Aston Martin Owners Club marks 75th year

Gently coaxing their 1971 Aston Martin DBS V-8 from Manhattan Beach, Calif., to Las Vegas for the Aston Martin Owners Club 75th anniversary, Chet and Joan Floyd finally arrived safely for last week's three-day celebration.

But, it wasn't all smooth driving. Something was amiss with their DBS, which is similar to the Aston Martin used in the 1969 James Bond flick "On Her Majesty's Secret Service." This particular DBS, according to Chet Floyd, began life as a New York-based factory demo car and was the first left-hand drive model in the U.S. To further enhance the car's mystique, Floyd said the car had always been owned by either the Aston Martin factory or an AMOC member.

"It's just not running well," said AMOC Western Region member Floyd, suspecting something wasn't quite right in the 5.4-liter powerplant. Hoping it was an issue service technicians at Gaudin Jaguar Porsche Aston Martin might diagnose, the Floyd's resigned themselves to being passengers for the final event: a rally/drive from the Gaudin dealership on West Sahara Avenue to Lowes Lake Las Vegas for lunch.

To the rescue, however, was Julian Jenkins, Aston Martin North America's vice president and general manager, who loaned the Floyd's a 2010 DBS Volante convertible to drive in last Saturday's rally.

"This is about seeing people enjoying their cars, as it should be," said Jenkins, whose territory now includes dealerships in Brazil and Chile. As the AMOC hosts worldwide commemorative events, Jenkins couldn't pass on the festivities planned in Las Vegas last week.

"The club is very active and this is one of the larger events scheduled for the West Coast," Jenkins said, referring to the 340 AMOC members who comprise the Western U.S. Region. "The club brings together people with the same passion. They cherish and live the Aston Martin heritage."

The three-day event, organized by AMOC West president George Wood, started April 8 with a welcome reception at Capital Grille at Fashion Show mall. On Friday, about 25 cars caravanned to Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where they toured the facility, drove their cars a few laps on the infield road course and met Carroll Shelby at his Speedway Boulevard factory and museum. The meet-and-greet with racing legend Shelby was arranged courtesy of Dorian Green, former Aston Martin factory secretary and long-time Shelby friend.

The weekend concluded Saturday with brunch at Gaudin Jaguar Porsche Aston Martin, the drive to Lake Lake Vegas, then dinner and a show on the Strip. About 30 cars started arriving around 9:30 a.m. and drivers were addressed by Gaudin's Aston Martin General Manager Paul Jarrett about the route and road courtesies (i.e. don't lose one another!). "The biggest tip I have is don't worry about the car in front of you," Jarrett advised. "Worry about the car behind you. Don't lose that driver."

Included in the rally/drive were Dion and Mary Ann Dostaler of Morgan, Utah. Driving a 1986 Aston Martin Volante he's owned for 18 years, Dion recalled the two things that attracted him to the Aston Martin.

"One, it had plenty of head room (naturally, it's a convertible) and, two, it had that feel-good factor," said Dion, who is a British car aficionado with two Morgans and two Morris Minis in his automotive stable.

"It's the most beautiful car," said Mary Ann Dostaler, who graduated from Clark High School in 1969 and fondly recalls cruising Fremont Street. "We get a lot of notice in that car. It has that 'wow' factor."

Local Aston Martin owner Sal Coco had great fun piloting his 2007 Vantage Roadster with the personalized "007" license plate around the road course. "It handled really well at the race track. Very sure-footed and powerful. I loved it," said Coco, who works at the Imperial Palace's classic car museum.

"The turnout for this event was great," Jenkins said. "And, there are people from all over the Western U.S. That really shows how passionate people are about their cars."

The Aston Martin Owners Club can be accessed at www.amoc.org. Members enjoy technical and social forums, as well as three membership publications.

Gaudin Jaguar Porsche Aston Martin features high-performance automobiles and is located at 7200 W. Sahara Ave. For more information, call 284-7000 or go to www.jplv.net.