“You seem to have this nasty habit of surviving,” sneers Kamal Kahn to James Bond in Octopussy. After 107 years and seven bankruptcies, one might say the same about Aston Martin.
Ever since Goldfinger in 1964, Aston Martin and Bond, James Bond have gone together like an evil masterminds and hollowed-out volcanoes. Now, to celebrate the forthcoming release of No Time To Die – the 25th film in the Bond saga – Aston has revealed special ‘007 Editions’ of the Vantage and DBS Superleggera.
Priced at £161,000 for the Vantage and £279,025 for the DBS, they’re available to order now for delivery in spring 2021.
Form an orderly Q
Sadly, neither car comes with rocket launchers, a cement sprayer or the ability to transform into a submarine. You don’t even get revolving number plates.
On the plus side, you do gain a unique specification created by ‘Q by Aston Martin’ – Gaydon’s in-house personalisation department (and another none-too-subtle Bond reference).
The 007 Edition cars will also be built in limited numbers: 100 examples of the Vantage and 25 of the DBS Superleggera.
The living highlights
Let’s start with the Vantage, which is inspired by the Aston Martin V8 from 1987’s The Living Daylights and also features in No Time to Die. In the latest film, Daniel Craig retrieves the car from his secret London lock-up.
Exterior styling mods include a mesh front grille and dashed yellow diffuser that (it says here) is inspired by the hazard stripes on the film car’s rockets. You can even go all-out with limited edition The Living Daylights skis and a ski rack. Cool in Courchevel, less so in Colchester…
The Vantage is painted Cumberland Grey, with an interior in Obsidian black leather and dark chrome. Bond fripperies include the Russian police radio frequency (as used by Timothy Dalton to aid his escape) embroidered onto the sun visors, cross hairs etched into the paddle shifters and a laser-etched plaque that references the various weapons fitted in the film.
A V12 is not enough
As for the DBS Superleggera, a 725hp 5.2-litre V12 beneath the bonnet is arguably the only gadget it needs. It’s certainly swift enough to outrun a Ferrari F355, Jaguar XKR or, um, AMC Matador.
This time, the 007 Edition means Ceramic Grey paint, with the roof, mirrors, splitter and diffuser in black-tinted carbon fibre. Gloss black 21-inch wheels are also bespoke to these 25 cars, with badges on the front wings and what Aston describes as ‘stainless steel silver 007 foil’ on the rear spoiler.
Inside, you’ll discover red detailing, more 007 badges and a sill plaque. The overall effect is more subtle than the Vantage – but emulates the spec you will see in No Time To Die.
Nearly time to die
If you can’t afford six figures for these ultimate pieces of film memorabilia, you can still enjoy No Time To Die in cinemas this November.
The release of Daniel Craig’s final outing as Bond has been delayed by the coronavirus crisis. However, it should offer plenty to keep car fans happy. As well as the DBS Superleggera and classic V8, the film also stars the iconic Aston Martin DB5 and upcoming Valhalla mid-engined hypercar.
We’re in two minds about skis and embroidered headrests, but the latter will surely leave us shaken and stirred.
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