BRAKES ARE PUT ON BOND SUPERCAR DEBUT
THE new James Bond supercar yesterday become the latest victim of coronavirus after it was unveiled in a Newcastle retail park.
Aston Martin’s £1million Valhalla, featured in No Time To Die, was due to debut at the Geneva Motor Show.
But after the Swiss government banned gatherings of more than 1,000 people, the bright orange sports car made its debut at the firm’s Wallsend showroom.
Principal dealer Paul Thursby told how he had arranged for 49 of his customers to fly to the show before it was cancelled. The 54-year-old said:
“We got a call from the Aston Martin factory down in Gaydon, Warwickshire, saying that they wanted to do something for us given we’d made such an effort to go to Switzerland.
“They said to us, what if we were to send you some cars that would have been at the stand? We were absolutely delighted.
“The car will be available in 2022 and we have sold two already.”
No Time To Die had been due to premier in April, but will now be released on November 12, due to fears of the spread of Covid-19.
THE trial of an Army veteran over a fatal shooting during the Northern Ireland Troubles has been postponed due to his ill health.
Dennis Hutchings, 78, had been due to appear at Belfast Crown Court on Monday for the opening day of his trial.
The adjournment comes as he receives treatment for a chest infection and amid his concerns that his health makes him susceptible to coronavirus.
Mr Hutchings, from Cawsand, Cornwall, a former member of the Life Guards, pleaded not guilty to the attempted murder of John Pat Cunningham in 1974.
FRAUDSTERS have raked in nearly £1million by trading on fears of a coronavirus epidemic, police revealed yesterday.
Scamsters have made a fortune by tricking businesses into buying non-existent face masks and by sending out official looking emails that steal personal information when links are clicked on.
The National Fraud Intelligence Bureau has collated 21 reports of fraud where coronavirus is mentioned since February.
Losses currently stand at £800,000.
But police forces expect the figure to rise as the virus spreads.