Taking Advantage!

The expansion of Aston Martin’s global dealership network continued last week with the opening of the first dedicated Aston Martin showroom in Bahrain.

Whilst Aston Martin is not new to Bahrain and has been successfully managed by Montana Motors for the past five years, it is the first time the brand has its own dedicated showroom that is built exactly in line with Aston Martin corporate identity.
Owned and overseen by Shaikh Ahmed Hasan Al Khalifa and Shaikh Khalifa Hasan Al Khalifa, Montana Motors is an extremely successful automotive company in the kingdom and the decision to expand its operations to include the new showroom is indicative of the commitment to Aston Martin in the future.
The privilege of being asked to drive the Aston martin vantage is in itself a true license to thrill.
This truly quintessential British marqué seems to exude masculinity from whichever angle it is admired from with its distinctive bold and powerful yet classic curves that seem to draw you to a rear shape that resembles a pair of brawny masculine shoulders empowering its authority and command on the road. Certainly when authenticated by its trademark ‘Roar’ when ignited by the dash mounted ‘start button’, its defiant presence on the road has few rivals and certainly attracts envious stares.
The whole irony is that even with such masculine and almost misogynist hyperbole used in portraying this beast, one still cannot help but describe this car also as beautiful, soulful and sophisticated.
Perhaps the reason for the enduring success of this iconic hand-crafted car is that it encompasses so many attributes and the resulting product is something that everyone will always aspire to and yet could never get tired of.
The interior of this coupe managed to accommodate both a similarly proportioned photographer and myself relatively easily with still enough leg room and, importantly, head room to not feel too enclosed yet still acquiring a feeling of having integral control of the car.
The seat adjustments are extensive and include a lumbar support button and for some reason I found myself constantly in the predicament of achieving absolute comfort for approximately 10 minutes and then going through a frustrating mode of trying to achieve the same comfort all over again and I am certain that without so many options I probably could have relaxed more easily.
This frustration was compounded by my slightly ignorant inability to command the concept of a ‘drop handbrake’ until the point of returning the car. These negative attributes are certainly more representative of myself than the vehicles offerings!
Aston has equipped the vantage with a suite of important safety attributes, such as dynamic stability control, electronic brake force distribution and emergency brake assist which serves to boost pedal pressure in an emergency situation.
Safety is quite obviously respected at the house of Aston, in the same regard as both performance and handling.
The interior is handsomely appointed with a contemporary feeling to it without excessive and cluttered gismos that would distract from its simple sophistication.
The stereo was untouched by us mainly for the reason that the most attractive and desirable acoustics derived from the primal snarl of the exhaust echo.
One can listen to a CD at anytime so why miss this auditory delight in such a limited time allocation, at which point I should apologise to Emma from the PR company for bringing the car back two hours late!
Driving The Vantage is an exhilarating experience and as you become more familiar with the feel, the power and ultimately the control of the car you seem to gain confidence in harnessing this controlled aggression.
The very pleasure of raising the revs in first gear or even cruising in sixth is equally rewarding and truly unforgettable.
We managed to pretty well circum-navigate Bahrain whilst maximising on all photo opportunities and we ensured that we also utilised the longest and straightest roads. Despite the restricting confines of speed limitations we really did live and breath the Aston Martin experience in all of its splendour!
And Emma, I have had an interesting idea for an article for you entitled “My year with an Aston”…I look forward to your thoughts on this proposal...