Aston Martin DBX707 At The Cheltenham Races | The Green Lane

1 month ago

Great British horsepower on show at Cheltenham

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Aston Martin DBX707 At The Cheltenham Races | The Green Lane

Aston Martin is a clear favourite at this week’s Cheltenham Festival but is the DBX707 SUV likely to be the basis for the brand’s first all-electric model? Motoring editor Jeremy Taylor and sustainable fashion expert Jessica Saunders consider the odds.

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Aston Martin DBX 707

JS – I am, of course, slightly envious that you are at the races but then I’ve been shivering at Cheltenham before in driving rain and snow. The March weather is never kind for punters and this year looks no different.

JT – Sorry about that. I know your grandfather show-jumped for his country at the 1936 Olympics, won at Olympia three times and, much later, actually died in the saddle. You are far more qualified than me to be at Cheltenham.

Good old Jack! So, the Jockey Club is partnered up with Aston Martin this year. No doubt a rather gorgeous DBX is the perfect tool for negotiating Cheltenham’s muddy car park?

Indeed, it was especially bad this week. Although, the coolest all-wheel drive I’ve seen here is a battered old Land Rover with bales of straw in the back, plus a pool of water on the passenger seat!

Eek! I think the DBX is one of the best-looking SUVs and the high-performance 707 version quite brilliant to drive. I know you were in the Lamborghini Urus Performante last week – fun was it?

Given the choice, I’d find it difficult to choose between the two. But let’s talk Aston because a few weeks ago, chairman Lawrence Stroll announced the brand’s first electric car has been pushed back to 2026, due to ailing ‘consumer demand’.

Interesting. Maybe that’s something to do with Chinese conglomerate Geely taking a larger stake in the brand, or perhaps the oil-rich Saudi share in the business?

Who knows but Stroll wouldn’t confirm if the first full EV with be based on the DBX, or not. Apparently, there are four electric cars in the pipeline and before that, we will see plug-in hybrids start to appear. First up, the Valhalla supercar later in 2024.

Wow! That’s a sensational car. We saw a prototype at Silverstone a few years back.

Aston says when the first EV arrives it will be powered by no less than four electric motors, producing up to 1,500bhp – that’s a lot of horsepower! The tech comes from American EV specialists Lucid. Such mammoth performance will be worth the wait.

Let’s hope so. Aston’s finances seem to be heading in the right direction at last. Let’s hope they aren’t left trailing in the wake of battery-powered pioneers.

You mean, a little like my choice of horse in the big race today? I did back Rachael Blakemore on Captain Guinness, and she won!

At last, you’re in the black.