Kiwis love Aston Martin

16 June, 2014

 

Kiwis love Aston Martin more than any other country does anywhere else in the world.

Global Sales Director for Aston Martin, Christian Marti, announced at the Australasia Dealer Conference, held in the Barossa Valley, South Australia, that Aston Martin in New Zealand had the highest market share in the world (luxury segment) in 2013.

Aston Martin/Independent Prestige General Manager, Greg Brinck, was there to accept the accolade.

“We had a fantastic 2013, particularly with the new Vanquish, so we were confident that we’d be ‘up there’ internationally, based on the New Zealand market share stats that we had received. It is particularly fitting that we achieved the number one spot in the centenary celebration year for Aston Martin.

“The celebration events that we shared with our customers and owners during the last year, again emphasized to us the real passion held here in New Zealand for Aston Martin sports cars. The future certainly looks bright with a strong model range and all-new dedicated dealership, in the not too distant future.”

There seems to be plenty to look forward to from Aston Martin in New Zealand, so let’s see what the rest of 2014 has to offer.

Lunch with… Jim Palmer

In the 1960s, Hamilton’s Jim Palmer won the prestigious ‘Gold Star’ four times and was the first resident New Zealander home in the New Zealand Grand Prix on five consecutive occasions. He shared the podium with Stirling Moss, Jack Brabham, Bruce McLaren, Graham Hill, Jim Clark, Denny Hulme, Jackie Stewart, and Chris Amon. The extent of his domination of the open-wheeler scene in New Zealand will probably never be matched or exceeded. Yet he’s always been modest about his achievements.

NZ Classic Car magazine, May/June 2025 issue 399, on sale now

Who would have thought it would become such a worldwide motorsport star when Ford introduced the humble Escort in 1967?
Its popularity, particularly in Mark 1 form, is now of iconic status. Our cover story for this issue is on a 1968 Ford Escort Mark 1, Alan Mann Racing Tribute. We talked with the owner of this very special Escort, finished in tribute also to the owner’s father.
“Most children love speed, and motorsport typically comes courtesy of a parent, and Elliott is no different. His engineer father, Mark, had a love for motorcycles and going fast; however, when children came along, he swapped two wheels for four, in the form of two Ford Escorts.
Little did Mark know it at the time, but the humble Escort was about to weave its way into the family fabric once and for all.
After emigrating from London to New Zealand, Elliott recalled one evening when he was 14 being invited to tag along by his father, helping a friend convert an Escort road car into a racing car. This was the pivotal moment when Elliott remembers the motorsport bug taking over. He knew he had to have his own one.”