Want 007’s new Aston Martin? Sorry, there is only 001 for sale
BOND is back. And for Spectre, which opens in November, Daniel Craig has been given the most impressive 007 car yet: his own bespoke Aston Martin, which will never be put into production.
And Bond’s DB10 hides a few secrets… because the custom-built Aston hints at the hotly anticipated new models planned by the elite British brand.
Bond’s new DB10 will instantly become one of the rarest and most valuable Aston Martins ever made. It is the first time the elite British brand has designed a bespoke model for Bond.
For the film, ten DB10s were handmade at the firm’s Warwickshire factory. All survived the rigours of a Bond shoot, but only one is ever likely to be sold – in a charity auction after the film’s release.
Enthusiasts will fight over this unique car, pushing its final auction price well into seven figures. Of the two 1964 DB5s driven by Sean Connery in Goldfinger, only one remains. Five years ago, it was sold for £2.9million, more than ten times what a standard DB5 was then worth, making it probably the most valuable piece of movie memorabilia. Values of classic Astons have doubled since then.
‘The Bond team visited our design
But Bond’s tailor-made DB10 gives plenty of clues to the elite marque’s new range
studio and a sketch on the wall caught their attention,’ says Aston’s chief creative officer, Marek Reichman. ‘I explained it was an idea for a car we hadn’t developed yet.
‘They loved it and asked if it would be possible to create this car for the film. In a recent poll, the DB5 from Goldfinger is the first car people associate with Great Britain.
‘We thought it would be amazing to replicate that for the next generation of moviegoers and fans. So we decided, OK, for the first time in our history we will develop a car just for Bond.’
With just six months between that first meeting and the cameras rolling, Aston chose to fit the bespoke
bodywork to the proven, powerful mechanicals of its Vantage sports car. The work was carried out by ‘Q by Aston Martin’, the company’s unique personalisation service named with neat circularity after the MI6 boffin – most famously played by Desmond Llewelyn.
This wasn’t a particularly tall order for Q. Super-wealthy Aston clients aren’t happy with an ordinary Aston. Instead, an increasing number commission a car from Q in the same way they would with a bespoke suit. Q can do anything from stitching your crest into the headrests to building you a one-off body.
So Bond’s bespoke Aston isn’t as fanciful as it might seem. It would have made little sense for Bond to drive an existing Aston when its range is about to undergo the biggest transformation in its 102-year history. Seven new models will be introduced in the next five years. All three sports cars – the Vantage, the DB9 and the Vanquish – will be replaced. A low, elegant Lagonda saloon will be added, as will a high-riding, all-wheeldrive crossover.
There will be another two-seater, possibly a mid-engined, million- pound hypercar to rival the best from Ferrari and McLaren. And there will be one more ‘mystery’ model: possibly a luxury city car.
The styling of the DB10 hints strongly at the first of these new Astons.
The DB10 name will be used only for Bond’s car, so the firm’s current, long-serving DB9 sports car will be replaced by the DB11, which will make its first appearance at the Geneva Motor Show in March.
Aston aims to increase global sales from 4,000 a year to more than 15,000, so customers will need to love the new looks the DB10 hints at.