Aston Martin is to take center stage during the upcoming Monterey Car Week as it hosts an inaugural single-marque auction, as well as North American debuts to three of its cars, among a comprehensive line-up of Aston events and activities at the famous Californian automotive gathering.
The British sports car maker has teamed up RM Sotheby’s to host ‘An Evening with Aston Martin’, an Aston-only car auction, on Thursday August 15. The one-night event will be held in the Monterey Conference Center at the Portola Hotel and Spa in Downtown Monterey, and the cars on sale include a 1953 DB3S Works, estimated to go for $8,750,000 to $10,500,000, and a James Bond 1965 DB5 that was commissioned and used in the promotion of the Thunderball movie. It is reckoned this car will go for $4,000,000 to $6,000,000.
In addition, Monterey will host the North American debut of three Aston Martins: the Valhalla mid-engined hypercar, the DB4 GT Zagato Continuation heritage sports car and a bespoke Aston Martin DBS Superleggera. The Valhalla will debut on the event’s Friday, 16 August, at The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering at Quail Lodge & Golf Club in the Carmel Valley. The Valhalla is inspired by the Aston Martin Valkyrie and incorporates Formula 1 racing concepts and technologies, benefiting in its engineering from the close involvement of Red Bull Advanced Technologies, a sister operation of the F1 team.
Following its debut, the Valhalla will be put on display for the remainder of the Monterey weekend at Aston Martin’s event space, called ‘Aston Martin Club 1913’, in Downtown Carmel’s Sunset Center. The space will also provide the venue of the North American debut of the track-only DB4 GT Zagato Continuation heritage sports car, which pays tribute to the past icon. It will be accompanied at the event by a 40 per cent scale model of the new road-legal DBS GT Zagato. The two-car collection marks Zagato’s centenary as well as the long-standing partnership between Aston and Zagato, and is strictly limited to 19 examples.
Also getting its continental debut at Monterey in Aston Martin Club 1913 is a bespoke special edition Aston Martin DBS Superleggera which was commissioned by iconic luxury brand House of Bijan. The special-edition DBS features a number of striking enhancements to the car; perhaps most notably the bespoke ‘Bijan Yellow’ exterior paint finish, which includes a subtle paisley pattern on the bonnet.
The Aston Martin Club 1913 venue throughout the Monterey weekend will also host hospitality, live music, a watch shop and a flower market for guests. Also those holding a valid California license will have the opportunity to sample the entire Aston Martin product range with special test drives around the peninsula. Available cars include the 2019 DB11 AMR, DB11 Volante, DBS Superleggera, DBS Superleggera Volante and the 2019 Vantage.
“This brand is a long-time supporter of the events held during Monterey Car Week and I’m thrilled that we have such a strong and diverse collection of exceptional cars on show there this year,” said Aston Martin Lagonda President and Group CEO Dr Andy Palmer. “With enthusiasts and collectors from all over the world in attendance and some of our most highly-prized cars available to order, or on offer at auction, it promises to be another hugely memorable occasion.”
Images courtesy of Aston Martin
