had met Nick (from Max Care Care) a few weeks before, when I took my Vantage for an initial look over, which included a discussion with Nick about what I (thought) I needed and when he could fit me in. Nicks diary was packed. I remember glancing at him looking at his bookings calendar via his mobile phone and seeing his calendar jam packed with appointments. I was actually quite pleased to see this, as it reassured me that Nick was so busy with appointments, he must offer a great service and end result. Having never used a car valeting service before, I took this as a very positive sign - which thankfully lived out to be true.

Nick struggled to squeeze me into his busy schedule, before the Concours, which was entirely my fault for leaving things so late. I’m not sure why I left it so late. Maybe it was me begrudgingly wishing to pay for someone to clean my own car - something I thought I was more than capable of doing myself. However, as the reality hi me, about the standard of Concours cars and after washing my car time and time again and seeing swirls in the paintwork, a few stone chips appear, time and time again and just standing back after a couple of hours effort and thinking - yep you’re clean (the Vantage and not me!) but your not ‘Concours clean’ I relented and decided to bite the bullet and find a detailer.

In short, Nick did manage to squeeze me in. He engineered his diary to the extent that he put himself out and worked a Saturday to ensure he could get the job done! I was immensely grateful and actually relieved to now have a professional detailer, someone who knew far more than me, as to how to get my Vantage looking as good as new - or as good to coming out the factory condition - which is a phrase I had heard from fellow Aston Martin owners, who had previously entered a Concours in the years before.

Drone view of Nick in the process of cleaning the FTP car - D7FTP Aston Martin Vantage

So four days prior to the London Concours (opening day of London Concours being 3rd June, which is when my car was being shown), I drove in the pouring rain from my home in West Yorkshire to York. You can see the weather conditions in the first of four of the Concours Series of films, in the video called ‘Preparation’ on the Fuel the Passion YouTube Channel

I stayed with Nick filming for the video until around midday, when a pre-arranged Uber Taxi arrived to take me to York Railway Station, where I caught a train heading towards home. It felt strange having to catch public transport again, something I hadn’t done for quite some time - especially a train. The last time I had to catch a train was when I had to commute to work in London, quite a few years ago. It brought back work time memories and the countless trips you end up doing, going to and from work for years on end. All that time sitting and standing in busy train carriages, trying to put the time to good use by reading a book, magazine or paper or by listening to podcasts or music. Although I always tried to put the time to good use - I remember spending most of the time day dreaming or people watching or just looking out the window - dreaming about owning an Aston Martin perhaps!

Returning the very next day to collect the car, was an exciting time. To collect the car looking probably the best it’s ever looked, collecting a car I fell in love with and was building a relationship with (no genuinely - I really feel like you do build relationships with cars, how they drive, their little quirks - the noises they make - how best and when to change gear depending on the noise of the engine, how thirsty they are depending on how you drive, the places you go together, the memories you make, etc, etc).

FTP Vantage collection, after detailing completed by Max Care Care

Collecting the FTP Vantage

When I walked into the detailing unit on collection day and saw the car for the first time, it was like the ‘reveal’ day, when I first collected the car from Aston Martin Sevenoaks, nearly a year ago. Wow! In fact that word (wow) was the title of the YouTube Video which described exactly how I was feeling! It was actually a ‘wow’ on two fronts; 1) Seeing my car in such an amazing condition and 2) Seeing the quantity and caliber of cars at Goodwood Supercar Sunday/Breakfast Club. If you haven’t seen the video, click here to view it - the cars are amazing!

I’ll be writing about the Goodwood experience in the June blog as that took place on the 1st June.

Anyhow, back to the collection of the FTP Vantage. I was so impressed with the now clarity of the paintwork. I can best describe it as a mirror effect, as the car now reflected more than I had ever seen it do so before. Yes, of course I cleaned the car regularly and managed to get it gleaming, but not to this standard! Having walked around the car, taking it all in, I was thinking how pleased I was that I brought the car to Nick at Max Care Care, to do this work. When you love your car, you obviously want it well cared for, when and if it ever goes into a garage for any type of work and I like to think I do my ‘homework’ prior to leaving my car with anyone. Nicks work did not disappoint and he now has a returning customer on his books! If you live in or around Yorkshire and you want to find out more information about Max Car Care, I can definitely recommend, click on the link below;

https://www.maxcarcare.co.uk/

As you’ll see and hear if you watch the video, Nick and I walk around the car and we discuss the work he completed, which included a look under the huge bonnet, as Nick steam cleaned that too. I felt I was now ready for Concours! However…I still had to travel around 4 hours, south to Surrey, where I was staying with my parents. The following day, I had some filming to do at Goodwood and I was displaying my car at Woodcote, on the infamous Goodwood Race Circuit. Then I had to drive the Vantage from there back into Surrey and then in the next few days, drive it through London to display it in the London Concours. What state would the car be in then? What i it rains? What condition would the FTP Vantage be in after all of that at the Burghley Concours? Was any of this a good idea? - I asked myself!

Find out my thoughts in the June Blog coming in July!

April 2025

Things are starting to happen

Introduction

Although I felt this a few months ago already, when we hit the month of April, although the weather can still feel cold and wintry, it’s starting to feel like things are starting to happen in the car world - people are talking, planning and are starting to dust their cars off for the (hopefully) warmer months that are about to descend.

This would be my first proper, full summer with the FTP Vantage and I was really looking forward to it! I felt that I had already got to know the car really well, especially following the European Road Trip with Behind the Glass Podcast last September, where we travelled through numerous countries and the tour ended at the top of the Grossglockner on the High Alpine Road in Austria. What a great trip, despite the poor weather we encountered pretty much every day. To say that was a washout, would be a pretty good way to describe it, but we still had fun and I got to know the FTP Vantage very well. If you haven’t seen the video’s on Fuel the Passion YouTube Channel about that trip, there’s numerous to choose from. Now one thing I will say, is that I am now, but I was very very new to YouTube when I produced those videos, where I was, and still am, getting used to speaking into a small camera lens!

Anyhow, back to April and I started the month heading for Helmsley in North Yorkshire for an SC:UK meet up and drive to the NY500 Cafe in Pickering. And this was a Thursday evening!

SC:UK Blakey Ridge to NY500 Evening Drive

I do live in the hope that when I decide to go on club drives, the weather will hold out. Watching the weather on the lead up to this Thursday, early in the month of April, evening drive - things were looking patchy! It could be ok, heavy cloud, chance of rain. On route to our meeting point, which was a lovely village square called Helmsley, the rain started to fall, often quite hard. Undeterred, I drove on, wipers wiping frantically, as I knew things could change. This is Yorkshire and the weather can change on a sixpence! I arrived a little bit early, as I was planning on filming this drive and producing a short video, so I wanted to set up some cameras and get things ready prior to other cars that weren’t scared off by the dull weather, arrived.

It wasn’t long before fellow SC:UK drivers turned up. Although a few had dropped out due to the weather, there was still around 12-15 cars, which was nice to see. However, what wasn’t very nice to see was that the heavens opened whilst we waited and it remained on/off throughout the drive, but things got interesting on Blakey Ridge where visibility reduced considerably!

Fellow SC:UK members arriving at a rather damp Helmsley Market Square, prior to leaving for a drive across the Yorkshire Moors to NY500 Cafe, Pickering

SC:UK Drivers Briefing

After a drivers briefing in a rare 5 minute break in the rain, we set off in convoy for the drive, heading towards our final destination the NY500 Cafe in Pickering.

The drivers briefing is always a good thing, where we talk about the route, any issues - in this case the weather - who will lead he cars, how many batches and who the ambassadors are, these are members with experience of leading drives and ‘look after’ other members, by ensuring they take the right route an don’t get lost and that we stick together and don’t fall behind too much, but if you do, you do, it’s no problem. The ambassadors keep the lead drivers informed of where we all are and whether it’s worth stopping so members can catch up.

Still intent to film the occasion, I held off at the back of the convoy, as it was great for the camera to capture the line of cars stretching out in front of the FTP Vantage, when we hit some of the Yorkshire Moor Roads. However, it turned out that I was lucky if I could see the car in front of me, let alone a row of cars stretching out into the distance!

The further into the drive we went, the worse the weather conditions seemed to get. Whilst at Helmsley, I decided not to put any cameras on the outside of the car and I was so pleased I didn’t. Visibility got increasingly worse, the higher and further we drove into the moors. Although it was still a driving experience, and looking back, I’m still pleased I went and did it, there wasn’t going to be a Fuel the Passion YouTube Video, worth publishing as a result of my efforts. I’ve still banked the footage, so maybe I’ll consider pulling together a short ‘experience’ video to share later this year - especially in the wintry months, when the weather dictates I won’t be able or wise to take out my rear wheel drive V8 Vantage! By the way, since moving to Yorkshire in 2017 from Surrey, we’ve had snow every winter without fail! Anyhow, see the picture below, as we drive across the Yorkshire Moors. Note the very safe gap, I’ve left between me and the car in front, which you can just about see the rear lights! There were also sheep walking about, some deciding to go for a stroll in the middle of the road, which is always nice!

View from the FTP Vantage - Driving through clouds of rain, Yorkshire Moors during an April 2025 SC:UK club drive

NY500 Cafe, Pickering is quite a distinctive place. After all it has three different coloured Mini’s on the roof (see picture below). A motoring mecca and place which no surprise, attracts motoring enthusiasts from across the UK, it’s a regular refreshment stop for motorists, car clubs and bike clubs alike. You’ll be made very welcome at the NY500. It was great to finally arrive there, after our wet and foggy drive. A nice refreshing drink and maybe a bite to eat was in order. Some SC:UK members didn’t hang about, had a quick natter and decided o leave, still in the rather heavy rain. I waited around for a bit, hoping the rain would stop falling, just for a minute, so I could get the drone up and take an aerial shot of this place, which I did, as you can see in the picture below! I didn’t hang about though. Shortly after a drink and a snack, I headed for home. I felt tired when I finally arrived home, more tired than usual. I suppose that’s linked to the power output from my brain, navigating foggy and wet roads for a few hours! I slept well that night, which is rare for me these days!

It was nice to arrive at NY500 Cafe after a wet and foggy drive across the Yorkshire Moors following an SC:UK Club drive in April 2025

Next outing for the FTP Vantage and I was a dryer affair. I was heading to Stratstone Ferrari, Manchester, where numerous Ferraris and other lovely cars had a drive out into Wales!

Cavallinos & Coffee - SC:UK & Ferrari Stratstone

The Sports & Supercar Club that I had joined, called SC:UK, in conjunction with Stratstone Ferrari, organised for club members to attend the showroom and then, if we wanted, to then all have a drive out to Wales for lunch with a load of Ferrari’s! Hell yerah! I’m obviously up for that! I filmed my experience about this day and captured some lovely footage of the great cars that turned up, then a few clips of the drive before we arrived at our end destination for lunch, well actually it was a cream tea at a place called Pale Hall, which was a stunning place, as you’ll see in the video and the photographs below. If you haven’t seen that video, it’s called ‘Outnumbered’ (as I was outnumbered by a lot of Ferrari’s!) and can be found HERE if you want to watch it.

I arrived at the Stratstone Garage early, in fact there were only about five other cars that had arrived by the time I pulled up. I was directed to park, as you can see from the photograph above, out the way, to the left at the end of the line. This was a Ferrari garage - Aston Martins were not normally present at a Ferrari dealership! It didn’t take long for Ferrari after Ferrari after other nice cars arriving, one after the other and within a relatively short space of time the space was filled with cars - mostly Ferrari’s, which although I don’t own one and will probably never own one, I wasn’t complaining, I still love the brand and the look of most Ferrari’s ever made!

The front FTP Vantage wheel looking out to a silver Ferrari at Stratstone Ferrari, Manchester

As with most places involving sports, super or classic cars, in fact most type of cars - the people were only too happy to speak to me, as I asked many of them about their pride and joy. For a few Ferrari owners, I got the impression this was just one car of many that they probably own! I went around filming a good selection of cars and I even managed to get the drone up to capture some aerial shots, which also has a positive impact on the videos I produce.

After I had banked quite a bit of footage, I walked down from the car park, garage area towards the main Ferrari showroom. There were people from the group, who were also looking around the amazing selection of cars that were on display, most of which they were for sale, unsurprisingly, but there were a couple of ‘show’ cars - customers cars that had been loaned to the showroom, to show them! As I do at most places I film, I asked a Ferrari Showroom employee, whether it would be ok to film. “No” was the reply! I was disappointed as there were a few interesting cars in the showroom, that I would’ve liked to have shared with you. Nevermind. The reason given to me, as to why I couldn’t film, was due to ‘customer privacy’. I’m sure I’ve seen numerous other people film and publish content on YouTube at Ferrari dealerships, but maybe that was cleared by Ferrari HQ beforehand. Being relatively new to this YouTube world, I’m still finding my way and a tad naive as to how this all works!

After looking around, using their facilities for a comfort break, I left to continue with a bit more filming outside. People were still arriving and by this time, it wasn’t just the drivers and their passengers that were around. Numerous people had turned up and were taking pictures, they were filming and taking a good look around the cars. That’s the thing I constantly find whilst being part of this strange ‘sports car’ ownership world - the car following across the UK and probably across the globe, is astonishing - the car community is very large, passionate and committed to the cause! It does make me wonder what the future holds as we progress towards an electrification of the automobile. Am I… …are we, living in the best times?! Who knows, all I do know is that we need to enjoy these times, these cars, these engines, the noises they make etc, etc, now, whilst we can. Talking of the noise of the engines - that’s one of the many reasons (but it’s a rather large reason) as to why I chose a 2019 Aston Martin Vantage. That year is significant, as cars made after 2019 had to comply with stricter regulations, so the particulate filters reduced the noise at the exhaust end. In fact if you line up my 2019 Vantage next to a 2020 Vantage, you’ll hear the difference. I’ve had a few fellow Aston Martin owners ask me what after market exhaust I have had fitted to my Vantage. “None" is always my reply, “It’s stock - it came out the factory with that exhaust.” Mouths widen as if to place a huge mouthful of their favourite food, gobsmacked that my car sounds so good from stock! So, for so many other reasons - is this the best era of the motorcar?

FTP Vantage, which was joined by a lovely red 2023 Ferrari 296 GTS S-A, at Ferrari Stratstone, Manchester

After a short while, someone from the Ferrari Dealership and SC:UK got up on some steps and asked all the drivers to gather around - or those drivers who had chosen to take part in the drive out to Wales. That was me!

We received a warm welcome by the Ferrari Dealership and a few nice words were shared in relation to the turnout and the lovely cars that had turned up. We were then given a ‘drivers briefing’ as to how the driveout would work. Basically, the Ferrari’s were going to lead the way and set off a few minutes before those of us in other brands, like me, mostly those of us in SC:UK. The SC:UK drivers all had our own walkie talkie system, so we could keep in touch. We would aim to stick together as best we could, although that’s challenging when the roads were busy, especially on motorways and other busy roads. As we get out into the ‘sticks’ - the countryside, it’s far easier to stay together. We also usually stop and wait for each other as well - we re-group now and again, which is really nice. It makes you feel part of something! I really love driving with others. Seeing a line of special cars in front of you on a lovely stretch of road, as well as when you look in your rear mirrors - knowing that they’re friendly folk who don’t want to race you, they’re just along for the drive, like you are - it’s fab!

As you’ll see if you watch the YouTube Video the roads were busy, but when we got off the motorway and into the country roads, we found some Ferrari’s and drove quite a distance together. Some of the Ferrari drivers also had radios and were speaking to us SC;UK lot! It was great fun. I had a lovely Ferrari SF90 behind me and they commented more than once about the orchestra of pops and crackles that was coming from the rear of my FTP Vantage - that deep throbbing V8 echoing around the Welsh Countryside! It’s just lovely and I’m so pleased the Ferrari SF90 occupants enjoyed it too! Now I know the SF90 is a mighty impressive car. It looks good, it’s apparently stupidly quick…BUT….it doesn’t sound like a 2019 Bi-Turbo V8 tuned the Aston way! I managed to capture a comment complimenting the FTP Vantage on the video. I hope you watch it and enjoy the moment as I did! That’s the beauty of sharing via YouTube - you can (almost) come with me too!

For much of the journey through the Welsh Countryside, I drove behind a Lexus LC500 (see picture below), which I filmed prior to leaving Stratstone Ferrari. You don’t often see many of these and the V8 engine was nice, but not as shouty as mine! Overall I thought the Lexus was a very nice car and great to follow on this drive.

After a couple of hours of great driving and roads, we turned left (as seen in the photo below) into the grounds of our final destination - Pale Hall. Wow, what a place that was!

The turn left into Pale Hall was tight, and there was a bump in the road, so we took it slow and easy. We then drive down a picturesque drive, where you immediately felt you had arrived somewhere special. After a slow and relatively short crawl, I was stopped by a smartly dressed Pale Hall attendant who was guiding the numerous drivers as to where to park their car. I’ll say it again…WOW!

I’ve said it before, there’s something about an Aston Martin in a setting involving a Stately Home or Large Plush Country House - this was no exception! What a great combination! Did the Ferrari’s also pull that off? - I suppose - but Ferrari is not a British, Iconic Brand, so will they ever go as well in front of a British Country Home? Italian residence, yes, of course! Having said all that, it didn’t look half bad though! (see the two pictures below - but it’s better on the YouTube Video!)

The Ferrari convoy, FTP Vantage and SC:UK cars arrive at Pale Hall. Quite a lovely setting indeed!

Spot the FTP Vantage, parked at Pale Hall

The inside of the house, was as lovely as the outside! The staff were super friendly and welcoming. We were shown to our seating. I had pre-booked an ‘afternoon tea’ and joined fellow SC:UK drivers outside in the garden under some ornate garden umbrella’s to shield us from the warm sunshine. After a lovely comfortable stop, I had another quick look around before heading for home. It would be quite a long drive home, a few hours at least. I didn’t mind, after all I was in lovely surroundings, being the cockpit of my FTP Vantage!

Incidentally, before we leave the sumptuous surroundings of Pale Hall, I just wanted to say that if you so wish, you can book a room and stay at Pale Hall. It’s a bit pricey, but just look at what you get!

My journey back to West Yorkshire was mostly fine. I had some initial lovely and curvy roads, most of which were national speed limits, which rightly slowed to 30 and 20mph zones through quaint little Welsh villages, but then after a while I hit a very, very long stretch of nothing but 50 mph average speed cameras. It was a tad frustrating, especially as the roads were just like the national speed limit roads I had just experienced, however, it may well have been a stretch of road that had incurred serious accidents for all I knew, so I got into the cruise zone, put on my ‘finest’ collection of tunes and relaxed. Home would come soon enough. Just a few busy motorway roads to navigate first!

Flamborough Head Drive

The very next day, following the Ferrari & Pale Hall drive, was another SC:UK drive. This time to Flamborough Head to visit a lighthouse on the east coast. My wife joined me for this drive and we left for our meet up point, early in the morning as the sun was rising. There’s something about getting out early, almost before the rest of the country had decided to awaken. We only came across a handful of cars on our way to the meet up point, which was an industrial estate just outside of York. There were some epic sunrise shots from the onboard camera whilst on route. The shot below even captures a crow doing some acrobatic flight maneuvers in front of the FTP Vantage!

On route to the meet up point in York, beautiful sunrise and an acrobatic crow! - Before a scenic drive to Flamborough Head - SC:UK Drive, April 2025

It took about an hour and a half to reach the meet up point, but I didn’t mind that at all as the journey there, took us through some beautiful sights and countryside. As we turned up, we found about a dozen cars had already arrived, but car after car could be heard turning up, one after the other. It was a good turn out!

After all who were due to turn up, turned up, we held a drivers briefing, which is focused on driving safely, the route, any dangers etc. Due to the number of cars, we split into two groups. Both groups have a lead driver/car and a a number of ‘ambassadors’ who ‘look after’ the group. They also tend to be the ones, who talk on the radio and keep people informed of the route, where everyone is, dangers on the road etc.

It’s so well organised and there is absolutely no pressure in this club, for you to drive just to keep up in the national speed limit areas, you drive as fast as you are comfortable.

Around half way into the drive, we all stopped at a pre-arranged spot, where we could take a comfort break, stretch the legs and have a brief look at the other cars and a chat. It’s always nice to stop at the half-way point. The car park we went to, was in a small village, which had locals going about their normal business, walking dogs, getting up and visiting the small shops in the village, going for walks etc. When around 30 sports and supercars turn up, it does provide a spot of entertainment for the locals, who are genuinely and often pleased to see the cars. I’ve mentioned it before, I do think there’s a huge car following here in the UK, especially so for certain car types and brands. As an example, I’ve only ever had positive public reaction to the Aston Martin Vantage here in the UK and abroad.

As we set off for the last half of the drive, I got behind a special limited edition Aston Martin Vantage, the 007 Edition. I take a closer look at this car, once we arrive at Flamborough Head, so if you haven’t seen this video you can do so HERE. It was nice driving behind the 007 Vantage, which was the same era as my own. They call this era of Aston Martin, Gaydon Class 3, AM6 V8 Vantage.

FTP Vantage, behind the Limited Edition 007 Version, on route to Flamborough Head - April 2025

The drive was fab, the weather stunning, the route and scenery was lovely! What more can you ask for on a lovely spring morning here in Yorkshire, UK! How about a picturesque lighthouse to finish it all off! As we approached our final destination, the roads were by then starting to get a little busier, so a gentle cruise towards the coastline was in order. It was lovely and quite satisfying to have just been on an awesome early morning drive, with a number of other great cars and people, knowing you were about to see a stunning lighthouse by the coast. As we approached and the lighthouse came into view, it did not disappoint! See the photo’s below!

SC:UK members arrive at the final destination - Flamborough Head Lighthouse

Flamborough Head Lighthouse looking out to sea

As I was filming, more and more SC:UK cars arrived. We parked neatly on the grassland that was labelled the ‘Overflow’ car park. It was a bright and varied line up and people who were both local and those visiting the area, came over and started looking and talking about the car display that had just arrived. It’s always nice to see a selection of cars that you wouldn’t ordinarily see, possibly for weeks or months on end!

After a bit of drone flying and filming, I had a closer look inside and out of the Limited Edition Aston Martin Vantage 007 Edition. It’s always nice to see ‘special’ cars that you rarely see. I though I obviously loved all the bits and pieces attributed to the 007 films, You can see the extras that come with this car on the YouTube Video. It was great to see the references to the James Bond films. I asked the owner whether it came with a set of ski’s and a roof rack to fit them, and it did. They were at home. What a fun edition this was - check out all the features on the video!

My wife and I went into the cafe that’s in one of the buildings and ordered hot drinks and a cooked breakfast, which went down a treat. The quality of the breakfast was ok, it wasn’t posh by any means, more of a ‘builders breakfast’ but regardless we were both hungry and it went down a treat! By this time the cafe and Flamborough Head was getting really busy, so much so that there was a point where all the seats in the cafe were filled. Peering out the window, there were now quite a few people looking around the SC:UK car display that we had formed on the grass. Prior to heading back to the car, my wife and I took a short stroll along the cliff edge, where we had a delightful sight, see below.

As we peered over the edge of the cliff, we saw dozens and dozens of seals. I’m not very good at placing a number of things, but there must have been at least a hundred or so. They were all sunbathing with a couple now and gain deciding to take a dip and have a swim. Like seeing the SC:UK cars all lined up, seeing the seals all lined out across a beach is not something you see every day - well not for me anyway. I suppose if you live by the sea, it just may be a regular sight! It was a lovely sight!

After a lovely time, we gathered out things and decided to make a move for home. There were were still quite a few SC:UK cars and people still in the Cafe and gathered around. I think some went on to drive to other places, but on our route home, my wife wanted to try and see some Puffins, so we headed down the road, to a spot where a couple had apparently been seen. Our efforts went unrewarded - we didn’t manage to see a Puffin, although we got feedback from crowds of people that were doing the same as us, that a couple of puffins had been seen earlier that day. After a few minutes looking and looking hard, we got back into the FTP Vantage and had a lovely relaxed drive back to West Yorkshire, with hardly a cloud in the sky. What a great day that was!

FTP Vantage leaving Flamborough Head for home - April 2025

An Airport and a bunch of supercars!

The next car function came at the following weekend, when another two SC:UK events were planned. The first taking place on the Saturday - a drive out to Leeds East Airport to visit the DMB Collection - a supercar/sports car showroom, for a coffee morning meet up. I met up with about 20 other SC:UK cars and members approximately 30 minutes drive away from the airport, before we all drove in convoy together. As we drove into the airport, we were met by quite a large gathering. Many SC:UK members had arrived prior to us. It was quite a gathering! What a location it was, a functioning airport, mainly for small planes and helicopters as far as I could see, but with a fantastic supercar showroom beside it. Talk about, location, location, location!

The FTP Vantage arriving at Leeds East Airport behind a brand new Audi and a bright yellow McLaren - nice start to the day!

Once I had parked up and before entering the DMB Collection building, I hovered around the now brightly coloured (with supercars and sports cars) car park. More and more cars were arriving and spaces in the car park were becoming harder to come by. SC:UK had some parking attendants on hand, finding the right space for the cars that were quickly forming an orderly queue. It was great from a filming perspective, as I got some great ‘B-roll’ shots of some great cars arriving and slowly being parked! Left picture is an example, where a green Lambo was about to (try) and find a space!

Before I entered the DMB Collection building I asked the owner if he was ok if I filmed and he was more than happy. I was so pleased I could film, as the bike and car collection inside was quite special - there were numerous of fantastic cars inside, all of which were for sale, including a number of Porsches and McLarens. It was great to take a look around. If you haven’t seen the YouTube video yet about this visit, you can see all the cars for yourself, CLICK HERE and I’ll take you straight there! I won’t include too many pictures here, as I want to entice you to see the video!

A Special Porsche on display at the DMB Collection, East Leeds Airport - April 2025

Needless to say, I spent a while gorging myself on the cars and doing spot of filming for the short video I produced. It was a great way to spend the morning. After bagging enough footage and gawping at the cars, dreaming of a lottery win, I grabbed a quick coffee from the cafe just across from the showroom and then made for home. Another great SC:UK event. That’s the beauty of being part of a car club - you get the opportunity of seeing things, visiting places and being with fellow car enthusiasts, that you wouldn’t necessarily otherwise meet!

SC:UK Peak District Drive

The very next day following the amazing DMB Collection visit, was another SC:UK meeting. An early morning start to the pre-arranged meeting place, being a pub that I had never been too, in the heart of the Peak District. Again, it was nice to be out and about before most other people in the FTP Vantage. Let’s just say the car was well warmed up, by the time I arrived at the meeting point!

FTP Vantage, waiting patiently for other SC:UK members to arrive before heading off for an epic drive through the Peak District - April 2025

After 30 minutes or so, about a dozen cars from the club had arrived and the it was decided the drivers briefing could start. After that, we got in our cars and pulled out the pub car park and off we went.

I was intending to produce a short film of this drive and had cameras rolling, but I decided not to pull together an edited film for this one and take the day off!

After approximately 2 and a half hours driving through some epic Peak District roads and through one quaint village after another, we concluded the drive at the Oil Can Cafe in Holmfirth! It was quite handy, as I know that Cafe very well as I don’t live too far from it! It was nice to conclude an organised drive at a venue not too far from home.

The picture opposite is a nice one, a Ferrari out in front, with SC:UK cars behind me, driving through a lovely Peak District Village during the drive. What a great day!

Inside the Oil Can Cafe, Holmfirth, following an epic SC:UK drive through the Peak District - April 2025

For those of you, who have never been to the Oil Can Cafe, as you can see from the photographs, it’s a great place for car and bike enthusiasts to pop into for some refreshments.

There’s always a great atmosphere there, with a selection of cakes to choose from, or of course a menu full of meal choices!

As well as being a cafe, it’s also on the same site as the Oil Can Garage, where they store, service and repair cars of all types. Some of which they display and you can take a walk around and have a good look round (as the picture on the left shows you).

Time for New Tyres!

When I bought the 2019 FTP Vantage in August 2024, it still had the same Pirelli P Zero’s it had, when it came out of factory. Due to the car only doing 7,400 miles from new, the tyres (when I bought the car), were still in really good shape, with plenty of tread depth left on them. However, now that I had joined SC:UK and was doing more and more miles, not to mention the European road trip I took part in last year, which I did with a number of other cars along with the organisers being Sam and Tony from the ‘Behind the Glass’ Podcast - YouTube Channel, my rear tyres were getting to the stage where they needed to be replaced. They were still above the legal limit, but I could feel the tread bar indicator in the tyre and due to their age, I was keen to get them changed.

I had originally planned on getting all four changed together at the end of July and whilst I was visiting Aston Workshop in Durham, approximately 7 weeks prior to heading across Europe again, this time on my own - but I’ll be joining dozens of other Aston Martins at the 90th Anniversary of the Aston Martin Owners Club (AMOC) in Austria, and yes, I’ll be filming my adventures and taking you with me! A new series will be emerging on the Fuel the Passion YouTube Channel in early October, so stay tuned for that later in the year - exciting stuff!

Anyhow, back to the tyre situation…

To be honest I was keen to replace the Pirelli PZero tyres, not because I didn’t like them, far from it! I thought they were great, however, I was starting to experience a bit of ‘slippage’ on some spirited drives, especially with the SC:UK drives, where in the national speed limits, I accelerate hard when it’s safe to do so. I also noted the feel of the tyres, wasn’t as great - glued to the road, as they felt when I first bought the car. The fact is, the tyres were getting ‘on a bit’ in relation to their age and the rear ones - their tread depth.

So I decided to change just the rears for now, and keep the fronts until the end of July, when I’ll get them changed as I had originally planned at Aston Workshop.

Now I needed to decide where to take the FTP Vantage to get the tyres changed. That was not an easy decision, as apart from the main Aston Martin Dealership, my closest being Leeds, I didn’t know anywhere that had a good reputation and whom I could trust to look after the wheels and car whilst changing having the tyres changed. That’s not to say that good reputable tyre garages weren’t out there, it’s just that I didn’t know about them. Having moved up to Yorkshire from Surrey about 7 years prior, my knowledge about performance tyre specialists in Yorkshire was not great. So I started my research!

This is where being a member of SC:UK and AMOC came to the rescue. I started asking around, I even used the Whatsapp groups to put it out there, so to speak! I got some great recommendations, with club members explaining the service they got and they gave me the reassurance that the garages they were suggesting, looked after their cars and wheels whilst changing old for new tyres. One garage was recommended a few times and I topped off my research by doing some online reading. I read reviews on the garage, I thought I would choose, and the reviews online were pretty much the same as what I had found be speaking to fellow drivers. Phew! I had a plan! It’s always a relief to find somewhere you trust, somewhere that you know are going to do a great job and you’ll be driving your car out the garage with a new set of rubber, with car undamaged!

The beauty about Harworth Tyres in Harworth, South Yorkshire, was that their website was so straight forward. I simply typed in my registration, tyre sizes came up, which I checked and confirmed, then came a good selection of tyres. I simply selected the brand and specification of tyre I wanted, and boooked a slot for them to be fitted - all online. So straight forward, painless and easy.

A couple of days after booking and ordering the tyres, I made the journey to Harworth Tyres. I actually made a short video of my experience, which is quite an interesting view - as I talk about the tyre pressure monitor and you can see for yourself how I was treated and how the guys treated the car and wheels during fitment. If you haven’t seen that video and want too, CLICK HERE and I’ll take you right there!

FTP Vantage at Harworth Tyres for new sets of rubber on the rear - April 2025

As you can see, I changed my rear tyres from Pirelli to Michelin Pilot Sport 4S’s. Why I hear you ask? Well, I’m sure most of you will have an opinion on this already and some of you will have your own experiences - I didn’t, until I did more research! Pretty much every Aston owner I spoke too, recommended me to switch from Pirelli’s to Michelins, stating they feel better, they offer more grip, better wear and even looked better, with their soft to touch Michelin brand name tyre wall.

I also watched numerous tyre reviews and when tested the difference between Pirelli’s and the Michelins were very very close, almost identical, however the Michelins just about scored better. It was time to make the change and see for myself.

As you can see from the picture on the right, they do look good! It’s like buying a new pair of shoes, only this time, they’re for my beloved FTP Vantage!

FTP Vantage in the Harworth Tyres Garage getting new Michelin Pilot Sport 4S’s on the rear - nice!

To date, the Michelins have been fab, I can’t complain about anything. They grip, the road noise is no different, they look good and they handle very well. I’m just looking forward now to the end of July, beginning of August when I get the fronts changed. I’ll be filming that too whilst at Aston Workshop and already have their permission to film all the areas of their workspace. I know they sell some pretty lovely Aston Martins there, so I’m looking forward to that in July./August.

Whilst we’re on the Aston Workshop element - I’ve decided to now take my FTP Vantage to them - an independent Aston Martin Specialist, for the ongoing care, servicing and MOT, rather than take it to my local Aston Martin, Leeds main dealer. I’m not a millionaire and I suppose if I were, I may stick to a main dealer. But it’s no just that, ie; the costs. Before I move on from the costs, I watched a YouTube video, where the owner of a car the same model as my own, had a puncture which couldn’t be repaired. So they took it to their local Aston Martin dealership and got the tyre changed. The cost of labour was a lot of money, which the owner of the car said, he could’ve taken his car to an independent tyre specialist and not get charged for the ‘labour’ costs at all! From that experience, he vowed not to return to the main dealer for tyre replacement purposes.

I suppose the issue there, like the issue I had, was having the confidence to take your pride and joy elsewhere, to an independent tyre specialist you can trust. Well I did it and it worked out fine for me, all I would say is research, research and research. Don’t just rely on internet reviews, ask around - fellow motorists, friends, car club members etc. It will all pay off in the end.

Back to servicing and ongoing maintenance. So I’ve decided that Aston Workshop will take over that responsibility for the FTP Vantage. I won’t labour the point too much on here, at this time, as I’m going to cover it in a future video, but as well as cost savings, certain independent specialists, like Aston Workshop, have now acquired brand new AMDS2 equipment, which allows them to service the more modern Aston Martin vehicles, which includes my year and model of Vantage. They can also maintain the DB11, DB12, DBS Superleggera and DBX. Many of these specialists also have such excellent knowledge and such an extensive background, many mechanics are ex-Aston Martin trained mechanics. Not only is it more cost effective, not only do they have the specialist knowledge, but they also care for their customers. A lot!

I’m not saying that I’ve had a poor experience from Aston Martin Dealerships, far from it. In fact, I feel I’ve built up a really good relationship with my local Aston Martin Dealer. However, Aston Workshop is a family established and run business, with years of experience. These guys build cars from scratch, using genuine or manufactured parts that they build themselves! Now it’s too early to comment on the service that Aston Workshop will provide to me, but I bet it’s going to be excellent. Everything i’ve researched, tells me that’s going to be the case, and I’m looking forward to get to know the team there. I’ve already introduced myself to them, as they had a marque at Goodwood Revival last year, where they were demonstrating the lengths they can go too - but building your own specification, bespoke Aston Martin DB4. Amazing. I’m looking forward to the visit in July/August, so if you haven’t already, why not subscribe so you don’t miss that episode! CLICK HERE and I’ll take you right there, where all you have to do is click SUBSCRIBE.

Finding some great driving roads in Wales

Towards the end of April, my wife had bought some tickets for ‘Wonder Wool in Wales’. Admittedly not my scene, but I wasn’t going to turn down an opportunity to drive her there, drop her off at the Wool show and then I could hit the roads and find some amazing countryside, views and tarmac to drive! We made it a short stay. I had a great day discovering some great roads, many of which had some stunning views. We also stayed in a lovely lodge off the beaten track. I filmed the experience so you can take a look if you haven’t yet seen the video, called ‘A Perfect Combination’. CLICK HERE and I’ll take you straight to it!

The FTP Vantage at a great spot overlooking the breathtaking Welsh Countryside at the Brecon Beacons, Wales - April 2025

I had visited Wales whilst a child on family holidays, but I can’t remember it that well. I have heard time and time again that Wales had some stunning roads, little villages and views. I couldn’t wait to get started! But first, we drove to our lodge, where we were going to stay the night. It wasn’t until the next day that I could be let free and explore!

Left Picture: Me about to talk to camera filming for ‘The Perfect Combination’ video

The journey to our lodge was fine. The motorway was a tad busy and came to a stop/start situation for a short distance, but apart from that we arrived in good time.

As we turned off the beaten track, down some tight country lanes, at which I was slightly apprehensive about meeting another vehicle, as there were only a handful of passing points, we drove over a small bridge, with a stream gently running underneath, turned right down another country lane for about a quarter of a mile, then we came to our lodge. It had a nice, freshly tarmacked drive, which was all smooth and lovely.

We actually came across the owners of the lodge, who were just finishing up preparing the lodge. We had a brief chat and they briefed us on a couple of points to do with the lodge, then they left us to it! It was a lovely little place, which had only recently been refurbished. The owners had thought of everything, from great instructions, to items we would likely need, to a basket of food goodies! It was a very comfortable little residence for a nights stay. We actually wished we were staying for longer!

If you haven’t seen the video, and would be interested, I provide a quick tour of the lodge, which is always nice to see if you fancy staying there yourselves! Watch the video - CLICK HERE. All the details of the Lodge are in the description of the YouTube video, or they’re on the ‘Videos & Locations’ pages, where you get to see the videos that are already live or are coming up soon.

After we settled in, it wasn’t long before we headed to a little nearby village where we had booked a table, at probably the cutest and smallest pizzeria in the country! It’s called the Proper Pizza Company Ltd, if you want to find out more and visit their website CLICK HERE.

As we entered there were only two, quite large, wooden tables by the side. You could probably seat 8 people around each table. We were greeted by the very friendly staff, and shown to one of the two tables, where we sat down and peered at the menu. The smell from this little pizzeria was fantastic. It’s always a good sign, but it wasn’t long before the phone was ringing in the pizzeria and people were coming in and out collecting pre-booked orders. Two ladies walked in, all very friendly, as if they used the pizzeria regularly. They certainly seemed to know the owners and people who were working there, they were having a good chat. Then they were handed about ten Pizza’s, all in boxes, stacked one on top of the other. One of the ladies took the stack of freshly cooked pizzas, they said their goodbye’s and left, with the lady carrying the pizzas just about peering round the boxes she was carrying to see where she was going! The restaurant was clean, recently decorated, so looked new and like I say, it was busy! I was happy we were going to get a great pizza!

Once we placed our order, it wasn’t long before the kitchen were freshly making our order, right before our eyes. The base was made fresh, then the toppings were put on, then into the pizza oven. A few minutes later, the cook swiped in the huge flat server into the oven and pulled out one of our freshly cooked pizzas.

Let’s just say they went down a treat! I included some film clips in the relevant YouTube film, As you’ll see for yourself, it’s a lovely little Pizzeria - we would definitely recommend. If you’re in the area, get in there and order your delicious and freshly baked pizza. You won’t be disappointed! The only bit of advice I would have, is book first, as I’ve described, they’re a small venue and a busy venue - they obviously have a good reputation with the locals and visitors alike, so secure your collection or place at one of the two tables first to avoid disappointment!

It wasn’t long before the Pizza’s were gone! In our now little round tummies, although now slightly rounder than usual!

The next day had arrived. After a coffee and a light breakfast, following our delicious Pizza the night before, we got our stuff together, packed the car, then we headed off. I was to drop off my good wife to the Wool show, where she would spend most of the day, then I was free to go driving and enjoy the driving roads of the Brecon Beacons! I was looking forward to this!

During the video, I show a Google Maps image and show the viewers my planned route for the day. I had planned to drive in a large circle, which took me down the A4069, over the Black Mountains, then back north on the A4067 back towards the venue where I dropped off my wife at the beginning of the day.

Any good road trip, just has to start with ensuring the car is filled with the best quality petrol you can get your hands on, this was no exception! As I didn’t have local knowledge, I headed for a petrol station I had already driven past on route to dropping off my wife. I filled up with their version of Shell E5 V-Power, which was a 98 score, then off I went on my pre-planned route.

Incidentally, talking of petrol, I don’t no about you, but I always try to fill up at a Shell Petrol Station, not only due to having their reward card app on my phone and collecting their loyalty points, but also because of their V-Power product and all the positive reviews that accompany that fuel. I just think it’s the best out there and that’s not to say other providers don’t provide a product that is just as good. I’m sure the petrol is pretty much the same, but Shell claim some really good benefits to V-Power and the reviews that I’ve read seem to support that. The fill ups on this trip however were not Shell, as I just didn’t come across a Shell Garage at a time I needed petrol.

FTP Vantage at the base of a hill. As I placed cameras on the car, I had a chat with a nice chap in his camper. He was in the process of cooking himself breakfast! Nice views!

During my drive, I encountered a real mixture of road conditions - traffic wise. Mostly the roads were quiet, often I didn’t see another car for a good few miles, which I was surprised by. After all it was a weekend, the sun was shining and it felt warm. It was a great day to get out for a drive or a ride on your bike. However, there were occasions when the traffic increased quite a bit, but as soon as it came, it disappeared into the distance. The roads were brilliant and I honestly can’t recall coming across more than two or three speed cameras - until the foot of climb shown in the picture on the A4069. The climb and subsequent sections of the road, were covered by average speed cameras, however, some of these had been cut down, criminally damaged, so didn’t appear to be working, although I didn’t take any chances.

One thing I would say about driving in Wales, or certainly the roads I was using for his trip - they are loved by bikers. There were a lot of bikers, solitary bikers, bikers in groups, some of them large, as in 20 plus. I did my best to pull the the left when it was safe and let them through, but some of them seemed to like the rear view of my FTP Vantage and stayed with me for miles, despite having ample opportunity to overtake. I didn’t mind, nor did I blame them, as the rear end of the Vantage is a nice view to have, not that I see it that often from the drivers seat!

As I approached the base of a climb, which would take me over some great high roads across the Black Mountains, I pulled over to fix some action cameras to the car, so I could capture some footage for the video. I pulled over next to the camper van in the image above. Inside was a middle aged gent, who was in the process of cooking himself breakfast. What a lovely spot he had chosen. We had a brief chat, said our farewells and I left driving up the road, which was covered by average speed cameras, albeit some cameras were damaged.

To be honest, there were some tight and narrow roads, as I drove upwards and the views were stunning. As I progressed up the mountain road, I came across an ideal spot to stop and take in the views. It’s the image that actually made the final thumbnail for the YouTube film and is shown below. How can it get much better than that - the FTP Vantage - my dream car and that view. Hence the name of the video - A Perfect Combination!

The FTP Vantage parked on a layby in the Brecon Beacons. What a stunning view, which became the Thumbnail picture of the accompanying film

The stunning reflections of Welsh woodlands, as the FTP Vantage is driven through fabulous roads in the Brecon Beacons - April 2025

The above photograph is testament to how clean I keep the FTP Vantage! The reflections of the passing woodland on the paintwork of the car are just stunning! I love the shape and contours of this car! I know people tend to prefer the versions with air louvres in the bonnet or other aero slits here and there, or a sporty back wing etc, etc. I like mine with as few ‘race’ editions as possible, sleek, refined, understated. That’s what the FTP Vantage is to me. Just perfect!

I’ve heard many people say that the Aston Martin DBS is one of the best looking cars ever made. We could all list a number of cars that could be up there, I’m sure, cars made by Alfa Romeo, the Jaguar D and E-Type, the Ferrari 250 GT SWB, the list could go on and on, after all it’s all about personal preference - beauty is in the eye of the beholder - as they say! The reason I mention this, referring back to the DBS, is that yes, I agree it’s a beautiful car, but it has the bonnet louvres and a number of other modifications to make it look ‘racier’. Compare it to an Aston Martin DB9 GT version - sleek, smooth and sophisticated. I would take that version any day, but I know people will disagree and that’s fine. Beauty to a degree is subjective.

Before long my drive around the gorgeous Brecon Beacons was nearly over, as I passed the petrol station where I filled up with petrol earlier that same day. I pulled in again and filled up the Vantage for the journey home. I then went around the corner and collected Mrs T, for the drive home. Mrs T had a great day and purchased a few items that she was very pleased with. I had had a great day with my trusted companion, the FTP Vantage exploring some great Welsh roads. Now back home to Yorkshire!

The final car related ‘event’ for me in April, came from a problem with the FTP Vantage!

Whilst on the trip to the Brecon Beacons, I noticed the ‘coolant’ warning light came on and then off again. This flashed up a couple of weeks beforehand, but went away again. I had checked the coolant levels and all seemed fine. With this light reappearing again, I decided to book the FTP Vantage into Aston Martin, Leeds to see if they could check the issue. They had already checked it once, a few weeks after it’s service, as the light appeared then, but they checked it, ensured the coolant was at the right levels and it all seemed fine.

To cut a not very interesting story short, they diagnosed the issue as a faulty coolant monitor which was in the coolant tank. It was registering coolant levels incorrectly due to a faulty sensor. It was under warranty, so they ordered a new part to be fitted. I re-attended the dealership to have the part fitted, but this time I filmed their current line up of stock, which was a great thing to do. It could also help generate sales from prospective buyers of an Aston Martin - you never know whose going to view your videos once you’ve uploaded them!

The video is called ‘Time Well Spent’ as ever if you haven’t yet seen it CLICK HERE and I’ll take you straight there!

The video will show you all the lovely Aston Martin’s that were for sale, both brand new ones and those for sale as part of the Timeless Range. There was some beauties in and outside the showroom, as always!

I also had a go at the configurator afterwards, as looking at all the materials you could choose from in their showroom, enthused me to spec my dream new Aston Martin, a new Vanquish. What colour did I choose - check out the video to see. You never know, it may happen one day!

Just some of the stunning Aston Martin cars on show at Aston Martin Showroom, Leeds - April 2025

So spring had definitely arrived, April proved to be quite a busy month. I was very much looking forward to more car events, drives and functions in May, where we started off with a load of other sports/super cars…. …in a park! check out the May blog, which will be published in the first week of June.

I’ll hopefully see you on the next one, in the meantime why don’t you go and take a look at the Fuel the Passion YouTube Channel RIGHT HERE or have a browse in the FTP online shop RIGHT HERE.