HOCHEDEL luxury magazine

It’s 'his' car. You already know who: Bond, James Bond. A masterpiece appears out of the mist: powerful, fast, nonchalant, with an unfathomable soul. Precision right down to the smallest detail. The legendary Aston Martin brand is inseparable from a certain well-known agent on her majesty’s secret service. Time to start following in his tracks and pay our respects to the British brand with a tour of the Alps. Adventure on the road, unique events and to finish, the highly anticipated presentation of the latest supercar from Aston Martin. 007 – Time to drive.

THE TRIBUTE TOUR

VERONA | BOZEN | SOELDEN | LAKE TEGERNSEE | MUNICH

Starting in Verona, the route takes us via Bolzano up into the Alps. We twist and turn up the mountains, around stupendously winding roads at the wheel of the latest Aston Martin model. The sun’s rays are beaming down on us as we take one hairpin bend after another, climbing the steep slopes until we break through the clouds and arrive at the '007
Elements' James Bond Adventure World in Soelden, at 3,000 metres above sea level. There, fast-paced video installations whisk us inside the magnificent architecture and into the world of James Bond. Outside on the glacier, one of the locations for the Bond film 'Spectre', I take photos of the cool Aston Martin. Next day we travel on to a celebration of the new James Bond film 'No time to Die' – in a drive-in cinema, naturally. With 350 vehicles taking part, the drive-in premiere is the largest Aston Martin rally in continental European history. We enjoy the evening all about the film legend and his automotive symbol. And follow it with a glass of Martini – shaken, not stirred. The tribute tour is a successful mix of driving fun and social events. The Aston Martin philosophy of putting the customer at the centre of its thinking is a huge success. Aston Martin has a licence to... to live the James Bond lifestyle. There’s only one final highlight to go: the private presentation in Munich for our eyes only. Our response is never say never again; we climb into our thunderball and send greetings from the mountains with love – Aston Martin has true cult status.

But tomorrow never dies and so now the time has come for Aston Martin to proudly present: the 'Valhalla'! A dramatic entrance with lighting and sound effects reveals the hybrid supercar with V8 engine and two electric engines. Production strictly limited to 999. A sporty 700,000 euros per vehicle. A symbol of the emergence of the driver-oriented era. In our interview with Tobias Moers, Aston Martin CEO, he explains their successful new corporate strategy 'Project Horizon': 'The company is finding a new vitality, the share price is rising, the brand value is stable, even for pre-owned vehicles.' Aston Martin – the one and only.