You cannot buy class
Last week I was lucky enough to spot two Aston Martins, one of which was a super-rare custom edition (only about 300 produced) and get a private presentation of the car. We were having dinner at a restaurant in a small village in Schweiz when my petrolhead colleague told me that something very special had just pulled up outside. I love anything with an engine that produces a good noise and curiously went out to have a look for myself. I was really blown away by what might have been the most beautiful car I have ever seen. A Vantage V12 in the perfect color – British Racing Green – with equally green rims, golden brake calipers and details, and brown two-color leather trim.
I have noted two things about Aston Martins. 1) Everybody loves them and 2) They are classy. The Vantage V12 had a massive rear wing that would look tacky on just about any other car, especially with all the other bonkers details. But on the Aston, they somehow make it work and I cannot understand how they are able to pull it off. This night, I was wearing my favourite light grey linen suit with peak lapels, silver monkey fists, ox blood double monks with a perfectly matched Italian belt and wristwatch, dark blue grenadine tie on a light blue shirt, blue socks, burgundy/grey pocket square with my favorite two-point fold. And the icing on the cake was an Edelweiss lapel flower because we were in Switzerland.
Later, it struck me that this outfit was kind of analogous to the car. It was a perfect combination. I often spend an hour or two combining my outfits for special occasions, like this dinner with my dear colleagues. I love to dress as high a formality as possible, but with as casual a touch as I can. For example, a fully accessorized three-piece casual suit is my favorite. A formal three-piece is easy to pull off, but to do it causally takes some serious practice. Back to the car.
When I got out of the restaurant and beheld the car, a big smile established itself from ear to ear. I took a walk around the car to perceive it from all angles in the setting sun. I noted that the owner was sitting at a nearby table so I told him on my way back, “Beautiful cars this. I’m a petrolhead and seeing cars like this makes me very happy.” I have been doing quite a lot of driving in most of the passes throughout the alps, from the Monte Carlo rally all the way to the Julian alps in Slovenia and everything in between. I could really relate to why they were in Switzerland, home to some of the best driving roads in the world (Clarkson voice here). The owner was a gentleman and asked me if I wanted to take a closer look at the car and before long, I was sitting inside a hand-built work of art with a price tag of between six and seven million SEK.
Some would say that driving around in a car like that is peacocking. Well, you could say that about me too in my fancy suit combination. But I couldn’t care less. It’s not about the money. Money cannot buy class. Just like a flawlessly worn suit combo from Dressman beats a bad fitting Tiger combination with wrong colors, I am certain that this gentleman of good taste would appreciate if I pulled up with a cool car at 5% the cost (which is still a lot of money LOL). Some of the best times I have had on two or on four wheels have been on/in cheap old machines that have a soul. If you’re also a petrolhead like me, you understand what I am talking about. Most people can probably point out a perfect suit combination even if they don’t know why it is just right. And it is the same thing with cars. You can tell who is peacocking and who is making conscious decisions based on class.
Don’t be afraid to separate yourself from the crowd. I have worn countless horribly matched outfits before I figured it out. Some people probably laughed behind my back, and I can’t really blame them, because it was really bad at first. But I am sure that other gentlemen could see and appreciate that I was really trying to improve. I cannot see any shame in driving a masterpiece of a car either. At least not with a gentleman behind the wheel. I am happy for their success. And I am happy that this collector’s item of a car is out on the roads instead of collecting dust. They are meant to be driven.