Over a sun-drenched weekend, Aston Martin owners enjoyed the thrill of the open road via a drive organised by Aston Martin Kuala Lumpur in partnership with Affin Bank and supported by Vivo. The day arrived with an approximately 250km route to the Marina Island Jetty Complex in Lumut, beginning at Menara Affin located within the Tun Razak Exchange.

As the Aston Martin owners pulled into Menara Affin, they received a warm welcome and breakfast, as well as an introduction to an exclusive ownership programme, a tie-up between Affin Diventium Private Banking and Aston Martin Kuala Lumpur. The Affin Diventium programme also confers a range of services offering customised solutions for client portfolios, financial solutions, indulgent experiences, and business solutions.

Datuk Wan Razly Abdullah Wan Ali, Affin Bank’s president and group CEO, welcomed guests in his opening remarks. Later on, Datuk Wan would also pilot an Aston Martin alongside the convoy that included the Vantage, Vanquish Coupe, DBX707, and DB12. The floor was then handed over to Chris Chia, Aston Martin Kuala Lumpur’s general manager, ahead of the day’s drive.

Soon enough, the Aston Martins were flagged off and made for the Kuala Lumpur–Kuala Selangor Expressway, a 32km route with plenty of straights and easy cruising, and where they stopped for a quick photo opportunity. A fuel stop at Petron in Sekinchan then showcased the area’s expansive paddy fields. From here, it was steady driving up the West Coast Expressway as the convoy made for the Marina Island Jetty Complex. Waiting at the jetty were speedboats—a hark back to many James Bond movies that also include boat chases—that would transfer the drivers and their partners to the idyllic Pangkor Laut Resort.

A late afternoon catamaran cruise offered the group a chance to enjoy and explore the surrounding waters off the main Pangkor island as well as Pangkor Laut, with the islands’ unspoiled three-million-year-old foliage and sea birds. The evening segued into a sunset beach party on Emerald Bay, with the delicious scent of grilled surf and turf paired with fresh fruits and an ice cream bar.

The next day would see the owners return to a much sunnier Emerald Bay for a relaxing lunch and casual conversations on all things Aston Martin. Along the way, they also tested out the qualities of the trial Vivo X Fold5 unit, an ultra-light foldable smartphone that weighs only 217g. This flagship device is powered by a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset and kitted with a trio of phenomenal Zeiss cameras for fine details and next-level clarity.

As the sun began to sink into the horizon, the resort’s lights came on, including the hanging lamps around the frog pond, heralding Pangkor Laut Resort’s unique ‘Pasar Malam nights’. This pop-up food adventure recreates a selection of gastronomic hits from nearby Ipoh’s Canning Garden night market on the island. The list of street fare that awaited the group included juicy chicken rice, tantalising char koay teow, rojak, gado-gado, fried carrot cake, Ramly burgers, murtabak, assorted Malay dishes with rice, curry laksa, ice kachang, and Chinese pancake.

By the dawn of Sunday, the Aston Martin owners would bid farewell to the island, heading back to the mainland via speedboats and, after a pit stop at the Affin Bank Lumut branch, returning to Kuala Lumpur with memories of the drive and an eventful weekend.

Aston Martin Kuala Lumpur

Photography by Ken Lim / Momenz Creation

Videography by Seaw Shu Kuen & Jason Khoo / Momenz Creation