Beaulieu’s new events season got off to a rather damp but racing start as Simply Aston Martin celebrated the marque’s proud history in the grounds of the National Motor Museum.

As many as 311 examples of these motoring icons went on show, with a line-up ranging from an early 1934 Aston Martin Mark II to stunning, brand new DB11s.

More than 620 participants took part in the rally on April 8^th, including examples of the special high-performance Vantage GT8 with two orange and turquoise versions of the striking Gulf racing team livery.

Owners of DB9s, Volantes and Vantages were in good company, alongside modern classic DB7s. Equally impressive were classic Astons, including a 1958 DB Mark III, parked alongside several DB4s, DB5s and DB6s. Later DBS, V8 Vantage and V8 Volante from the 1970s and 1980s also turned heads, along with showroom-fresh examples by Aston Martin dealer Harwoods.

Throughout the day, rally participants and Beaulieu visitors voted for their favourite Aston Martin in the People’s Choice Awards. Collecting the most votes, a Beaulieu commemorative trophy and Autoglym prize was Humphrey Bradley, from London, for his Aston Martin Vanquish S named Red 10. His machine was one of just ten examples built for the Red Arrowsand the only one raffled in aid of the RAF Benevolent Fund. Humphrey said: “I love everything about the car, especially the fact that it is was built for the Red Arrows!”

Runners up were a pair of V8 Vantages, one a classic and the other its modern namesake. John Smith, from Huddersfield, scored highly for the 1988 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Volante he has owned for six years and maintains himself. While Rick Cullen, from Bristol, has owned his 2006 Aston Martin V8 Vantage for just 10 months and said: “It’s a real driver’s car and I love driving it. It’s a childhood dream come true!”

Simply Aston Martin was the first of Beaulieu’s 2018 Simply rallies. New for this year is Simply Audi on April 29^th, followed by the popular Simply Ford on May 6^th, Simply Porsche on June 3^rd, Simply VW on June 16^th, Simply Land Rover on June 24^th, Simply Jaguar on July 8^th, Simply Japanese on July 29^th and Simply Smart on November 11^th. To buy tickets in advance online or for more details, see www.beaulieu.co.uk/events.