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I have long been a Robb Report reader and I always look forward to and enjoy reading the annual COTY results. The chance to be a part of it is definitely a bucket list event! I have long been a “Car-Guy.” I bought my second car (’68 Road Runner) without my parents’ knowledge (I didn’t really think that one through) and went on to own several notable brands and models. I’ve attended the Indy 500, Le Mans, and a Formula1 race in Baku, Azerbaijan. I have raced at Sebring (Viper RT-10 and GTS under Vic Elford’s tutelage), at Blackhawk Farms Racecourse (Porsche 928, Corvette C8 Z51, Ferrari F430, and Lamborghini LP 560-4), Road America (in the Ultimate Street Car Challenge in a Corvette C8 Z51), Orlando Speedworld Oval Track (in a 650hp Chevy Stockcar), the Mountain Mille 1000 mile Road Rally (Corvette C8 Z51), driven the Tail of the Dragon (911 GT3), and with my wife, Karen, did a European delivery of a new Audi A7 and drove it on the Autobahn to Munich for Octoberfest, spent a glorious week last year covering SEMA for my YouTube Channel. I’m a Two-time Land Speed Racing Record Holder at the Arkansas Mile in 2024 which I say qualifies me as being the “World’s Fasted Psychologist.” And my highwater mark was running the Nürburgring in a Porsche 718 GT4 in March. My 1962 BMW R69S motorcycle and modified 911 Cabrio were concours winners, and my custom built Ducati was featured in The Ultimate Builders’ Competition at the International Motorcycle Show, the Milwaukee Builders Invitational, and in four magazines. As for 2 wheels moving, I earned my amateur racing license at Road America on a Kawasaki Ninja, and I have gone to the Isle of Man and road (not raced) the TT Course on a Yamaha 1200. Now, for my thoughts on this year’s lineup for the COTY: Aston Martin Vanquish The Aston Martin Vanquish is what happens when an English carmaker decides to trade tweed for titanium, morning tea for midnight sprints. Gone are the days of sub-par materials and too much plastic. Slide behind the wheel and everything you’ve been told about British reserve evaporates faster than a whiskey neat at a members-only club. From the first muscular growl of its twin-turbo V12, the Vanquish doesn’t so much introduce itself as announce its arrival—a masterstroke of hand-finished opulence and brute-force engineering, all wrapped up in a silhouette that could make a grown man weep into his cravat. On the track, the Vanquish was equal parts predator and poet, simultaneously capable of pinning you to its sumptuous leather seats and serenading you with the kind of baritone exhaust note that’s less engine, more aria. Cornering is a case study in composure; the steering is so dialed in it feels as if the car is hardwired to your cerebellum. Yet, despite this prowling athleticism, the Vanquish never loses sight of its heritage. There’s a certain British understatement in the way the interior cocoons you—subtle carbon fiber accents, perfectly weighted controls, and just enough oldworld charm to remind you that this is, after all, James Bond’s brand of choice. And I got it up to 107 on the straightaway!