Ever since Sean Connery slipped behind the wheel of a DB5 in the movie Goldfinger back in 1964, the names Aston Martin and James Bond have become almost inseparable. The cars of the British boutique manufacturer have helped the world’s most famous spy look stylish for more than fifty years now, and the firm has also profited massively in return from being so closely associated with one of the world’s biggest movie franchises. With the latest Bond flick about to hit the silver screen, the marketing guys at Aston HQ in Gaydon have come up with not one, but two limited edition models to try and get wealthy Bond fans to part with their money.
The 25th James Bond film, called No Time To Die, will hit cinemas in November and Aston Martin is now offering special edition Vantage and DBS Superleggera cars to celebrate the occasion. While the cars are being prepared by the Q Division, sadly it’s the car maker’s Q that works on them and not the MI6 one from the movies. That means no real weapons, ejector seats or rocket launchers onboard. Instead, anyone with enough coin in the bank can enjoy slightly modified cars that mostly feature subtle design changes. In the case of the Vantage, this comes in the form of an almost cheesy laser-etched gadget plaque that references a number of the weapons 007 has at his disposal in the movies.
The Vantage 007 Edition also pays homage to the Aston Martin V8 that starred in The Living Daylights in 1987 and will grace the big screen again in the latest movie. It comes in the original exterior color of Cumberland Gray and features black leather seats and 007 branding in the cabin. That’s if you order the manual version – because clearly Bond wouldn’t be caught dead in an automatic sports car (insert smirk emoji here). Proper James Bond fans will notice the embroidery on the sun visors spells out 96.60, which was radio frequency that the secret agent dialed into in the movie to help escape from Russian police. F-shaped decorations on the back of the seats reference the famous scene where Timothy Dalton and Maryam D’Abo slide down a snowy mountainside on a cello case. Finally, buyers can also order a set of skis that come with a special ski rack inspired by the 15th Bond film. The Vantage 007 Edition will be limited to just 100 cars and is priced from £161,000 in the UK (P10.25 million).
Anyone wishing to travel a bit faster and make more of an entry can order the other 007 Edition car that is based on the range-topping Aston Martin DBS Superleggera. Power output from the 5.2 liter V12 twin-turbocharged engine stays the same but the firm has added a few subtle accents and James Bond branding to the car. Once again, the special Ceramic Gray exterior paint and some black tinted carbon fiber make this DBS look especially menacing. The inside is kept in dark colors, too, and features a sill plaque disclosing its rarity as one of just 25 DBS Superleggera 007 Editions that are to be built. There are no fake weapons panels in this model; just weapons grade performance that will also be shown in cinemas later this year when Mr. Bond himself will be driving the Superleggera in the latest spy flick. The DB5, the classic Aston Martin V8, and the Valhalla supercar will also be making appearances in the film. Anyone fancying this rarer special edition will need to fork out at least £279,025 (P17.77 million), an amount that will leave most mere mortals shaken and stirred. Maybe we’ll just stick with the toy versions for now.
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