I’m unsure whether Aston Martin boss Dr Ulrich Bez’s attendance at the launch of the new Aston Martin dealership in Cape Town this week was a reflection of the freestanding sports car manufacturer’s minimalist corporate structure, the legendary Doctor’s hands-on approach and passion for the brand – or both, but I was nevertheless impressed. The new Aston Martin dealership at the Waterfront is located in a prime spot and its structure is impressive, not because of its size, but its sharply minimalist and organic layout. I dread to think what the rental would be like for that space and it’s sobering to think that the new franchise will need to have an example of each of the Aston Martin model ranges – Vantage, DB9, DBS and (later on) Rapide – on its floor at all times. With the launch of the dealership in Cape Town (to supplement the existing franchise based in Johannesburg), Aston Martin hopes to sell about 150 units a year in South Africa.
And the shop got one rousing send-off… Delicate white orchids suspended in see-through water cylinders, a swinging string band, leggy models brandishing bottles of chilled Veuve Clicquot and a lavish mélange of canapés were served to Cape Town’s motoring hacks before the public launch kicked in an hour later – and what a turnout. I felt like an interloper sitting there sipping my drink while ordinary Cape Town Waterfront shoppers filed past the black velvet rope. But then Aston Martin is nothing if not exclusive. It may be a fledgling brand – recently emancipated from big daddy Ford, but it’s no underdog… There are no pretences to environmentally-friendliness or providing mobility for the masses – Aston makes fast, beautiful sports cars for the upper crust.
Dr Bez, who guided Aston Martin through its difficult years and saw out the marque’s tenure in the Blue Oval’s stable, addressed the media with great enthusiasm shortly before he unveiled the DBS. Not a concept, not an early production model – but the actual car that was used in the latest James Bond movie, Casino Royale. Golly, all of that in little Cape Town – the big boss of an automotive manufacturer and a movie star (well, you know what I mean) on hand to launch what is only a dealership.
I had an opportunity to chat with Marcel Fabris, Aston Martin’s After Sales Manager for Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, at the launch and for the first time I could get a handle on what exactly Aston Martin’s about. It’s no longer the temperamental British sports car that trades on its name, its cars still possess some Ford parts bin bits, but the marque’s looking forward to tremendous growth in new markets such as China and Russia – and under its own steam. Gregarious to a fault, Fabris recounted how the fastidious Dr Bez was dead against the fitment of PDC to the front of an Aston Martins because the circular sensors, as insignificant as they would seem to many of us, “would ruin the frontal aspect”.
Is Aston Martin a significant manufacturer in the greater scheme of things? Well, no, but I admire the fact that the brand is sticking to its guns in terms of aesthetics and concept and remains willing to compete with other marques on its on terms. It’s weird to think that a brand such as Aston Martin might sell 150 units (with the cheapest model costing over R1,5 million) in a country were more than a quarter of the workforce is unemployed. But hey, nothing says “Oh yes, I’ve made it BIG TIME” like stepping out of an Aston – the travertine tiles on the portico of the Cape Town dealership virtually guarantee that you WON’T forget that.
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