Many people will tell you that the Le Mans 24 Hours is one of the most exiting and engaging races of the year.
It's understandable why. Twenty-four hours of flat-out racing, a vibrant atmosphere, myriad teams and a variety of different cars. It's also the world's oldest active endurance race, with it having been held annually since 1923.
Like many, however, I'd never been to Le Mans, despite its allure and historic status. So, when Aston Martin offered for me to join them for the weekend at the 2013 Le Mans 24 Hours, I couldn't really think of enough ways to say yes.
Besides seeing the historic race in all its glory, it would also mean that I would get to drive an Aston Martin - a DB9 in particular - for the first time. This was not an opportunity to pass up.
Our journey was to be a relatively simple one. We'd leave from Autocar's office in Teddington at about 4.30AM, cruise down to the channel tunnel, then make our way to Le Mans. Near the track we'd detour to La Chartre-sur-le-Loir, to meet the Aston Martin Owners' Club for lunch.
Stan Papior, Autocar's chief photographer, would be joining me for the trip and providing some welcome company for the drive down. The DB9, which transpired to be a 'Volante' convertible version, arrived at Autocar on Thursday, prior to our departure.
On Friday, at 3.30AM, my alarm sounded. I grabbed my gear and headed down to the car, slightly tentative about its luggage capacity. I had heard that the DB9 was not particularly practical, and the Volante variant even less so, but I only had a relatively small case and my satchel to take with me.
When I opened the boot, however, I found that my travel case barely fitted. Even then, it only just about squeezed in if I removed the wind deflector. That found a new home on the rear seats, along with my satchel. On meeting Stan at the office, however, my heart sunk a little when I saw he had several cases, most of which was camera gear.
Still, somehow, with some careful consideration we managed to pack everything in to the DB9. The majority of it ended up stacked on the rear seats, while the wind deflector was carefully stored under my desk in the office. The crisis was averted but I was still surprised how little storage space was on offer.
With the sat-nav set for Folkstone, I fired up the Aston's all-aluminium 5.9-litre V12. Besides its smoothness and relative silence at low speeds, what initially struck me about the DB9 was how easy it was to drive. No snatching, no overly aggressive responses to control inputs and a ride that wasn't overly firm; these were all prime features of the ideal long-range GT.
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Sounds very common to me,
Sounds very common to me, turning up in a DB9. I'd have taken the original TT in the background.
RE: DB9
Dear kcrally,
Ironically, as Aston Martin was celebrating its centenary at Le Mans, early TTs were a much less common sight.
Best regards,
Lewis Kingston
DB9
@Lewis Kingston: A word of advice: I wouldn't respond to people like kcrally if were you. I'm certain most people who visit this website won't be driving to Le Mans in an Aston Martin - me included. So, consequently, all that anyone could reasonably expect you to do is describe the experience to the best of your abilities, nothing more.