The luxury Microcar, the Aston Martin Cygnet. ( Photo Gauld)

Story by Graham Gauld

It was fifteen years ago, 2011, when for some strange reason, the Aston Martin board decided it would be a good idea for Aston Martin to change the habit of a lifetime by building a super-mini road car: the Aston Martin Cygnet.

One interpretation for this decision was that as Aston Martin were producing the Supercars of that period. As some of their customers might have large yachts on which they could perch a small car built to the luxury standards of the full-size Aston Martins, the marketing concept had a feasible interpretation.

Ian Rowley pressing hard with the Shark-nosed Assegai at the Monaco swimming pool corner. (Photo Gauld)

By Graham Gauld

Rob Young, who wrote the book Special Brew, The Story of the Southern African Formula One and Libre Specials, is an old friend of mine and we have corresponded for over fifty years. He is a retired accountant with an internationally known accountancy company and has been involved with South African motor sport all his life. To most readers of VeloceToday this opens a window to the sheer enthusiasm for motor sport there, but what a struggle it has been in a country that has been involved in political controversy for many years. However, one of the chapters in this new book caught my eye; the shark-nosed Assegai that Tony Kotze built in 1961.

The Series II Ferrari 330GT. American design, Italian coachwork. Hugues Vanhoolandt photo.

Story by Graham Gauld

At the risk of a rebuttal, I would say that the terminology “Estate Car” or “Shooting-brake” came from the good old United Kingdom. One can trace this class-conscious terminology applied to a motor car to the early days of horse-drawn travel in the 1880’s when rich landowners needed a bulkier carriage to carry the guns and shooting impedimenta for blasting partridge and grouse out of the sky.