Name a more iconic duo than Aston Martin and James Bond. Both have been dining out on each other’s suave sophistication since the early 1960s (well, on and off) and even though a new 007 film isn’t due for some time, you can bet it’ll feature the British marque. And yet, whenever Aston releases a special edition to remind everyone of its link to Britain’s favourite spy, they somehow manage to be a bit underwhelming. A bit Quantum of Solace.
Back in 2016, an extremely limited DB9 James Bond Edition was released to mark the release of the film Spectre. Not only were the changes minor to say the least - a new set of wheels and a fancy Omega Seamaster, basically - but the DB9 had never appeared in Spectre. Or any James Bond flick, coming to think of it. The more recent DBS 007 Edition, marking the launch of the then-impending No Time to Die, was far more tasteful. Still, the changes were minor, given that the movie car was completely stock, and it was only seen on screen for about five seconds.
This one’s a bit different, though. Launched alongside the DBS in 2020, the Vantage 007 Edition was a mad reimagining of the equally bonkers V8 Vantage Timothy Dalton drove in The Living Daylights. This was peak car gadgetry, before things got ridiculous with the invisible Vanquish in Die Another Day, with deployable skis from the side skirts, missiles hidden behind the fog lamps and a jet booster. So Aston Martin decided to reference as many of these as possible, making the Vantage 007 Edition something of a ‘Where’s Wally’ of Bond Easter eggs.
In a world of health and safety gone mad, you can’t fit explosives or jet turbines to a passenger vehicle. However, the Vantage 007 Edition does come with achingly-cool roof-mounted skis finished in the same black and yellow paint scheme as the movie car, while the yellow markings on the diffuser serve as a nod to the hazard stripes surrounding the jet engine. The Cumberland Grey finish is an exact match for the movie car, too, and doesn’t it look magnificent with silver wheels? Gloss black rims just weren’t trendy in the mid-1980s, and this homage car is all the better for it.
Things get particularly geeky on the inside. The seats were trimmed to mimic the original V8 Vantage, albeit with the 007 motif embroidered into the headrests, and there are red chevrons pointing towards the start button. The best bit though is the control panel printed below the arm rest. Here you have buttons for the rocket motor, missiles, wheel lasers and self-destruct button. Of course, they don’t do anything. Hell, you can’t even press them. But it’s a nice touch nonetheless.
Oh, you may have also noticed this one has something most modern Astons don’t – a manual gearbox. Only 100 examples of the 007 Edition were produced, and it’s hard to imagine many were sold with three pedals. In fact, there’s another 007 Edition in the classifieds right now, only with the auto box. This manual example will set you back £157,500, a fair bit cheaper than the auto version. And, besides, Bond liked to change gears himself (I had to dig through the whacky car chase from the movie to prove it), so this is about as close as you’ll get to the real deal. Short of fitting missiles and wheel lasers, that is.
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