Newport Rhode Island Rewind

by Anthony Autiello, Jr.

There is nothing better than cruising down a winding road along the New England coast on a sunny August day. It’s even better when the road is Ocean Drive in Newport, Rhode Island and the scenery is the Atlantic Ocean, rocky shores, hidden beaches and the cottages of the gilded age of American Society.

On what turned out to be a better day than expected, twelve Astons made their way past some of the most spectacular homes in America where the first US open tennis and golf tournaments were played and made an enlightening visit to Doris Dukes’ “Rough Point” summer mansion.

The day began with a rendezvous on Banister’s Wharf around a flotilla of yachts and majestic sail boats. The beauty and sleek lines of our cars mirrored the racy hulls of the boats all around us. The city streets were filled with tourists who were quick to point out the array of Aston’s passing down the cobblestone streets past buildings dating back to the 1700’s. Keeping the cars together was a little rough but with the help from GPS, we all arrived and lined the circular driveway in front of Rough Point. The massive home on ten acres of manicured landscape, bordered by rocky cliffs and the Atlantic ocean would have been a perfect scene for any commercial or a possible “spy” movie.

After Rough Point, our journey took us past the home of a “little known” car enthusiasts by the name of Jay Leno. We didn’t get a wave or an invite, so we thought a pit stop was in order. Our Aston contingent made it’s way to the Clark Cook House restaurant on Bowen’s Wharf. To accommodate us all, the table stretched from one end of the room to the other, but it was perfect for a vibrant conversation with someone you never met before and still had plenty to talk about.

As we walked back to our cars, we spotted a lone DB9 stuck in traffic. We found a new Aston owner, who we quickly invited back to our wharf corral. They found that the AMOC is not only about great cars, but great people.