Aston Martin is big in Japan with a three-day celebration of its 110th anniversary.
Last year and this year respectively, Ferrari and Porsche celebrated their 75th anniversaries. This year, both Lamborghini and McLaren marked their 60th anniversaries. Aston Martin, on the other hand, just celebrated its 110th anniversary.
Over three days recently, Japan hosted the Aston Martin Arcadia Tokyo 2023, a biennial event that gathers together Aston Martin owners from around the APAC region. This year’s event saw more than 70 new and historic Aston Martin models gather for the Aston Martin Concours d’Elegance in the grounds of the ancient Senso-ji Temple in Asakusa, Tokyo.
This was the first time that an automotive manufacturer had been granted permission to use the grounds of this historic and culturally significant Buddhist temple. Some of the models on display included the Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR Pro, Aston Martin Vulcan and DB5 Goldfinger Continuation.
The Concours d’Elegance was judged across eight categories, including a class for the Aston Martin Cygnet, 20 of which reside in Japan. The Best in Show was unanimously awarded to the Aston Martin Speed Model Type C LMF385 – the judging panel praising it for its rarity, elegance, and impeccable condition.
Additionally, the 2023 Arcadia also hosted the DB12 Volante and Valour for the first time in the APAC region. The exclusive Valour, with its front-mounted V12 and manual transmission, represents a modern interpretation of an undiluted and visceral driving machine. The type that forged Aston Martin’s reputation in the 1950s and ’60s.
In the largest Aston Martin owners’ parade ever conducted in the APAC region, 50 cars (and a race transporter in Aston Martin livery) took to the streets of Tokyo.
The Arcadia also hosted a track day at the iconic Fuji Speedway, where 350 Aston Martin owners and enthusiasts from across the APAC region took to the circuit in a wide array of modern and classic Aston Martins.
The Airbus ACH130 Aston Martin Edition also made a special appearance at Fuji Speedway, flying in from Australia especially for the Arcadia.
Gregory Adams, Aston Martin Regional President of Asia Pacific summed up the event: “I am immensely proud to have hosted the first Aston Martin Arcadia in Japan, marking not only the end of a very special year of 110th anniversary celebrations, but the beginning of a new tradition for our owners in the Asia-Pacific region. It has been a great pleasure to see so many wonderful examples of Aston Martins from over the years come together in such spectacular fashion and share in this with our owners and enthusiasts alike. We look forward to hosting the next Aston Martin Arcadia in 2025, where we will continue to showcase Aston Martin as the world’s most desirable ultra-luxury brand, and even more cutting-edge technology, flawless craftsmanship, and timeless design.”