Issue 30 - Fuel the Passion (FTP) Weekly Roundup
Week Ending 28th June 2026
Image © Aston Martin Lagonda. Used for editorial purposes.
Editor’s Introduction - Dan, Fuel the Passion
Welcome to Issue 30 of the FTP Weekly Roundup. This week has a proper sense of Aston Martin momentum about it, but not all of that momentum is travelling in the same direction. On one side, there’s a huge endurance racing weekend to look forward to, with seven Aston Martin Vantage GT3s heading into the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa (they look fantastic arranged on the infamous sweeping Spa corner above) and the Valkyrie continuing its IMSA campaign at Watkins Glen, just weeks after its hard-earned Le Mans finish.
On the other side, Formula 1 remains difficult. Aston Martin-Honda arrive in Austria still waiting for the major upgrade package that the team hopes will begin to move the AMR26 forward. The results are not where anyone wants them to be, but this week gave us a clearer explanation of why the team is choosing patience over smaller short-term updates.
There’s plenty beyond the race tracks too: a special Vantage S Spa-Francorchamps, a new Fuel the Passion YouTube Video went live this week, our Car of the Week, and a few updates from Fuel the Passion after a busy few days at Wilton House, Gaydon and Aintree.
So, from Spa to Watkins Glen, from the Red Bull Ring to the British Motor Museum, let’s get into this week’s Aston Martin stories.
Seven Vantage GT3s head to Spa
This weekend, Aston Martin returns to one of the great stages of world endurance racing: the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa.
For Aston Martin supporters, Spa always carries weight. It’s a place where the marque’s past and present meet properly. There’s the long history, stretching back to the pre-war years and the 1948 outright victory for St John Horsfall and Leslie Johnson aboard a DB1.
Image © Aston Martin Lagonda. Used for editorial purposes. 2024 Spa Winners.
Then there’s the modern GT3 story, led by Comtoyou Racing’s memorable 2024 overall win with the latest Aston Martin Vantage GT3.
This year, Aston Martin arrives with real strength in numbers. Seven Vantage GT3s are entered for the 78th running of the event, spread across Comtoyou Racing, Walkenhorst Motorsport and Ecurie Ecosse Blackthorn. In a 70-car field made up of cars from 10 manufacturers, Aston Martin’s presence represents 10 percent of the entire grid.
Image © Aston Martin Lagonda. Used for editorial purposes.
There’s also a bigger 2026 endurance story developing. The latest Vantage GT3 has already taken second and third in GTD at the Rolex 24 at Daytona, second overall at the Nürburgring 24 Hours with Walkenhorst Motorsport, and third in LMGT3 at Le Mans with Heart of Racing. A Spa podium would complete a major set across Daytona, Nürburgring, Le Mans and Spa in the same season.
The headline Aston Martin entry is the #007 Comtoyou Racing Vantage GT3, driven by Marco Sørensen, Nicki Thiim and Mattia Drudi. That’s the same works driver trio that won the race outright in 2024, giving Aston Martin its second overall Spa 24 Hours victory and its first in the GT3 era of the event. They also arrive in good form, having won the opening round of the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup at Paul Ricard earlier this year.
Image © Aston Martin Lagonda. Used for editorial purposes.
Comtoyou’s challenge does not stop with the #007 car. The Belgian team will also run the #11 Vantage GT3 in the Bronze class for Marcelo Tomasoni, AJ Muss, Kyle Marcelli and Felice Jelmini. Its #21 Silver Cup entry features 2025 Aston Martin Racing Driver Academy winner Kobe Pauwels alongside Oliver Söderström, Sébastien Baud and Arthur Dorison. A fourth Comtoyou Vantage, the #700 Bronze class car, brings together Nicolas Baert, Sarah Bovy, Gregory Servais and Xavier Knauf in an all-Belgian line-up.
Image © Aston Martin Lagonda. Used for editorial purposes.
Walkenhorst Motorsport also brings serious 24-hour pedigree. The team won the Spa 24 Hours outright in 2018 and has already played a major part in Aston Martin’s endurance season, taking second overall at the Nürburgring 24 Hours in May. Its #34 Pro class Vantage will be driven by Christian Krognes, Henrique Chaves and 2024 AMR Driver Academy winner Jamie Day. A second Walkenhorst Aston, the #35 Silver Cup car, will be shared by Mateo Villagomez, Gaspard Simon, Ethan Ischer and Maxime Robin.
For Fuel the Passion, there’s a particular interest in Ecurie Ecosse Blackthorn.
Image © Aston Martin Lagonda. Used for editorial purposes.
The team makes its Spa 24 Hours debut in the Bronze class with Giacomo Petrobelli, Jonny Adam, Lorcan Hanafin and Romain Leroux. Adam arrives at Spa just a fortnight after helping Heart of Racing take an LMGT3 podium with Vantage at Le Mans, and this weekend marks his 10th start in the Belgian endurance classic.
Aston Martin’s Head of Endurance Motorsport, Adam Carter, described Vantage GT3 as being “strong on all fronts” this season, while also making the sensible point that Spa is one of the most competitive races in the world. That’s part of the attraction. Spa is not a place where results come easily.
The circuit itself remains one of motorsport’s great theatres.
The public-road parade from the circuit to the nearby town of Spa gives the event its sense of occasion before the cars return to the 4.4-mile Spa-Francorchamps layout, with Eau Rouge and Raidillon, Blanchimont and Pouhon all waiting. Then there’s the Ardennes weather, which has a habit of turning a simple race strategy into something far more complicated.
For Aston Martin, Spa is more than another GT3 race. It’s a chance to show the current Vantage GT3’s depth at the highest level of customer racing, with proven works drivers, strong partner teams and a history at this event that deserves respect.
Image © Aston Martin Lagonda. Used for editorial purposes. 2025 Spa 24 Hour Silver Cup Winners Podium
Valkyrie and Vantage continue the IMSA story at Watkins Glen
While the Vantage GT3s take on Spa, Aston Martin also has another major endurance weekend across the Atlantic.
Image © Aston Martin Lagonda. Used for editorial purposes.
The Aston Martin THOR Team heads to Watkins Glen International for the Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen, with Valkyrie continuing its IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship campaign. Coming so soon after Le Mans, it’s another important step for a car still building its reputation in the top class of global endurance racing.
The Watkins Glen race marks the midpoint of Valkyrie’s IMSA season and also forms part of the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup, the five-race mini-series made up of IMSA events lasting six hours or longer. Valkyrie has already finished inside the top ten in the GTP class at Daytona and Sebring this year, and Aston Martin says the car has taken five top-ten results from five IMSA starts in 2026.
That progress is worth noting. Valkyrie remains a fascinating outlier on the grid: the first Le Mans Hypercar to compete in IMSA, the only hypercar contesting both IMSA and the FIA World Endurance Championship in 2026, and the only car in IMSA’s top GTP category derived from a road-legal hypercar. Developed from the Valkyrie production car by Aston Martin and THOR, the race car uses a competition-focused carbon fibre chassis and a modified 6.5-litre V12. In road-car form the engine is associated with huge numbers, but under Hypercar regulations the race car is limited to 500kW, or around 680bhp.
Image © Aston Martin Lagonda. Used for editorial purposes. Roman de Angelis & Ross Gunn.
Ross Gunn and Roman De Angelis will again share the #23 Aston Martin Valkyrie, and both drivers have strong history at Watkins Glen. Gunn has two GTD Pro class wins and two further podiums at the circuit, while De Angelis won there during his 2022 GTD title-winning season and has also stood on the podium there on two other occasions.
Gunn described Watkins Glen as a happy hunting ground for both himself and Heart of Racing, adding that the circuit’s fast, smooth nature should suit the strengths of the Valkyrie.
Team Principal Ian James made a similar point, saying the fast, sweeping corners of Watkins Glen should suit the car better than any North American track it has raced on so far this year.
That’s an encouraging thought after Le Mans. The Valkyrie’s 24 Hours of Le Mans performance felt like a meaningful step in the right direction, not because it was a finished story, but because both cars completed the race and the programme showed resilience. Watkins Glen now gives Aston Martin another chance to convert progress into a more visible result.
Image © Aston Martin Lagonda. Used for editorial purposes. Valkyrie at Watkins Glen.
There’s also a strong Vantage GT3 story in the GTD class.
Image © Aston Martin Lagonda. Used for editorial purposes. Vantage in IMSA action 2026.
The Heart of Racing Team resumes its IMSA GTD title fight with Dudu Barrichello leading the drivers’ standings. For Watkins Glen, Barrichello is joined by Tom Gamble and Zacharie Robichon in the Vantage GT3. Gamble’s recent Aston Martin workload has been impressive, having already delivered the best FIA World Endurance Championship finish for the Valkyrie Hypercar with fourth at Spa in May, before returning to Vantage GT3 duty in IMSA.
Image © Aston Martin Lagonda. Used for editorial purposes. Tom Gamble.
Watkins Glen has also been good to Aston Martin in recent years. Heart of Racing took a memorable double win in GTD Pro and GTD at the circuit in 2022, a result that helped set up Aston Martin’s first IMSA titles.
The latest Vantage GT3 then won the GTD class at Watkins Glen last year with Casper Stevenson, Zacharie Robichon and Tom Gamble.
One of the most eye-catching Aston Martins on the grid this weekend will be the new #068 Car Blanche Vantage GT3. Entered after YRB Racing acquired Van der Steur Racing, the car makes its competitive debut at Watkins Glen with Aston Martin works driver Valentin Hasse Clot joined by Marius Fossard and Trenton Estep.
Image © Aston Martin Lagonda. Used for editorial purposes. Car Blanche Vantage GT3.
Visually, it’s very different from the darker, more familiar Aston Martin GT liveries. The clean white bodywork, green detailing and understated Car Blanche script give it a distinctive look, and it should stand out nicely in the GTD field.
Image © Aston Martin Lagonda. Used for editorial purposes. Car Blanche Vantage GT3.
It’s always good to see another Vantage GT3 on the grid, particularly when it arrives with a new team identity and a line-up looking to make its mark.
Just a thought; How white will that car be, when it finishes the race? Hopefully we’ll b able to get hold of some lovely pictures to share with you next week.
Magnus Racing also returns to action after a short hiatus following its second place in GTD at the Rolex 24 at Daytona.
Image © Aston Martin Lagonda. Used for editorial purposes.
John Potter and Spencer Pumpelly are joined by two-time IMSA GTD champion Mario Farnbacher, who returns to the Vantage GT3 for the first time since a six-race campaign with Heart of Racing in 2024.
Put together, Watkins Glen gives Aston Martin a busy and varied IMSA weekend: Valkyrie chasing more GTP progress, Heart of Racing defending GTD momentum, Car Blanche making a striking debut, and Magnus Racing returning to the fold.
Spa may be the headline race in Europe, but Watkins Glen ensures Aston Martin’s endurance story stretches across both sides of the Atlantic this weekend.
Formula 1: Austria and the painful wait for Aston Martin’s upgrade
From the busy world of GT and endurance racing, we move to Formula 1, where Aston Martin-Honda arrive at the Austrian Grand Prix still in a very difficult place.
Image © Honda Motor Co. Ltd & Aston Martin Aramco. Used for editorial purposes. Lance Stroll. Austrian GP 2026.
There’s no point dressing it up. The AMR26 has not given Fernando Alonso or Lance Stroll the platform they need, and the first part of the season has been far below what Aston Martin, Honda, the drivers and supporters would have hoped for. But this week did give us a clearer explanation of why the car has appeared to stand still while other teams continue to bring regular upgrades.
We touched on this point in previous roundups; Formula1.com reported that Aston Martin has deliberately stepped away from the usual drip-feed development pattern. Rather than bringing smaller parts race by race, Adrian Newey has committed the team to one larger package around the summer period. With the car starting the season so far from where it needed to be, and with the cost cap always in mind, the team has chosen to put its development effort into something more substantial.
Image © Honda Motor Co. Ltd & Aston Martin Aramco. Used for editorial purposes. Mike Krack in Austria.
That makes sense on paper, but it creates obvious short-term pain. Rivals are improving, the competitive gap can grow, and each race weekend becomes harder to watch because there is no obvious new part on the car to point towards. Mike Krack acknowledged that reality, but his message was firm: once the team commits to a route like this, it has to commit properly.
Krack said Aston Martin is not standing still behind the scenes, even if the car’s declared aerodynamic specification has not changed. Work is continuing, but the team has chosen not to spend time and money on small updates that might only deliver a few tenths and still leave the car fighting at the back.
That point was echoed by both drivers. Lance Stroll said Aston Martin needs big steps, not small incremental changes. If the team is several seconds away from the leaders, a few tenths will not suddenly transform its weekends. Fernando Alonso made a similar argument, saying the early races were used to understand the car’s weaknesses, study other teams’ solutions and begin shaping a package that might have a more meaningful effect.
It’s a difficult strategy to live through, but at least it now has a clearer shape. Austria, and probably the next couple of races too, may therefore be less about instant recovery and more about getting through the weekends, gathering information and waiting for the first proper test of the Newey-led development path.
Image © Honda Motor Co. Ltd & Aston Martin Aramco. Used for editorial purposes.
Honda’s part of the story remains just as important. The Aston Martin-Honda partnership has had a painful start, with power-unit performance, reliability and driveability all part of the wider picture. Honda has been open this week about the scale of the challenge, and the Austrian Grand Prix adds another technical test.
The Red Bull Ring is short, fast and sits at altitude, which places extra demand on the turbocharger. Under the 2026 regulations, without the old MGU-H system, Honda has to manage those demands differently. Cooling is also a concern, especially with high temperatures expected, and the circuit’s long straights make power-unit performance hard to hide. Honda has already warned that Aston Martin may still see a deficit compared with other manufacturers, so energy management and driveability will be crucial.
There’s also the extra physical challenge of the Austrian Grand Prix being declared a heat-hazard race. Drivers can choose to wear cooling vests, while those who don’t use them carry additional ballast. It’s another variable in a weekend where Aston Martin already has enough to manage.
Image © Honda Motor Co. Ltd & Aston Martin Aramco. Used for editorial purposes. Ferando Alonso. Austrian GP 2026.
Fernando Alonso’s comments ahead of Austria added a human edge to the story. He has pushed back strongly against rumours linking him with a return to Alpine and made it clear that his commitment to Aston Martin goes beyond his current driving role. Alonso says he still believes in the project, pointing to Adrian Newey, Honda and the wider Aston Martin workforce as reasons to keep faith.
That doesn’t mean he’s pretending everything’s fine. Alonso knows Aston Martin is underperforming, and he’s been blunt about the team being too easy a target while it’s fighting near the back. But he also defended the people inside the team, describing them as hard workers and saying the problems will be fixed with time.
There was a particularly strong line in Autoweek’s coverage, where Alonso said he wants to win a world championship with Aston Martin “with or without driving.” That’s not a prediction that titles are suddenly around the corner. It’s better read as a statement of commitment: Alonso still sees Aston Martin as a long-term project, even if the timing of his own driving future remains undecided.
Image © Honda Motor Co., Ltd. Used for editorial purposes. Shintaro Orihara.
Aston Martin’s public position is also clear. Mike Krack says the team is happy with Alonso and Stroll, and Honda’s Shintaro Orihara put it rather neatly when he said Fernando should not retire because “he’s too quick.” That may raise a smile, but it also speaks to something important. The drivers are not the central problem here. The challenge is giving them a car and power unit package capable of showing what they can still do.
Away from the stopwatch, Aston Martin Aramco also announced a new multi-year partnership with Zscaler, which becomes the team’s Global Cybersecurity Partner. It’s not a performance upgrade in the obvious sense, but it does show how much of modern Formula 1 is built around data, security and real-time operations. Aston Martin says a race weekend can generate more than a terabyte of telemetry from hundreds of sensors on each car, flowing between the circuit and the AMR Technology Campus.
Image © Honda Motor Co., Ltd. Used for editorial purposes.
That’s a useful reminder that the Aston Martin F1 project is not just about one front wing, one floor or one power-unit update. The team is still building the infrastructure, partnerships and technology base it believes it needs to become competitive in the longer term.
For now, though, the reality is simpler and harsher. Austria is unlikely to be a sudden turning point. The AMR26 still needs a major step, Honda still has work to do, and the team’s patience will continue to be tested. But this week at least gave the struggle a clearer explanation. Aston Martin has chosen to wait for something bigger. The question now is whether that patience will be rewarded when the upgrade finally arrives.
Affiliate link note: Some links may be affiliate links, which means Fuel the Passion may earn a small commission if you purchase through them, at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support.
More Aston Martin motorsport: British GT success at Spa
Before this weekend’s Spa 24 Hours takes over the headlines, Aston Martin already had reason to celebrate at Spa last weekend in the British GT Championship.
The strongest result came in GT4, where the #27 Grange Racing with FSR Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 Evo took victory with Daniel Lavery and Darren Turner. It was another excellent result for the pairing, and another reminder of how effective the latest Vantage GT4 Evo has become in customer racing hands.
It was not a completely straightforward race. Lavery had started 10th after a three-place grid penalty, and the car also picked up a 10-second penalty during the race. Even so, Turner produced a strong second stint and the Aston Martin had enough pace to hold off the chasing Optimum Motorsport McLaren and Toro Verde Ginetta.
There were other Aston Martins in the GT4 order too. The #21 MK Racing Vantage of Will Orton and Jessica Hawkins finished fifth in class, while the #40 Townsend Racing powered by Fox Motorsport Aston Martin finished eighth and the #97 GBR Stratton car finished ninth.
In GT3, Beechdean AMR’s #7 Vantage GT3 Evo had looked set for a stronger result before a post-race penalty dropped Andrew Howard and Ross Gunn to 11th. That was frustrating, but the wider Aston Martin picture from the weekend was still positive. A GT4 victory at Spa, with several Vantages in the field, gave the marque another useful customer-racing result before attention turned to the full 24-hour event.
A full race report from the British GT Championship round at Spa is also available in the FTP Motorsport Hub, where I’ve pulled together the key Aston Martin results from the weekend. I’ll include the link below for anyone who wants to read more.
A quick note on the visual side of this story. I’m still waiting for a response from the British GT Championship regarding access to official photography for editorial use on the FTP website. It’s a shame, because these Aston Martin entries deserve proper visual representation, and I would very much like to support and showcase the championship more fully. For now, that lack of image access may mean this section is a little lighter visually than I’d ideally like.
Thiim shows Aston Martin DTM pace at Lausitzring
Elsewhere in Aston Martin motorsport, Nicki Thiim and Comtoyou Racing gave us a DTM story worth noting from the Lausitzring.
Image © Aston Martin Lagonda. Used for editorial purposes. Nicki Thiim.
DTM is not currently one of the series we track in detail on the FTP Motorsport Hub, but this was too Aston Martin-relevant to ignore. Thiim put the Comtoyou Aston Martin on pole for Saturday’s race with a record-breaking qualifying lap, edging out Arjun Maini’s HRT Ford Mustang and giving Aston Martin and Comtoyou a major moment in the series.
The race itself then became far more complicated. Thiim had made a strong start and looked in genuine contention for a breakthrough Aston Martin DTM victory, but the timing of a Full Course Yellow during the pit-stop window changed the complexion of the race. Several rivals were able to benefit, while Thiim lost track position after having already stopped under green conditions.
Image © Aston Martin Lagonda. Used for editorial purposes.
It would be too strong to say Aston Martin was simply “robbed” of a win, because safety calls are always difficult and race control has to act quickly when a car is stopped on circuit. But the timing was certainly unfortunate, and it sparked plenty of debate afterwards.
What shouldn’t be lost is the pace. Thiim and Comtoyou were not relying on luck. The Aston Martin was genuinely quick over one lap and competitive in race conditions. For a programme still establishing itself in DTM, that feels like a useful sign.
Road cars, strategy and heritage
Vantage S Spa-Francorchamps is a 12-car special edition
The Spa theme doesn’t stop with the race cars this week, because Aston Martin has also marked the occasion with a very special road car.
Car Image © Aston Martin Lagonda. Used for editorial purposes. Artist Impression Fuel the Passion.
The Vantage S Spa-Francorchamps is a 12-car special edition created through Q by Aston Martin and developed with the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. It will be available only through Aston Martin dealers in Belgium and Luxembourg, which gives it a local feel rather than being a global limited edition.
Mechanically, it’s based on the Vantage S, so the important figure to use is Aston Martin’s own 680PS, or 670bhp, rather than the slightly looser “680 hp” wording that appeared in some early coverage. But the real story is in the detailing. The car wears Ceramic Grey paint, chosen to echo the dark asphalt of Spa, with Trophy Silver stripes and silver mirror caps. The circuit outline appears on the front wings, while inside there are Belgian flag details, Spa-Francorchamps signatures, Eau Rouge-inspired embroidery and sill plaques carrying the phrase “7,004 Kilometres of Passion.”
That’s exactly the sort of Q by Aston Martin work I like. It’s specific, it has a genuine connection to a place, and it doesn’t need to pretend to be something it’s not. Spa means something to Aston Martin.
Image © Aston Martin Lagonda. Used for editorial purposes. Aston Martin DB1.
As touched on before, there’s the 1948 outright win with the DB1, and then the modern 2024 victory with Comtoyou Racing’s Vantage GT3. A 12-car Vantage S celebrating that relationship feels well judged.
That also fits neatly with the broader Aston Martin strategy we touched on last week, where Adrian Hallmark’s Road & Track interview pointed towards fewer overlapping core models, more focused variants and a more disciplined approach to volume. The Vantage S Spa-Francorchamps feels like a small but useful example of that thinking: a familiar platform, made more distinctive through story, place and detail rather than simply creating another model line.
DB12 S gets a short official spotlight
Aston Martin also released a new short YouTube film this week titled DB12 S drives, showing the DB12 S stretching its legs along some lovely roads.
At just 33 seconds long, it’s more of a mood piece, but it does exactly what these short Aston Martin films are meant to do: remind you that the cars are about movement, sound, scenery and desire, not just numbers on a specification sheet. I’ve included it below incase you haven’t yet seen it and wish too;
The DB12 S itself is worth a brief mention. It sits as the sharper, more focused version of the DB12, with Aston Martin increasing power to 700PS and adding a series of powertrain, chassis and braking upgrades intended to give the car a more responsive and dynamic edge. In simple terms, it’s Aston Martin making the DB12 a little more intense without turning it into something that forgets its grand touring role.
Image © Fuel the Passion. Alnwick Castle, AMOC Spring Concours 2026.
I saw my first DB12 S at Alnwick Castle during the AMOC Spring Concours, where a local Aston Martin dealership had brought one along with a new Vanquish and a Valkyrie (as you can see them leaving the castle in this image). That was quite a trio, and the DB12 S looked very much at home in such a grand setting.
The early reaction to Aston Martin’s video seems mostly positive. At the time of writing, there were only around 35 to 40 comments, so we should not read too much into them, but the mood was clear enough. Most people were simply admiring the design, calling the car beautiful, brilliant or aspirational, with several comments along the lines of “one day” or dreaming about owning an Aston Martin collection.
There were also a couple of more practical comments. A few people questioned the video quality, with mentions of 720p, while another small thread moved into the familiar topic of Aston Martin depreciation compared with rivals such as Bentley. There were even a couple of gaming-related comments asking for the DB12 S to appear in Gran Turismo 7.
So, in miniature, it was a fairly typical Aston Martin comment section: admiration, aspiration, a little bit of humour, the odd criticism and plenty of people still dreaming about having one on the driveway.
London Calling: Valhalla Points to Aston Martin’s Next Retail Chapter
Image © Aston Martin Lagonda. Used for editorial purposes. Aston Martin Instagram post image.
There was also a small but interesting retail teaser from Aston Martin this week. The brand posted a “London calling” message showing Valhalla outside hoarding for a new Aston Martin home in the capital, due to open in 2026. We touched on this back in Issue 25, when Aston Martin described its forthcoming London location as offering the highest levels of customer service and craftsmanship, with a focus on a more sophisticated luxury specification experience. At the time, the wider message seemed clear: this was not Aston Martin stepping back from London, but reshaping how it wants to present itself in one of the world’s most important luxury markets.
It also connects neatly with the previous FTP Featured Article on Aston Martin’s global dealer network. In that piece, we looked at how the brand’s most important retail spaces are becoming less like conventional showrooms and more like carefully designed Aston Martin environments: places where specification, personalisation, hospitality and brand theatre all come together.
The new site has previously been linked to Berkeley Square, although Aston Martin has said further details will follow on exact timing, opening date and aftersales arrangements. During the transition, customers were directed towards surrounding dealerships including Hatfield, Reading, Walton-on-Thames, Brentwood and Tunbridge Wells for servicing and sales requirements.
Image © Aston Martin Lagonda. Used for editorial purposes. Aston Martin Garruppo, New York.
It’s still too early to call this new London site “Q London” unless Aston Martin confirms that wording, but the latest teaser, especially with Valhalla placed front and centre, does feel consistent with the wider ultra-luxury retail approach we have already discussed on FTP. Places such as Q New York give us a sense of what Aston Martin may be aiming for: not just somewhere to sell cars, but a brand space, a specification space and an experience space.
If London is moving in that direction, especially with Valhalla being used in the teaser image, it will be one to watch closely.
Aston Martin Heritage Trust Launches Its New Website
Image © Aston Martin Heritage Trust (AMHT). Used for editorial purposes and with permission.
On the heritage side, there was also a lovely development from the Aston Martin Heritage Trust, which has launched its new website. Simply click on the image above or on any of the links highlighted in this section and we’ll take you straight there. It looks excellent, and it’s well worth taking some time to explore. The site gives visitors a much easier route into the Trust’s world, with information on the museum, the archive, exhibits, stories, podcasts and the cars and artefacts in AMHT care.
Image © Fuel the Passion. A3 the oldest surviving Aston Martin photographed whilst on display at the Aston Martin Heritage Trust Museum, Spring 2026.
There are some wonderful threads to follow there, from A3, the oldest surviving Aston Martin, through significant cars, documents, photographs, trophies and racing memorabilia. There are also stories around many of the exhibits on display at the museum, along with links to a few Fuel the Passion YouTube films, which is very kind of them to include.
One example I came across, is AMHT’s piece remembering Robert Bamford on his birthday, earlier in June. It’s a lovely reminder of how the Aston Martin story began: not with a huge factory or a global luxury brand, but with Robert Bamford and Lionel Martin, two keen cyclists who met through the Bath Road Club and shared an enthusiasm for engineering, competition and motor cars.
Their friendship led to Bamford & Martin Ltd in 1913, initially selling and servicing Singer cars before they set their sights on building a car of their own. With engineer Jack Addis, they created the first car in 1915, later known as the “Coal Scuttle”, and Addis also raced it, helping to establish the sporting spirit that would become such an important part of Aston Martin’s identity. Bamford left the business in 1920, but his place in the story remains secure. More than a century later, Aston Martin still carries the legacy of that early ambition, and pieces like this are exactly why the new AMHT website is well worth exploring.
That connection between heritage and modern Aston Martin life feels especially strong after last weekend’s AMOC Festival at Gaydon. I’ll come back to that properly in the FTP Update, but it was lovely to speak with members of both the AMOC and AMHT teams whilst at the AMOC Festival last weekend at the British Motor Museum. They work incredibly hard behind the scenes, and the new AMHT website is another reminder of how much passion and care goes into preserving the Aston Martin story.
Bond Watch: waiting for the next 007
Finally, a short Bond Watch note, because for many Aston Martin enthusiasts, James Bond is part of the story whether we like to admit it or not.
Digital Spy reported this week that the search for Daniel Craig’s successor as James Bond has moved into its next phase, with another round of auditions expected in August and the next 007 potentially in place by the end of the year. Denis Villeneuve is attached to direct Bond 26, with Steven Knight writing, and the film is currently expected to shoot in 2027 for a planned 2028 release.
For Aston Martin fans, any Bond update raises the same question: will the marque return to the screen? Nothing has been confirmed, so we shouldn’t assume anything. Times change, tastes change, and perhaps the next Bond era will want to make a very different statement. Maybe 007 will appear in something electric, unexpected or entirely removed from the Aston Martin tradition.
But I’ll be honest: it would feel very strange to me to see James Bond without an Aston Martin somewhere in the frame.
Image © Fuel the Passion. The artist impression spotted by film director that led to DB10. Image on show at Aston Martin Heritage Trust Museum, Oxfordshire, UK. Picture taken Spring 2026.
The Bond connection has played a real part in why so many of us fell for the marque in the first place. Seeing Aston Martins on screen over the years, from the classics through to the DB10 in Spectre, helped fuel that sense of theatre, elegance and danger that only Aston Martin seems to carry properly. In my case, the DB10 only deepened the desire to one day have a Vantage of my own. It was not the only reason, of course, but it certainly added to the pull.
So yes, this is only a casting update for now. But for those of us who grew up with Bond and Aston Martin almost inseparable, the next 007 era is still worth watching closely.
A $70,000 DBX and the reality of luxury SUV depreciation
Image © Fuel the Passion
This week’s market note comes from the other side of the Atlantic, where a 2021 Aston Martin DBX sold on Bring a Trailer for $70,000.
Converted into British money, that’s roughly £53,000, depending on the exchange rate at the time you check it. For a modern Aston Martin SUV that would once have carried a very serious new-car price, that’s the sort of figure that naturally makes people look twice.
The car in question had covered 44,000 miles, so this was not a delivery-mile collector example. It was a used luxury performance SUV that had been driven, and that context matters. A DBX at around £53,000 may look tempting beside some very ordinary new cars, but the purchase price is only one part of the ownership story.
A DBX is still an Aston Martin. It still brings Aston Martin servicing, tyres, brakes, insurance and parts considerations, and anyone looking at a heavily depreciated example needs to go in with their eyes open. That doesn’t make it a bad buy, it simply means the numbers need to be understood properly.
This is also exactly the kind of ownership context I want the new FTP Aston Martin Buyers Guide section to grow into over time. The guides have now launched with the VH-era Vantage, DB9 and DB11, and although the DBX is not included yet, it’s certainly a model I would like to cover in the months ahead. Cars like this prove why those guides need to look beyond headline prices and into condition, history, running costs, inspection, servicing and real-world ownership.
For enthusiasts, the wider point is interesting. The DBX brought Aston Martin to a different kind of buyer and into a different part of the market, but used values are now beginning to show what happens when high-end luxury SUVs move beyond their first owners. There may be real opportunities there, but also the usual warning: buy on condition, history, inspection and realistic running costs, not just the headline price.
FTP Car of the Week
2007 Aston Martin Vanquish S Ultimate Edition - Romans International
After spending last weekend at Gaydon surrounded by Vanquishes for the 25th anniversary celebration, this week’s FTP Car of the Week almost had to be a Vanquish.
The car I’ve chosen is a 2007 Aston Martin Vanquish S Ultimate Edition, currently listed by Romans International at £119,950. Finished in Ultimate Black over Obsidian Black leather, with just over 12,000 miles showing, it feels like a fitting car to feature immediately after such a strong Vanquish weekend. How good does this look…
Image © Romans International. Used for editorial purposes.
The Ultimate Edition sits right at the end of the first-generation Vanquish story. It was not a completely re-engineered final model, and it should not be treated as such, but it was a carefully specified end-of-line version with real symbolic weight. The first-generation Vanquish was already important as Aston Martin’s early-2000s flagship, but the Ultimate Edition also marked the closing chapter of Newport Pagnell production.
That gives the car a particular kind of appeal. It’s not just about rarity, the Ultimate Edition is widely recorded as a 50-car run, so seeing an Ultimate for sale is not a frequent encounter. It’s also about timing, atmosphere and place. This was the final flourish of a car that helped carry Aston Martin from one era into another: hand-built, dramatic, V12-powered and still carrying that unmistakable Newport Pagnell character.
Image © Romans International. Used for editorial purposes.
The specification here suits the car well. Ultimate Black gives the Vanquish S real presence without shouting, while the Obsidian Black interior keeps the mood suitably serious. This example is also listed as UK supplied and comes with the full luggage set, 2+2 seating, red painted brake calipers, the rear-seat Alcantara kit, heated front screen, Bluetooth module and powerfold mirrors.
For me, the Vanquish S Ultimate Edition works because it feels like a bookend. The original Vanquish began as a bold step into Aston Martin’s modern future, yet the final cars also carried the last traces of the old way of doing things. That tension is part of what makes the first-generation Vanquish so fascinating.
It’s also why seeing so many Vanquishes together at Gaydon last weekend was so special. Twenty-five years on, the car still has presence, still starts conversations and still represents one of the most distinctive chapters in modern Aston Martin history.
The timing also feels right because the first-generation Vanquish is the next car planned for the FTP Aston Martin Buyers Guide. As already touched upon briefly, the new Buyers Guide section has now launched with the VH-era Vantage, DB9 and DB11, and Vanquish will be the next model to receive the same treatment.
On that note, if there are any first-generation Vanquish owners reading this who have a story to tell about ownership, I would genuinely love to hear from you. Real-world owner experience is invaluable for prospective buyers, whether that’s about maintenance, servicing, gearbox use, common issues, long-term enjoyment, buying advice or simply what the car is like to live with. Please feel free to comment below or email me directly at fuelthepassion.dt@gmail.com.
As always, this is not buying advice, and availability, price and condition can change. Anyone seriously considering a Vanquish should do their own checks, verify history carefully and arrange a proper inspection with an Aston Martin main dealer, Aston Martin Works or a recognised Vanquish specialist. But as a car to admire this week, after a weekend celebrating 25 years of Vanquish, this Ultimate Edition feels very appropriate. If interested contact Roman International HERE.
FTP Update
It’s been another busy Aston Martin-shaped week for Fuel the Passion, beginning last weekend with two very different but equally enjoyable events.
Image © Fuel the Passion. Wilton House, Salisbury
On Saturday 20th June, I headed down to Wilton House, Salisbury, not too far from Stonehenge, for what I believe was the first Concours de Légendes. Wilton House is still home to the Earl of Pembroke, and it really is a beautiful place: a proper English stately home set within landscaped grounds, mature trees and long views in every direction.
The house is normally open to the public, although I was told it had been closed for much of the year due to boiler, pipe and heating work. Fortunately, on the day I visited, it was open, so I was able to have a look around inside.
Image © Fuel the Passion. Nigel Mansells iconic Race Helmet on display at Wilton House, Salisbury
As you might imagine, it was full of period furniture, grand rooms and huge paintings of generations of the family. But one of the real surprises came as I turned a corridor and found myself looking at a beautifully displayed helmet collection from famous Formula 1 drivers of a previous generation, including Nigel Mansell, Mika Häkkinen, Johnny Herbert and others.
Not quite what I expected to stumble across in the middle of a stately home, but a lovely motorsport surprise.
There were also several Aston Martins on display. On the concours lawn were two DB2s, including a maroon example that may look familiar to some of you, as we saw it racing at Silverstone Festival in 2025. I interviewed its owner, a fellow Aston Martin Owners Club member, who shared the story of how he rebuilt the car after finding it untouched for years in a barn. Nearby was another DB2 in stunning condition.
Image © Fuel the Passion
Elsewhere, parked in the beautiful front garden beside the fountain, was a Bertone-bodied Aston Martin Jet 2+2. With its unusual shooting-brake proportions, it’s certainly not something you see every day, but it was a fascinating and rather lovely Aston Martin. I first saw this car during the Classic Car Show at the NEC last year, so it was good to see it again.
Just down from that was a modern classic VH-era Vantage, and I happened to be looking at it at the same time as an elderly gentleman and his son, both of whom were admiring the design and complimenting Aston Martin. It was genuinely nice to stand there and hear that appreciation.
The Earl also lined up his own car collection, which was as varied and plentiful as you might expect. I was particularly pleased to see a first-generation Vanquish among them. Then, over at one of the sponsored stands, there was a glorious pre-war Aston Martin on display. I filmed all of the Aston Martins I could find, so a Wilton House video will be coming to the channel in due course, hence why I’ve kept any teaser shots to a minimum.
Image © Fuel the Passion, British Motor Museum, Gaydon - dozens of Aston Martins on display. AMOC Festival 2026.
The following day I headed to the British Motor Museum at Gaydon for the Aston Martin Owners Club Festival, where we celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Vanquish. The turnout was brilliant, as you can see from the image above and other teaser pictures. I had never seen so many Vanquishes gathered together in one place, although only two of the current generation appeared to be on display, I think through Aston Martin Works.
Image © Fuel the Passion. British Motor Museum, Gaydon - dozens of Aston Martins on display. AMOC Festival 2026.
It was also a real pleasure to meet and speak with so many owners, including a few who watch Fuel the Passion and even some who read the website. That’s always one of the nicest parts of these events. It’s easy to focus on the cars, but the people around them are what make the Aston Martin community feel so special. The weather was also kind to us on both days, which certainly helped.
While I was at Gaydon, I also had the pleasure of speaking with members of both the AMOC and Aston Martin Heritage Trust teams. They are lovely people, and it’s very clear how much work goes on behind the scenes to make these events run smoothly and look so good. A big thank you from Fuel the Passion to everyone involved.
I was also lucky to grab a coffee and a catch up with Steve Waddingham, AML Historian and who appears in two recent films we produced together with the two Vanquish cut-outs shown in the image below. If you haven’t yet had chance to see those films, the First Generation Video can be seen HERE and the Second Generation HERE. Steve does a great job to explain how these great cars were built, back in the day. I certainly learned a lot!
Image © Fuel the Passion. The two Vanquish cut-out cars, outside the British Motor Museum, Gaydon. AMOC Festival 2026. Dr Ulrich Bez former Chief Exec AML, with Douglas, AMOC talking about the Vanquish cars.
That also brings me neatly back to the new AMHT website mentioned earlier in the Roundup. It’s great to see so much Aston Martin heritage being made easier to explore online, and it was very kind of the Trust to include links to a few Fuel the Passion YouTube films among the wider collection of stories, exhibits and features.
The latest FTP video also went live on Friday: Would You Do This? - Aston Martins Against the Clock. It was filmed at Aintree on another very hot and sunny day, which becomes fairly obvious not only from the bright sunshine and blue skies in the film, but also from my face at the end of the video! In case anyone was in any doubt, I looked like I had been on a BBQ all afternoon, despite a layer or two of factor 50! It’s worth watching or that alone - don’t say I don’t entertain you all!
If you have not watched it yet, it is well worth a look, just click on the image below;
Hearing the Astons hurtling around Aintree was fantastic, and being onboard with a few of the cars really brings the event to life. The sound of the DB2/4 was especially lovely, and you also get to hear directly from the Aston Martin drivers and fellow club members about what it’s like to enter their cars in an AMOC Speed Championship event.
Image © Fuel the Passion
As you’ve already read, it’s also been a busy time updating the FTP website. The Aston Martin FTP Buyers Guide has now gone live, with guides for the VH-era Vantage, DB9 and DB11 available to read.
This is something I’ve wanted to build for a while. When I was looking to buy what became the FTP Vantage, I found snippets of useful information here and there, but it would’ve been so helpful to have one place that brought together some proper guidance: things to look for, questions to ask, areas to inspect and even the obvious points that are easy to forget when you are excited about finding the right car.
Since then, having spoken to many more Aston Martin owners and enthusiasts, I’ve realised that quite a few people feel the same. That’s really what led me to develop the Buyers Guide section. It’s not designed to replace a proper pre-purchase inspection or professional advice, but it’s there to help people start their search with a little more confidence and a better understanding of what they are looking at.
Image © Fuel the Passion. Collecting the FTP Vantage, August 2024, Aston Martin Sevenoaks.
The pre-owned Aston Martin market is also more important than it sometimes gets credit for. One sale often leads to another. Someone may sell an Aston Martin to help them move into a newer model, step into their first new Aston, add to an existing collection, or simply allow the next enthusiast to enjoy the car properly. A healthy pre-owned market supports the whole Aston Martin ecosystem.
Aston Martin reported 5,448 wholesale deliveries in 2025. Wholesale deliveries are not exactly the same as final customer registrations, but they do give us a useful sense of new-car volume: roughly 105 new Aston Martins entering the global dealer network each week.
The pre-owned side is harder to measure because there doesn’t appear to be one official global figure for used Aston Martins changing hands each year. But we can make a cautious estimate. Aston Martin has previously referred to a little over 110,000 cars being built by its 110th anniversary, and the company has also said that the vast majority of all Aston Martins ever made are still on the road, or capable of being so. If even a modest 3 to 5 percent of that global Aston Martin population changes hands in a year, that would suggest somewhere in the region of 3,000 to 5,500 pre-owned Aston Martins being sold annually.
Image © Fuel the Passion. FTP Vantage. Aston Martin Sevenoaks, August 2024.
Add that to recent new-car wholesale volumes, and you could be looking at roughly 8,500 to 11,000 Aston Martins changing hands globally each year across new and pre-owned cars. That’s only an informed estimate, not an audited figure, but it’s still a useful reminder that the used market is not some side issue. It’s a major part of how people enter, remain within and move through Aston Martin ownership.
We all want Aston Martin to succeed, excel and sell cars. If the FTP Buyers Guide can help even a little, perhaps by giving the odd prospective buyer a little more confidence before making a decision, then that would be a very worthwhile thing.
I would genuinely love your help with it. If you own, or have owned, an Aston Martin that appears in one of the guides, your lived experience could be incredibly useful to a future buyer or even to an existing owner. Maintenance advice, buying tips, known issues, ownership highlights, unexpected costs, things you wish you had known before buying - all of that real-world knowledge matters.
Please feel free to comment within the relevant guide using the comments section beneath each article. The aim is to help prospective buyers, but I hope owners will find the guides interesting too. These guides will only get better with real-world owner input, and your comments really could help someone else take their first steps towards Aston Martin ownership.
Image © Aston Martin Lagonda. Used for editorial purposes. Car Blanche Side Shot, Vantage GT3.
Looking ahead, I’ll be keeping a close eye on another huge Aston Martin motorsport weekend. At Spa, seven Aston Martin Vantage GT3s will contest the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa, while across the Atlantic the Valkyrie returns to action at Watkins Glen after the progress shown at Le Mans. There’s also that striking new white Car Blanche Vantage GT3 in the IMSA field, which you will have seen earlier in this Roundup.
Finally, please bear with me next week. The race follow-up and website updates may appear a little later than usual, as I’ll be accompanying my son to London, where he’s showcasing his university work to businesses. He found out this week that he has achieved a First-Class degree, and we’re very proud of him.
It’s also that time of year when many young people are waiting for university results, school results, college results or sitting important exams. So, to anyone reading this who is waiting for results themselves, or supporting a son, daughter, family member or friend through that nervous period, I genuinely wish you all the very best. I hope the results reflect the hard work, effort and late nights that have gone into getting there.
So, time in London beckons: hot, crowded and busy, which is exactly how I remember it from when I used to work there. But this is important family time, and important time with my son, so FTP updates may run slightly behind schedule next week. That will probably mean the full AMOC Spring Concours at Alnwick Castle film goes live the week after instead.
As a small consolation, I’ve pulled together a standalone trailer for the Alnwick Castle film, which is scheduled to go live on Friday 3rd July at 6pm.
Some of you may recognise it from the end of the recent Aintree film, where it appeared as a preview of what was coming next. However, with the Aintree film running at nearly 45 minutes, I know not everyone will see the trailer tucked away at the end, and a few viewers kindly suggested that it deserved to be shared separately.
So, later in the week, there will be a short glimpse of the forthcoming full film, ‘Unforgettable’. I hope it helps whet your appetite for what’s to come. It was one of those days that had everything Fuel the Passion enjoys most: great cars, great people and a setting that somehow made the Aston Martins look even better. That one should be worth waiting for.
Closing Reflection
What I like about this week’s Roundup is that it shows how many different doors there are into the Aston Martin world.
For some people, it starts with racing. For others, it might be a childhood memory, a Bond film, a poster on a bedroom wall, a car seen at a show, or a conversation with an owner who is generous enough to share what ownership is really like. That’s really what Fuel the Passion is about. Yes, we follow the new cars, the racing programmes, the market and the big brand stories. But just as importantly, we follow the people, the memories, the journeys and the small moments that make this marque mean something.
Image © Fuel the Passion. A video coming soon, Alnwick Castle, AMOC Spring Concours 2026.
This week has reminded me of that again: at Wilton House, at Gaydon, through the new Buyers Guide, and through the many conversations that happen around these cars. The cars matter, of course they do. But the stories around them are what give them life.
Thank you, as always, for reading, watching and supporting Fuel the Passion. Have a great week and I’ll see you on the next one! 👆
Where every mile tells a story.
A quick question before you go: which story stood out most for you in this week’s Roundup?
Was it Aston Martin’s big Vantage GT3 weekend at Spa, Valkyrie continuing its IMSA journey at Watkins Glen, the Vanquish 25th anniversary gathering at Gaydon, the new FTP Buyers Guide, or something else entirely?
I’d also love to know what you would find most useful in future Buyers Guides. If you own an Aston Martin, what’s the one piece of real-world buying or ownership advice you wish you’d known earlier?
Please feel free to leave a comment below.👇 Your thoughts, stories and ownership experience really do help shape Fuel the Passion.👍
Still keen to explore?
If you still have a few minutes spare, there are plenty of other corners of the Fuel the Passion website to enjoy.
If you own a DB9, a VH-era V8 Vantage or a DB11, or if you’re simply curious about buying one, why not have a look around the new FTP Aston Martin Buyers Guide section? Compare notes, see what sounds familiar, and feel free to add your own ownership experience in the comments beneath each guide. Real-world knowledge from owners is exactly what will help those guides grow over time.
You can also bring yourself up to date with the latest additions to the FTP Motorsport Hub, where I’ve pulled together Aston Martin’s major racing activity across Formula 1, FIA WEC, IMSA, British GT, GT World Challenge, Michelin Le Mans Cup and more. It’s becoming a useful home for following where Aston Martins are racing and how they’re getting on.
If you haven’t seen it yet, the latest FTP video, Aston Martins Against the Clock, is now live. It captures a hot, sunny day at Aintree with AMOC Speed Championship competitors, onboard footage, interviews and some wonderful Aston Martin sounds.
I know everyone is busy, so thank you for spending any of your time with Fuel the Passion. Whether you read one section, watch one film, leave a comment, or quietly browse with a coffee, it’s all hugely appreciated.
