On 30 November, RM Sotheby’s will join the Formula 1 circus at the glamorous Yas Marina circuit in the United Arab Emirates to offer a small but incredibly high-quality selection of collector cars. Arguably of the most interest to diehard Formula 1 enthusiasts is the brace of top-flight single-seaters raced by the seven-times World Champion Michael Schumacher: the 1992 Benetton B192 and the 2002 Ferrari F2002.
The order books for Aston Martin’s first SUV, christened the DBX and poised to be built at the marque’s St Athan plant in Wales, will open following its global debut at the Beijing Motor Show on 20 November. And the price, we hear you cry? In mainland Europe, the DBX will cost 193,500 euros including three years of servicing. Before the silk sheet is pulled off the car in China, Aston has further teased the press and public by revealing its interior. And doesn’t it look like a lovely place to sit?
It’s no secret that we have a weakness for Italian design culture. Most of all, the artful creations that were created in the post-war decades by such independent design studios as Bertone, Carrozzeria Touring, Ghia, Pininfarina and Zagato, which continue to excite us still to this day. The joy our editorial department feels when we receive Aste Bolaffi’s catalogues filled with unique collector’s items is immeasurable.
Collecting cars is a bit like collecting wine – you’re never quite sure if a bottle that’s been in the cellar for five, 10 or 20 years will turn out to be a delicious revelation or a sour surprise. If we’d have coughed up close to £100,000 for an Aston Martin DB7 back in the early-2000s, we’d now likely be ruing the day we ever set foot in the showroom. However, if we’d have forked out the extra £60,000 for the exotic Zagato-bodied version, of which 99 examples were hand-built at Bloxham, it would be a different story altogether.