On a recent trip to the States, I was particularly grateful for the warm welcome I received at Linden St, Waltham, MA. When the temperature outside is -11deg C, that matters, trust me.

This year, the northeastern seaboard has experienced one of its worst winters ever, with New England particularly badly hit.

Inside the 35,000sq ft main dealer facility in Waltham – a 30-minute ride away from downtown Boston – the heating and showroom lighting hummed reassuringly, casting a warm glow not only on a shivering Brit, but also on a display of new Aston Martin and Lotus sportscars.

At the rear, though, sit two classics: an AC Ace and a DB5. The latter carries extra significance as it's both typical of a carefully selected classic car inventory and, being an Aston, a good showpiece for the company’s work as an Aston Martin Heritage Specialist.

Stephen Serio’s company was the first Heritage Specialist to be set up in North America, and is the No.1 dealer outside the UK for Heritage parts. In the workshop there’s a Vanquish having a top-end overhaul and a very special, ex-Motor Show DB4 Convertible in final prep before showing at Amelia Island. Plus current Astons and Lotuses, of course, like the DB9 you see here.

In addition to servicing and restoration, the business can handle accident repairs (and is particularly proud of its work on often difficult-to-repair Lotuses) and, with the recent addition of Stephen Oldford - from Ferrari and Maserati of New England, Kirk McNeil’s workshop can now look after other high-end, multi-cylinder exotics.

As an official Aston Martin and Lotus agent, the company is clearly focused on performance driving. Having been a Lotus dealership since the Esprit era, and being one of the top Aston Martin distributors in the USA (THE leader for stocking manual-transmission Astons), the Waltham facility is a home-from-home for the many European car enthusiasts in New England.

Indeed, despite the record snow levels, at least one hard-driving customer is keeping his V8 Vantage on the road with winter tyres.

“Many people don’t realise just how well these tyres cope with winter conditions,” said Patrick Roussel, in Sales. “They think, ‘guess I need a 4x4’ when really, on ‘cleaned’, but sub-zero roads, a well-driven Rapide or DB9 can be a pretty good way of getting around all year.”

On the top floor there’s covered storage for clients' car collections and, when I was there, the selection under wraps would have done many a concours field proud. Unlike most car dealerships, no cars are stored outside ‘on the lot’, so you know that your current (or future) pride and joy is being well looked after.

As its website puts it, “in an industry where the large ‘auto mall’ is becoming common, we pride ourselves in providing a focused, highly personal, product-driven approach”. I felt that pride, and the warmth bolstered by the high-octane coffee, at my recent visit to the Boston area.

If you’re an Aston, Lotus or classic car collector, I suggest you would, too.

You can see all of Aston Martin New England & Lotus Motorsports Inc.'s car for sale in the Classic Driver car database.

For additional information, visit www.astonmartin-lotus.com, or email [email protected].

Text: Steve Wakefield
Photos: Classic Driver