The owner must be on somebody’s A-list because the valet outside of the Fashion 26 Wyndham Hotel said the car had just 300 miles on the odo and was one of three to currently exist in the U.S. The license plate surround tells us this baby was purchased in Greenwich, at Miller Motor Cars, which is no shocker considering that the tri state area (NY-NJ-CT) represents the most, if not second or third most, important market area in the country for exotic vehicle manufacturers like Aston.

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There is obviously more than one way to protect yourself from the elements, but we’re not here to discuss disposable ponchos. Being that rainy days are about as British as Queen Mary and bad teeth, some talented blokes came up with a classy solution to all the rainfall a long time ago. Namely, keeping dry under the finest of materials. Of course, we’re talking about the Aston Martin DB4 Convertible and the Swaine Adeney Brigg umbrella. Both issued royal warrants for supplying the royal family and both were sported by the likes of 007.

The Aston Martin DB4 Convertible was unveiled in 1962 and is definitely among the sexier ways to keep the rain out. The lightweight, Superleggera body was designed by Milanese coachbuilder, Carrozzeria Touring. Leave it the Italians to design Britain’s sexiest car, and form the basis for all future Aston Martin classics.  Beautiful and rare, just 70 convertible examples were known to have been built out of the roughly 1,110 DB4s produced. 

You may not think you know Swaine Adeney Brigg, but perhaps the most famous hat in show business, the one worn by Indiana Jones throughout the film series, was crafted by the famed British company.  Formed in 1943 when Swaine Adeney joined forces with Thomas Brigg and Sons, Swaine Adeney was origninally a maker of fine leather whips and later luggage.  The company went on to specialize in the finest of walking sticks and umbrellas. The wide variety of hand woven silk cloth and luxurious handle materials makes them the choice of any true dandy.

The spokes making up the Borrani knock-off wheels clearly resemble the umbrella’s metal canopy frame. And since touch and feel is such a big part of design, both Aston and Swaine chose to use beautifully polished wood in areas where we connect with the product – the steering wheel and the handle. 

The DB4 created this iconic shaped mesh chrome grille while Swaine uses a sterling silver handle as an option. The DB4 top cloth is designed to keep you dry and looking good and Swaine uses hand woven silk fabric to wick rain.

The DB4 uses supple black leather in the interior.  Swaine offers a luxe black calf-skin handle.  A shot of color goes a long way.  This red/tan combo resembles that of a classic Ferrari but hey, it was designed in Milan. Swaine offers all the beautiful classic English tartans.

Interior details like the 3.7L dual overhead straight 6 are what makes the DB4 tick. Swaine offers a hidden pen option in their handles. They also offer a tan ostrich handle, similar to the tan top of the DB4.

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Our good pal Darren from TeamSpeed spotted this Hardly Green 4-door Aston Martin Rapide cruising East 61st Street one sunny afternoon last weekend. Yes, you read that correctly…a 4-door Aston Martin. I know what you’re thinking…since when does Aston Martin concern themselves with backseat passengers? It’s akin to a watering hole offering day care for patrons or a strip club with 401K plans for their employees. But, truth be told, Aston has actually built their fair share of sporting saloons over the years. The one you see here is actually a pre-production model, or prototype to sound more exciting, likely being used for VIP test drives and high end dealer salon shows. How do we know? Because the Rapide isn’t out yet. This probably explains the pissed off expression seen on the passenger’s face. But hey, you can’t drive around in something this sexy and not expect to be photographed. Look for the 470 HP Rapide to hit dealerships next month for about $200K.

Awesome find Darren!

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None of the openers I was able to come up with quite topped that of Jay Shoemaker in his 2006 review in The Truth About Cars – “Walking up to the Aston Martin DB9, I couldn’t decide whether I wanted to drive it or sleep with it.” The talented auto scribe could not have said it better because this near $200,000 drop top is some kind of design sorcerer for what it has accomplished with mere aluminum and sheet metal. Too bad for that scuffed wheel. I think we know a guy who can buff that out.

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My father and I have been clamoring for knowledge on vintage Jaguar XKs lately. The old man is hot to acquire one of the beautiful sports cars as a sunny Sunday driver and, if my mother asks, an investment that will only continue to appreciate over time. Unlike shopping new, finding the classic car of your dreams means more than a weekend or two of kicking tires at the local dealership. It requires chat room discussions galore, visits to every classic car show you can find and endless thumbing through Hemmings and Sport Car Market. Most importantly, it requires spending inordinate amounts of time with people like Bob Millstein.

The lifelong car nut is extra passionate about English sports cars and knows more about collecting, repairing and racing them than any human being I have ever encountered or dreamed of encountering. Bob, who also owns/operates a Briarcliff Manor-based repair and restoration shop that brings new life to aging classics, was good enough to give us a tour of his quaint little shop and personal five-car toy chest.

This splendid 1954 Jaguar XK120 is a numbers matching car that Bob recently completed a frame-off restoration on throughout eight years of night and weekend tinkering. “This car is completely original. There is not one fitting, knob or trim piece that does not match up with the original build specs from the factory”

Most people watch TV or listen to music as they drift off to sleep. Bob prefers to gaze at his babies and has a light switch linked to the garage in his bedroom. He has two Aston Martins, three vintage Jaguars (he races two of them) and a rare (only 160 were made) 1924 Gaff rigged Sloop sail boat passed down by his father.

Bob has two 1961 Aston Martins in his collection – they are both of the DB4 variety. This beautiful maroon example features 2+2 seating, touring coachwork and is one of twelve standard DB4s on the planet to be ordered from the factory with the rare 3.7L GT engine. One look at the weathered paint and worn down seats will tell you that this classic is driven not simply displayed. As Bob puts it, there are “no garage queens allowed” in his collection.  Bob’s garage can hold five cars and is decorated with wall-to-wall vintage racing memorabilia. Signed posters and personal letters from names like Sterling Moss are abundant. His love of English sports cars can be traced back to his brother’s MG TC, which he raced. “I was always around British cars growing up thanks to my older brother. And in those days, the Brits had captured the bulk of European car sales in the U.S. Parts were cheap and plentiful as a result.”

The Aston Martin DB4′s lightweight superleggera (tube-frame) body was designed by Carrozzeria Touring in Milan. As you can see from the unmolested paint finish, Bob uses this car more than any other in his collection.

Although Bob owns several Jaguars, including an XKE Series 1 roadster and one-of-a-kind Hansgen Jaguar Special, he regards the XK120 as the “prettiest, purest car to own in the XK series.” It was a landmark car when it debuted at the 1948 London Motor Show and not only for its looks. “The XK120 was the world’s fastest production automobile when it came out. It could go 120 MPH all day long.”

“Modern cars do everything better. They’re safer, faster and have markedly better handling. But there is something exciting about driving an old car with all of its limitations. Newer cars are soulless.”

The DB4 GT was a special lightweight, high-performance version of the standard DB4. It featured enclosed headlights, thinner aluminium skin, lighter plastic windows, a twin plate Borg and Beck clutch and Borrani wheels. The wheelbase was also reduced by 5 inches, which resulted in many cars, like this one, not being fitted with rear seats. Bob spent 10 years restoring this one in his “free time” – there are just 73 in existence.

The DB4 GT’s 3.7L engine has twin sparkplugs per cylinder with two distributors and three twin-choke Weber carbs. Power is rated at 302 HP (up from 240 in the standard DB4) and maximum speed is an astonishing 153 mph. The sprint to 60 mph takes just 6.1 seconds – especially impressive considering the car was introduced in 1959.

As a kid, Bob was idolized racers like Jackie Stewart, Phil Hill and Jimmy Clark more than the sports icons other kids day dreamed about. His father, a Russian immigrant who put himself through Yale medical school, used a Porsche 912 as the family truckster for much of Bob’s childhood.

Bob was on his way to becoming a Doctor when his father passed away – he started working nights as a mechanic in his brother’s Queens garage to make extra money and never looked back. His Briarcliff Manor-based shop not only repairs but restores.

Bob has owned what he calls the “evolutionary scale of English sports cars” over the years. Everything from a Triumph “Bug eye” Sprite to an original Mini Cooper, MG B and Austin Healey 3000. “The cars I have owned throughout my life could be fixed with a reasonable amount of hand tools. Today’s cars have too many electronic components under the hood so today’s gear heads don’t have the same opportunity to tinker under the hood and fix their cars. It’s a shame”

This beautifully restored Triumph TR3 was on the lift when I walked in Bob’s service bay. It was immaculate in every way – as if it had just rolled off the factory line yesterday. He said it was an absolute mess when the customer dropped it off. “I like working with the customers. Their cars have great stories to tell and I have the priveledge of breathing new life into them. I like to exceed their expectations and witness the excited expression on their face when they see their car for the first time all fixed up”

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One of our field snappers from the other side of the pond spotted this exotic Vanquish outside the Olde Bell Coaching Inn. We have heard of rich guys who buy expensive sports cars to compensate for smaller things but this owner has really raised the bar. Bravo

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Mercedes brought sexy back in 2004 when they introduced the seductive CLS sedan. The combination of sedan practicality and low profile design allowed Mercedes to take credit for the ‘four door coupe’ moniker. Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery because similarly styled sedans from Audi, Aston Martin, Lamborghini, Porsche, and Volkswagen have all reared their streamlined heads since CLS hit the streets. Unfortunately for the Florida-based owner of this white example parked on 9th avenue, the jaws of life took the term “chopped roofline” to new extremes. We don’t think this is what Mercedes had in mind.

Thanks for the tip Eric!

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The slate walkways, frosted glass facade and brushed metal framework of the new Cooper Square Hotel set the ideal modernist backdrop to display this slew of shiny new Aston Martins. The crowd was chic, the Martinis flowed and James Bond references were in full effect. The only thing missing was half of this DB9 Volante’s bodywork. Aston brought the cross sectioned drop top to Manhattan to give attendees a closer look during this uber exclusive owners event.

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