Richard Hammond spotted test driving baby Aston Martin

[jarborra]

We may see a review of the Aston Martin V8 Vantage sooner than we thought.

My colleague just told me she saw Richard Hammond (described as "the little guy on Top Gear who the others always make fun of") in a baby blue/light grey Aston Martin V8 Vantage in London's Docklands on Monday.

It was around 8 in the morning and he was reversing the car into position for the photographer. Because the tallest buildings in London are in the Docklands, I guess they were setting it up for a nice photo spread in the next issue of Top Gear magazine. According to her, there were no film or video cameras there.

Anyhoo, thought you guys'd want to know.

[Electrastar~Indochine]

TG Magazine? Serious? Could it not have been for The Mirror?

[jarborra]

Well, I guess. I didn't know Little Richard wrote for the Mirror. Come to think of it, he doesn't even write for TG does he?

[KryptonZone]

True... True... Can someone get the publication and post it here?! It will be great!

LOL at the "little man" thing hehehe

[Electrastar~Indochine]

He used to write about bikes in TGM.

[Top Gear Girl]

Originally Posted by Electrastar~Indochine

TG Magazine? Serious? Could it not have been for The Mirror?

I agree, Richard never seems to write for TG magazine and the Mirror's offices are in that part of London so more than likely the Mirror. I don't know why he doesn't write for the mag, both Jeremy and James do. I suppose that he's not really a writer like the other two. His Mirror page is interesting, but it lacks that certain something you get from one of Jeremy's or Jame's pages. For instance, I will always read JC and JM in TG mag and most weekends JM in the Daily Telegraph. But I hardly ever read RH in the Mirror.

[KryptonZone]

Please tell me I was dreaming, and this is not the AMV8 that I took on my phone's camera...



Because it looks EXACTLY like this...



If I did, and Thank God I spent about 10min admiring it... If I didn't I'd go shoot myself.

Btw, this was taken in Brussels centre by the Grand Place and it seems to have a British plate.

[Z Draci]

I was pretty sure I was going to buy a Lotus Esprit . . . but since this mini Aston came out, I might have to change my mind! Grrrrrr . . . it's a tough call.

[Top Gear Girl]

Originally Posted by KryptonZone

Btw, this was taken in Brussels centre by the Grand Place and it seems to have a British plate.

Yes it is a British plate and according to AA Car Data (a British site you can check car plates on) its a VANTAGE (VH2) V8.

Registration VX05LCY

Vehicle make ASTON MARTIN
Model VANTAGE (VH2) V8

[KryptonZone]

AAAAAAAAAAAGRRRRRRRGHGHGHGHGHG!!!!!!!!!!

*faint*

KryptonZone has just died from a heart attack...

[andyhui01]

top gear girl... do you mind giving me that site where you can check license plates?

[KryptonZone]

www.theaa.com goto my site, I put the link there... although I'm sure it is theaa.com

[jarborra]

TGG did you pay £34.99 to find out this was an Aston Martin V8??

The AA: Car Data Check

or is there another service that's free. I want to check out the identity of this mystery Bentley from hell which nobody seems to know.

KryptonZone, you should probably show off your AM V8 find in the I saw... thread as well. They'd be well impressed...

[KryptonZone]

I did, no one seems to care... But I'm still in shock...

PS That AA thing was free

[Top Gear Girl]

TGG did you pay £34.99 to find out this was an Aston Martin V8??

It's FREE just to check the plate, it comes up the basic info once you put in the plate, like the make and model. But if you want the full history then
you have to pay, but it woun't give you the owners name & address even in the full info thats with held. But it's useful just to check the make and model from the registration number. That way you can tell what an odd looking car with no badges is. Or a car thats badged as something and you're not sure if it's really the make it says it is, like a Kit Car or a prototype. And sometimes you can find out the odd un-marked police car from it. As some car makers have a special police version of cars. For example where I used to live, if you entered a plate from the local police's Peugeot 405, it would come up as 405 Police Special. So if you then saw an supposed unmarked car, if it came up as 405 Police Speical then you know it was and then knew not to overtake it.

I want to check out the identity of this mystery Bentley from hell which nobody seems to know.

Post the registration number and I'll check it for you, it's blanked out in your pics.

Although not all cars are on it, for example if a car has just had a private plate transfer it takes a few weeks for it change over and some cars don't trace either like those on cars used by the Royal Family. They come up as "vehicle not on database".

I'm interested in your Bentley. It looks like one, but it's odd. It's either a prototype or may be even a fake (like those fake Ferrai kit cars). If it was a prototype they normally cover them up with bits of black plastic, etc and have trade plates and normally they don't run prototypes though busy places like Central London so that the press don't snap them. But it could be a real Bentley. It might be a custom or limited edtion or one finished by a coachbuilder, such as is with Bentley. Someone like Hooper.

http://mitglied.lycos.de/e100power/h...ooper%2001.JPG

Well give us the plate and we'll see.

[jarborra]

Thanks, TGG, that's really helpful. I switched my brain back on and found the first, free option on the AA website...

...unfortunately this appears to be a mafia car, like someone in the other thread said, because the details come up blank for both vehicle make and model.

It gives me the right details for my car so the service is working (and I know how to use it) but either this guy was using fake plates or the car is/was some kind of undercover cop/military intelligence vehicle 'cause it ain't listed sister!

[Janus]

mystery Bentley from hell

What are we talking about here? I seemed to have missed something in my time away?

Can somebody post a link to this post/pic etc?

[fbc]

Originally Posted by Janus

What are we talking about here? I seemed to have missed something in my time away?

Can somebody post a link to this post/pic etc?

http://forum.finalgear.com/viewtopic.php?t=6521

[Top Gear Girl]

Originally Posted by jarborra

.the car is/was some kind of undercover cop/military intelligence vehicle 'cause it ain't listed

Well mines not either, because I tansferred a private plate on it and it hasn't gone though on the AA website yet. So was it a private plate? Obvouisly if it was a normal plate then yep it could be something dodgy or government. Or could it have been a mis-spaced private plate? Sure it was British plate, because there are some right hand drive foriegn cars about? PM me the reg number I woun't post it or tell anyone, but I'll have a look, theres other places other than the AA.

[jarborra]

I don't know why I'm being so coy with this guy's plate. I guess I just wouldn't want anyone else to photograph my Bimmer and post it on the web with its tags showing.

Anyhoo, thanks for the help. It was a private plate. I've PM'd you the unedited pic.