This podcast is a story of two parts – a major discovery and a Pebble Beach entry.
In 2019, Steve Waddingham met Neil Pickstone, who had bought a 1935 MkII ‘saloon’ restoration project.
Part 1
Neil Pickstone and his business partner Simon Isles began restoring the car. As they disassembled it they discovered traces of metallic green paint.
The 1935 factory record card simply stated “green with green upholstery” and no known period colour photos exist of the car. At that point, significant work was still needed to prepare it for Pebble Beach. Steve suggested contacting John Falder, Chairman of HMG Paint in Manchester, leading experts in historic paint, before Neil submitted his entry form to confirm the paint colour’s authenticity.
Neil, Simon, photographer Nick Vee and Steve met at HMG on 15January 2025, the 112th anniversary of the start of Aston Martin. They were about to find out if this was the first Aston Martin to ever be painted in the famous pale metallic green…. A important piece of Aston Martin history!
Part 2
The Pebble Beach entry was accepted and the race to finish the car commenced. Within six months, it was completed and flown to California. Neil and his wife flew out a week before the event to meet the car. They spent countless hours detailing and preparing it alone in this world-famous setting where most entrants relied on professional teams for car preparation.
Did they win a prize…? Listen to the end to find out.
Host: Steve Waddingham
Guests: Neil Pickston, Simon Isles, John Falder
Photography: Nick Vee
Producer: Garry Taylor
