Aston Martin has marked the 75th Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance with three one-off DB12 S coupés inspired by the works racing cars it fielded in the early 1950s, unveiling them as the centrepiece of its Monterey Car Week programme.
The trio, built by the firm’s bespoke division Q by Aston Martin, references three DB2s that raced under the registration letters VMF. Constructed in 1950 for the following year’s Le Mans, each of the originals wore a differently coloured grille and competed for both the factory team and private owners through the early part of the decade.
The new cars follow the same idea. VMF 63 carries Rosso Red accents, VMF 64 Speed Yellow and VMF 65 Ellwood Blue, each over a Carbon Black body. Detailing includes painted grille vanes and carbon-fibre side strakes in the accent colour, a ’75’ roundel on each front wing, a painted carbon Aeroblade and a DB2 silhouette at the rear. Inside, the cars gain contrast stitching, DB2 embroidery on the seatbacks, painted controls and bespoke ’75’ sill plaques.
“Being given the opportunity to create something bespoke for this incredibly special occasion has been a real honour for the team,” said Vittorio Gabba, head of Q at Aston Martin.
The DB12 S ‘VMF’ cars headline a wider Aston Martin presence at the event, which runs on California’s Monterey Peninsula from Wednesday 12 August. The brand returns to The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering on Friday 14 August, and stages Astons on the Avenue in Carmel-by-the-Sea on the Wednesday alongside the Aston Martin Owners Club, in support of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation.
Invited guests are hosted at the House of Aston Martin, this year beside the Poppy Hills course, where displays include the Valhalla supercar, the new S versions of the DB12, Vantage and DBX, and a heritage DB2. The venue also hosts the debut of the Vanquish 25 Special Edition, a limited-run Q model marking 25 years since the original V12 Vanquish.
“Monterey Car Week is the ideal background for the unveiling of our very special DB12 S ‘VMF’ cars,” said chief commercial officer Andrea Baldi, adding that the event was also the right stage for the Vanquish 25 and the marque’s wider heritage.
