An Aston Martin is about so much more than straight-line speed, but every so often it’s nice to remind yourself what 170mph feels like and – more importantly – just how confidence-inspiring it is doing it in an Aston.
Last week, Aston Martin Reading and Cheltenham customers headed to Kendrew Barracks and the military runway at its heart, for a special Aston Martin-themed Vmax 200 day. The challenge is simple: hold your nerve to reach the highest possible speed, before stamping on the brakes safely before the end of the runway. With the wide tarmac stretching off into the horizon, covering 1.3 miles at full throttle is often over faster than you might think.
Customers arrived in their Aston Martins – an array of DB, Vanquish and Vantage models – but were also given the choice of testing the very latest models from the range. The DBS Superleggera, DBX, Vantage and DB11 were all available for guests to tackle the runway in, and once they had mastered the runway, they could tackle a tight handling circuit or heavy braking area to get a rounded view on the full capabilities of a modern Aston Martin. With most of the cars capable of 200mph, or very close to it, it’s not often that drivers will have this opportunity.
Accompanying each of the Aston Martins were a line-up of professional drivers, on-hand to offer tips on the fastest way to tackle the handling course, and insight into how cars would handle and behave at high-speed. With their expert guidance, guests are able to safely exploit the meticulous engineering that goes into making every single Aston Martin both incredibly agile and supremely comfortable.
