10 replies to this topic

[Simpatico]

Hello.

I have a bit of a "thing" for concepts/prototypes, and the outlandish. A favourite design of mine was the 1971 Aston Martin Sotheby Special, designed and built by Ogle to publicise a brand of ciggies (Sotheby as in the auction house strangely). The brand failed but I understand it was then loaned to Graham Hill to be "seen" around the racetracks, and was repainted red and white in the colours of Embassy cigarettes at the time.

I have seen one poor quality publicity shot with Graham, the F1 cars and transporters, if anyone has a better copy I'd love to see it.

What I would also like to know is if anyone recalls seeing it at events personally, if anyone has any photos of it, and if anyone knows whether it was actually used by Graham/the team for any length of time or just wheeled in and out as necassary.

Any info welcome

[Alan Cox]

No trace of it in Embassy-Hill colours, but here is a press shot of it in its Sotheby livery
http://images.google...l=h...l=en&sa=N

[alansart]

Posing outside the Paddock cafe, Silverstone 1973

[Tim Murray]

Originally posted by Simpatico
What I would also like to know is if anyone recalls seeing it at events personally

I saw it at the Bristol Powerboat Grand Prix in 1975. I'm pretty sure it was in Embassy colours - Embassy were sponsoring the event, and also one of the powerboats. No photo, I'm afraid.

[Simpatico]

Wow a genuine never seen before pic, just what I expected from this forum! Many thanks, hope there are one or two more to come.

There were two made, the original blue one that morphed to Embassy colours had a nice low bonnet line afforded by fuel injection and some natty NACA-esque ducts. The private copy that was commisioned had an ugly bonnet bulge that hid a set of carbs. Not completely sure but the original may have been retrofitted with this setup for reliability so now it's hard to know which one you are looking at.

[alansart]

Originally posted by Simpatico
Wow a genuine never seen before pic, just what I expected from this forum! Many thanks, hope there are one or two more to come.

If someone had told me 36 years ago to click off another few shots I would have done so. Unfortunately in those days film was expensive and being a poor hard up student at the time photos were rationed!

[David Beard]

Silverstone paddock, I think 1974? Embassy colour scheme...

[Alan Cox]

Originally posted by Simpatico
There were two made, the original blue one that morphed to Embassy colours had a nice low bonnet line afforded by fuel injection and some natty NACA-esque ducts. The private copy that was commisioned had an ugly bonnet bulge that hid a set of carbs. Not completely sure but the original may have been retrofitted with this setup for reliability so now it's hard to know which one you are looking at.

http://www.astonmart.../dbsv8_ogle.htm

[Simpatico]

I know what you mean about rationing photos, digital is great isn't it? Rattle off 600 shots, load it on the viewer and pick the best 3 I remember with my new SLR trying to do those zoom-pulled shots that were all the rage in the car magazines of the time whilst watching the Group Bs in the 80s. Soon gave up after 2 rolls of film produced one decent pic. :

[Leigh Trevail]

At the time it was featured on 'Blue Peter'!

[ewazix]

I was amazed when I came upon this age old thread as I have wondered about this car, known as the 'Embassy Special', for 45 years! I was a schoolboy near Bristol UK in the early/mid 1970's and totally stunned when a school friend was dropped of at school in it by his father. The car was so futuristic, like something dropped by aliens, and huge! I'm fairly sure it was in Embassy colours. My friend's father, Mr Graeme Heapy who passed away in 2007, was a senior marketing executive with WD & HO Wills / Imperial Tobacco in Bristol who's brand portfolio included Embassy. He had use of the car for a short while, so believe it was very much a marketing prop wheeled out at events like the Bristol docks power boat races and Grand Prix and used by privileged exec's in between. I always understood that it was crashed not long after I had seen it and disappeared, but have nothing to back this up.