BA - The Club - Five epic drives: Marek Reichman

Gaydon, UK, to Le Mans, France

I’ve driven this route quite a few times, but this year I drove from Aston Martin’s headquarters in Gaydon to Le Mans in my 1954 Aston Martin DB 2/4. The roads and the scenery were incredible, but the response from the people was the best part of that journey. Literally every person had their thumbs up. The main reason for the journey was to drive the DB 2/4 and very rare DBR1 (there are only five) around the Le Mans circuit in front of a full crowd. The DBR1 didn’t like going slow around corners, so I had to go for it, which was amazing. I went home the happiest person on the planet.
Car of choice: 1954 Aston Martin DB2/4 and 1956 Aston Martin DBR1

San Bernardino Pass, Switzerland to Verese, Italy

San Bernardino Pass, Switzerland, to Varese, Italy

I did this drive when I had recently started at Aston Martin and was travelling down to Varese in Italy. I used the San Bernardino Pass to cross over the Alps from Switzerland, which is the same road used in the opening scene of The Italian Job. I enjoyed it so much that when I got to the top I went back down the same side to do it all again. I had the windows down because it was hot, so I could hear the sound of the sports exhaust reverberating off the tunnels. Lots of people say to take the quicker, alternative route that makes use of the tunnel through the mountain, but honestly you just have to drive the pass – it’s spectacular.
Car of choice: Aston Martin V8 Vantage manual

Pacific Coast Highway, Laguna Beach, to Bodega Bay, USA

I lived in California for a long time and I used to drive the Pacific Coast Highway to San Francisco quite a lot. I’d seen so many people riding Harley-Davidsons along that road so I decided to do it, too. I rented a hardtail Harley and it was just the most amazing journey. It makes you realise why so many people ride up and down the USA on these machines – it’s an incredible feeling. I drove all the way up into the wine country and across the Golden Gate Bridge to Bodega Bay. California is amazing. I don’t know many places on the planet where you can surf and ski all in the same day.
Bike of choice: Hardtail Harley-Davidson

Route 66, Chicago, to Santa Monica, California, USA

When I was a young designer studying at the Royal College of Art, I took myself to America to drive Route 66. I wanted to understand why all these songs had been written about it. As I passed miles of aeroplane graveyards and the mountains in Nebraska and the Rockies, I knew why. The main aim was to meet up with an amazing car design guru called Chuck Jordan, who was head of design at General Motors at the time. He was a larger than life character and I was surprised that I managed to get a meeting. He had a Stetson on and his cowboy boots with his feet up on his desk – it was quite a meeting. Driving that route is the best way to see the breadth of America – and, of course, you have to do it in an American car, as I did.
Car of choice: Ford Mustang

North Coast 500, Scotland

I have to have a Scottish road in my selection and I was fortunate enough to drive the North Coast 500 in a DBS Volante when the weather was bright sunshine. The roads are so smooth and the cambers are brilliant. The wilderness of the scenery is immense; sometimes you don’t meet another car or person on the road for miles and miles. I think that the colours in the Highlands are much prettier in the winter or autumn, but in the summer, you get this kind of beautiful haze and heat that you can almost smell. When you pull up in an open-top car, you can feel the atmosphere of the place – after all, these mountains are older than the Alps! Make sure to drive the road to Loch Etive, best known for its cameo in the Bond movie Skyfall.
Car of choice: Aston Martin DBS Volante