Even though we can't see it, we can hear it the unsilenced V12 howl of an Aston Martin DBR9 ringing out across the wide-open spaces of a disused airfield. Eventually the sound fades and the car peels off the test track and back into view, onto the wide runway that leads up to our assembly area, but the driver has no intention of covering those few hundred metres at a gentle cruise. Instead, he buries the throttle again and runs it up through second gear, then third, then fourth. With headlamps ablaze and a roostertail of dust being kicked up behind, it's genuinely an awe-inspiring sight - and that's to say nothing of the ear-splitting soundtrack.
Only after that glorious final burst does the driver back off and bring the car to a stop, swinging open the door to reveal a huge grin. 'I thought I'd better come in,' says Darren Turner. 'I was starting to enjoy myself too much.' Although Aston Martin seems to be getting the hang of Formula 1, it is with sports cars that it remains most closely associated, and in recent years Turner has played a central role in that. Having grown up in a family that had little interest in motor racing, he got into it by spectating at his local kart track and now has a glittering CV that includes winning his class at Le Mans three times.
It's easy to forget how long a history Aston Martin has at La Sarthe. Its first entry came in 1928, and it chalked up four class wins during the 1930s with its fabled series of 'LM' team cars. Company director Augustus 'Bert' Bertelli was a talented engineer and driver who always stressed the benefits of a successful motorsport programme - even if, in those days, Aston Martin occasionally struggled to find ways of financing it.
Denne historien er fra October 2023-utgaven av Octane.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra October 2023-utgaven av Octane.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Jem Marsh
The hard-bitten Marcos boss was driven like few others and never knew when he was beaten. Thankfully
Vandamm House
A Mid-Century Modernist masterpiece that was immortalised on celluloid - despite never actually existing
Making light
Alfa Romeo's post-war renaissance began with the 1900 saloon - and matured with Zagato's featherweight coupé version, as Jay Harvey discovers
FULL OF EASTERN PROMISE
Is burgeoning classic car interest in the Middle East good for the global classic market? Nathan Chadwick investigates
Before the beginning
This rare Amazon Green pre-production Range Rover is Velar chassis number 4. James Elliott charts its historically revealing factory restoration
Ben Cussons
As the outgoing chairman of the Royal Automobile Club hands on to his successor, Robert Coucher quizzes him about the evolution of this great British institution
BULLDOG & THE PUPPIES
We gather five motoring masterpieces by avant-garde designer William Towns - and drive all of them
Below the tip of the Audrain iceberg
As the Audrain organisation grows, we take a look behind the scenes at the huge car collection that feeds it
Flying the Scottish flag
Young Ecurie Ecosse driver Chloe Grant gets to grips with the Ecurie Ecosse Jaguar C-type at Goodwood. Matthew Hayward is Octane's witness
WITHOUT FURTHER ADO
Audi Tradition has unveiled the Auto Union Type 52 Schnellsportwagen - only 90 years since it was designed. Glen Waddington takes an exclusive ride with Hans-Joachim Stuck