In keeping with the hot weather Lockton's team have been blazing a trail from one event to another so far this summer...
We began with the Aston Martin Owners Club spring concours at RAF Duxford. Rows of gleaming Astons all enjoying the superb weather plus an incredible evening event under the wings of Concorde 101. We followed this with the Ferrari Owners Club National Event at Sywell Aerodrome and Viva Italia across another weekend that saw cloudless skies, Ferraris of all vintages and an impressive array of Italian cars all enjoying the glorious sunshine.
Maserati invited us to their concours at The Phyllis Court Club in Henley. Yet more stunning sunshine and Maserati's ranging from the earliest to the newest models lining up to be judged.
June was rounded out with “Porsche By The Lake” in Essex – a splendid event, with over 700 of Stuttgart's finest in attendance. With a summer garden party feel, it's one we'll certainly be returning to in 2024.
Coming up in July, the Silverstone Classic is perhaps the best historic motor racing event anywhere in the country. The Lockton team will be in attendance supporting four of our club partners and we certainly look forward to seeing you at the home of British motorsport.
Talking of Motorsport
If there are two places where any true motoring enthusiast should visit, it has to be Le Mans and the Isle of Man.
Whether you're a motorcycle enthusiast or not, you simply cannot ignore the talent, bravery, commitment and not to mention mild insanity of the men and women who seek glory around the 37.7-mile TT course. 2023 saw Michael Dunlop close to one win behind his late, great Uncle Joey in outright wins, the Birchall Brothers claim their fourteenth consecutive sidecar victory and Peter Hickman lift the outright lap record to over 136mph – that's an average, by the way. And all of this on roads that locals use 50 weeks of the year.
From a small island in the Irish Sea to one of the world's great endurance races, Le Mans. Whilst the race was both a centennial celebration and full of the usual twists and turns (many weather-related), the story of the weekend has to be Ferrari's emotional return to La Sarthe after more than 50 years and their first win at the French circuit in almost 60.
Goodwood honours two legends
Lord March and his team never disappoint when it comes to putting on a spectacle and 2023's Festival of Speed and Revival are no exception.
Sebastian Vettel returns to the hill for July's Festival of Speed, driving two of his own cars – an ex-Mansell Williams FW14B and a McLaren MP4/8 piloted by Senna – and showcasing synthetic fuel. The four-time champion has become an advocate of cleaner motoring since his retirement and will no doubt demonstrate that it has minimal impact on a vehicle's ability to travel quickly!
The names Cobra and Shelby will be forever linked in the mind of any motoring enthusiast and September's Revival will honour Carroll Shelby in what would have been his centennial year. The AC Cobra has been a regular crowd pleaser and race winner at Goodwood and its creator was not just a brilliant engineer but a racer too and we can expect to see some of the cars in which he competed, including sports and single seaters.
We've been expecting you
Aston Martin's DB12 isn't a secret. Prototypes have been spotted testing on road and track over recent months and, although the shape is an evolution of the DB11, more than 80% of the car is new.
The exterior changes are subtle but give the new car a more aggressive look, moving away from the understated elegance of its predecessor.
Suspension and steering receive upgrades but it's under the long bonnet that sees even more improvements, with the AMG-sourced twin turbo V8 fettled to produce over 670bhp, almost 170 up on the DB11, giving the car a top speed of just over 200mph.
Inside sees arguably the most striking changes - new cabin design and materials taking the hardly basic-spec DB11 into new territory, with Aston clearly targeting the likes of Bentley and Ferrari.
With Aston being the surprise package in F1 this season and the announcement of further investment in the company by Chinese automotive giants Geely, perhaps this is genuinely the start of a new and vibrant era for Aston Martin.
Happy Birthday Porsche
Porsche have decided to celebrate their 75th birthday in style, with the announcement of a 1500bhp electric hypercar. Whilst said to be a concept only at this point, Porsche has set its sights on the Nürburgring road car record with a car that charges faster than a Taycan and produces more downforce than the GT3 RS.
Styling is reminiscent of Porsche's Group C and GT cars, with a footprint similar to its Carrera GT and 918 models. Porsche say that 'Mission X' will be the platform for its next hypercar and possibly underpin future cars from the German manufacturer.
British Bulldog
Readers of a certain vintage may remember the one-off Aston Martin Bulldog.
Built in the late 1970's, the aggressive wedge shape was Aston's attempt to crack the 200mph mark in a road-going vehicle. In period, the car never achieved its potential however, after a lengthy restoration commissioned by the Bulldog's American owner, and managed by Richard Gauntlett, son of the late Aston chairman Victor, the renovated car was unveiled in late 2021.
Lockton have had more than a passing interest in the Bulldog as the restoration was performed by our friends at Classic Motor Cars of Bridgnorth and we were able to make sure that sufficient insurance cover was in place when the restored vehicle was very carefully loaded onto the flight deck of HMS Prince of Wales – could you imagine filling in the insurance report had something gone wrong there!
Thankfully, all the hard work and effort finally paid off in June when the Bulldog was officially timed at 205.4mph on a Scottish airfield.
That's all for now
There are many exciting developments and new vehicles coming from the likes of McLaren, Ferrari and an electric vehicle from Caterham but we'll save those till our next edition – in the meantime let's hope the glorious weather continues and that we'll have the opportunity to meet up with you at one of the many club or track events that are scheduled in July and August.