Latest Aston Martin News | ӣ��Ƶ

Caught on cam: Masked carjackers attack Aston Martin driver in his own garage

Tue, 19 Sep 2023 10:42:26 -0400

A Connecticut man pulled his Aston Martin convertible into his garage Sunday and encountered two masked men who attacked him and stole the vehicle in a brazen broad daylight carjacking captured on home security video.

"Get out, get out," a masked man can be heard telling the victim as he sits in his own Bayberry Lane garage in an exchange captured by a Ring camera in the corner of the room.

A second man opens the passenger door and then rifles around inside another luxury car parked to the side.

OVERCROWDED SLAMMER LEAVES JUVENILES IN SQUAD CARS FOR HOURS AS POLICE WAIT TO DROP THEM OFF: SOURCES

The victim can be heard pleading with the duo before they drag him out of the driver's seat and slam him on the garage floor.

"Stella, call the police, now!" he shouts, before they punch him and shove him and the clip ends.

WATCH: Masked men carjack Connecticut driver in his own garage

The suspects fled with the stolen car and a dark blue BMW, which was also stolen in Norwalk, Westport police said in a statement.

Police said they believe the carjackers targeted the victim, followed him home and attacked him there. They are urging residents to be aware of their surroundings and report suspicious behavior to 911.

The driver suffered minor injuries but declined medical attention.

LOS ANGELES PARENTS SHOT, KILLED WHILE PARKED IN CAR WITH 1-YEAR-OLD CHILD IN BACKSEAT

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The suspects were last seen driving north on Route 8 in the pair of stolen cars.

Anyone with information on the stolen cars is asked to call Westport detectives at (203) 341-6080.

Ford v Honda? Japanese automaker returning to Formula One with Aston Martin

Wed, 24 May 2023 16:29:14 -0400

Honda just couldn't stay away from the action.

The Japanese automaker has announced that it will return to Formula One as the power unit supplier for the Aston Martin F1 Team in 2026.

That's the year the series is making a major change to its hybrid power unit formula, which also attracted Ford to enter the series at that time with Red Bull Racing.

Red Bull currently builds its own power units, which are based on a Honda design that the brand supplied through the 2021 season.

FORD IS RETURNING TO FORMULA ONE TO HELP SELL ELECTRIC CARS, CEO FARLEY SAYS

Formula One will be requiring the power units to use even more electrification and may switch to a zero-carbon synthetic fuel for the V6 internal combustion engines they are combined with.

"One of the key reasons for our decision to take up the new challenge in F1 is that the world's pinnacle form of racing is striving to become a sustainable racing series, which is in line with the direction Honda is aiming toward carbon neutrality, and it will become a platform which will facilitate the development of our electrification technologies," Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe said.

Aston Martin's cars are currently powered by Mercedes-AMG engines, as are the brand's road cars.

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However, while the Aston Martin F1 Team's owner Lawrence Stroll is a shareholder in the automaker Aston Martin Lagonda and its executive chairman, the two are separate entities and no plans have been announced to incorporate Honda engines into the production models.

Yesterday’s announcement is focused on the future F1 powertrain unit partnership between Honda and the Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One® Team. AMR GP Ltd is a separate, privately-owned company and this new F1 relationship with Honda does not impact Aston Martin Lagonda’s plans or its future product strategy," Aston Martin told ӣ��Ƶ Digital.

"Mercedes is a shareholder in Aston Martin Lagonda and continues to enjoy a close, strategic relationship with the brand."

Audi will also be entering the series in 2026 in partnership with the Sauber team that currently works with Alfa Romeo, while Cadillac and Andretti Racing have applied to field a new team that would increase the number of cars on the grid from 20 to 22.

Honda has competed in Formula One on and off since 1964 and has collected six constructors championships and six driver's championships along the way, including Max Verstappen's drivers title in 2021.

Verstappen repeated in 2022 and Red Bull also claimed the constructors crown using the legacy Honda engines.

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Aston Martin is having its best season ever in 2023.

It is second in the constructors championship through the first five races, with driver Fernando Alonso sitting in third place behind Verstappen and his teammate Sergio Perez.

New Aston Martin sports car will speak with an English accent

Tue, 16 May 2023 13:50:14 -0400

James Bond would be so proud.

Aston Martin will reveal its next model on May 24, the brand has confirmed.

It will be the successor to the current DB11 grand tourer, but the company says "grand is not enough" to describe it.

Shadowy teaser images released indicate that it is an update of the DB11, rather than an all-new car, but Aston Martin said it heralds "the start of the ultra-luxury British brand’s next generation."

JAMES BOND'S ‘NO TIME TO DIE’ ASTON MARTIN AUCTIONED FOR OVER $3 MILLION

"A generation that will see all Aston Martin models characterized by prodigious performance and pinpoint driving dynamics, seamless integration of advanced technologies and the sublime style and impeccable craftsmanship for which the brand has long been renowned," the company said.

One major change can be seen in the interior, where the central console has been completely redesigned and equipped with a new infotainment system.

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Aston Martin chairman and co-owner Lawrence Stroll told Autocar that the old Mercedes-Benz-based system was being replaced with a custom-designed one featuring "our own faces, our own voices – a proper English accent."

The DB11 is currently offered with V8 and V12 engines also supplied by Mercedes-Benz with that offer up to 630 hp in the U.S. and a top speed of 208 mph at prices ranging from around $220,000 to $275,000.

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Stroll said the V12 is "synonymous with the brand," so it could return with the new model, even as the brand prepares to launch its first electric model, which will replace the V12-powered Vantage in 2025.

James Bond's 'No Time to Die' Aston Martin auctioned for over $3 million

Fri, 30 Sep 2022 13:55:46 -0400

Bond is coming to the rescue again. At least his car is.

An Aston Martin DB5 used during the making of the latest 007 installment, "No Time to Die," has been auctioned for over $3 million to raise money for charity.

The car is a replica that was built by Aston Martin to be identical to the iconic 1964 car that Bond first drove in "Goldfinger."

The producers ordered 10 of the vehicles rather than buying or renting and putting originals at risk during the high speed chase scenes featured in the film.

HOW ‘NO TIME TO DIE’ BROUGHT BACK JAMES BOND'S ORIGINAL ASTON MARTIN DB5

This one has a stripped-out interior for stunt work and is one of two that were equipped with gadgets, including fake Gatling guns that emerge from behind the headlights.

It also has a smoke screen and cosmetic scrapes added for a chase through the stone Italian city of Matera, but is not actually street legal.

The sale price of 2,922,000 British pounds was about one million more than expected before the auction, with all the proceeds earmarked for a basket of 45 charities that include several supporting veterans of British intelligence and special forces.

Several other items and cars were sold at the auction, which celebrated the 60th anniversary of the film franchise, with a 1981 Aston Martin V8 that appeared in "No Time to Die" as a callback to the one in "The Living Daylights" selling for nearly $700,000.

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Surviving authentic DB5s often sell for $1 million to over $2 million, depending on their condition, including one that Sean Connery bought near the end of his life that was auctioned in August for $2,425,000.

That is far from the record, however, which stands at the $6.4 million that was paid for one of the gadget-filled cars that was used to promote "Thunderball," but was never used on-screen.

STOLEN JAMES BOND ‘GOLDFINGER’ ASTON MARTIN DB5 IS LIKELY IN THE MIDDLE EAST, SLEUTH SAYS

The Holy Grail of Bond cars are the two used for the making of "Goldfinger" and "Thunderball." The last time one sold in 2010 for $4.6 million and is part of the collection of a private car museum in Ohio today while the other was stolen from a hangar at the Boca Raton, Florida, airport in 1997 and has not been seen since.

Sean Connery's own '007' Aston Martin DB5 sold for $2,425,000

Tue, 23 Aug 2022 10:38:49 -0400

Sean Connery will forever be synonymous with the Aston Martin DB5 featured in his James Bond films, but he only ever owned one himself.

Connery purchased a 1964 DB5 in 2018, just two years before he died at age 90.

"Dad used to talk about owning his own DB5, for no other reason than he loved the car, and I think in hindsight it did represent something in his life that was unique and captured a moment in time," Connery's son, Jason, said ahead of the car being sold at the Broad Arrow Auctions event in Monterey, California.

The car was in excellent condition, but painted black when Connery bought it, so he had it repainted Snow Shadow Grey to match the ones he drove on film.

STOLEN JAMES BOND ‘GOLDFINGER’ ASTON MARTIN LIKELY IN THE MIDDLE EAST, SLEUTH SAYS

"He did tell me that driving the movie cars, all laden down with the gadgets, especially the machine guns in the front, made the car really front heavy and turning at slow speed was a Herculean task, so driving without gadgets was a joy," Jason Connery said.

"He loved how well balanced it was. Dad also said he would have kept the ejector seat!!"

HOW ‘NO TIME TO DIE’ BROUGHT BACK JAMES BOND'S ORIGINAL ASTON MARTIN DB5

The car had a pre-auction estimate of $1.4 to $1.8 million, but the winning bidder paid $2,425,000, which included a chauffeured drive in it by Formula One legend Jackie Stewart, a fellow Scot and longtime friend to Connery.

A portion of the proceeds were donated to the Sean Connery Philanthropy Fund, which has supported a variety of charities over the years.

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"I hope you are enjoying my website. While you are here, I would ask that you take a few moments to consider helping someone else," Connery wrote prior to his death.

"I would request that you help me to help others. The three areas that are very important to me are: education, culture, and Scotland."

James Bond's 'illegal' Aston Martin DB5 with Gatling guns could sell for $2 million

Tue, 02 Aug 2022 07:36:18 -0400

This is one busted-up old car you probably would not want to get fixed. At least it looks like a busted-up old car.

An Aston Martin DB5 used during the filming of "No Time to Die" is being auctioned by Christie's in September to raise money for charity.

It is one of 60 James Bond-related lots that will be on offer at the Sixty Years of James Bond event in London, which celebrates the film franchise.

The silver coupe is one of 10 exact replicas of the 1964 DB5 that were built by Aston Martin for use as stunt cars in the film.

The film's special effects and action vehicles supervisor, Chris Corbould, told ӣ��Ƶ Autos there was no way they were going to buy and damage that many original cars, of which only about 1,000 were made, with survivors worth over $1 million and highly prized by their owners.

This example is one of two stunt cars that were equipped with all the gadgets, including a smoke screen system and fake Gatlng guns that emerge from behind its headlights. Its sides have been made to show the scrapes and scuffs suffered during a chase scene shot in the streets of Matera, Italy.

While it looks like the DB5s Bond has been driving for decades on the outside, the interior is stripped out and equipped with stunt seats, a roll cage and other equipment. It is not certified to drive on public roads, but Christie's estimates that it will nevertheless sell for upwards of $2 million.

STOLEN ‘GOLDFINGER’ ASTON MARTIN LIKELY IN THE MIDDLE EAST, SLEUTHS SAYS

Slightly more affordable and entirely street legal is an 1981 Aston Martin V8 that was also featured in the film and has an estimated value of $700,000.

Corbould said it is his favorite, because it was included as a callback to one used in a chase across a frozen lake in the Timothy Dalton Bond film, "The Living Daylights."

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"The V8 Vantage for me was very nostalgic, because I was in charge of that sequence out in Austria with the original one, and to see it come back in this film was very nostalgic for me," Corbould said.

Modern Aston Martin fans also have the option of bidding on the 2018 DBS Superleggera driven by Lashana Lynch's Nomi character, who had inherited the 007 designation from Bond at the start of the film.

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Proceeds from the auction will be going to 45 charities, including several supporting veterans of the British intelligence agencies and special forces.

F1 driver Sebastian Vettel chased thieves on scooter after being robbed in Barcelona

Tue, 24 May 2022 08:07:52 -0400

Aston Martin Formula One driver Sebastian Vettel had a bag stolen from a car in Barcelona following the Spanish Grand Prix, and he wasn't having it.

The four-time F1 champion quickly transformed into sleuth to try and recover his property.

According to a statement released by the team, Vettel used his iPhone to locate the AirPods that were in the bag and set off to find it.

Local newspaper El Periodico reported that Vettel used a scooter to chase the signal through the city.

Unfortunately, he was only able to find the AirPods, which had apparently been discarded and were no longer with the bag. The other contents have not been revealed.

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The incident comes with some irony as Vettel was fined $5,500 at the race in Melbourne, Australia, when his racing car broke down during practice and he borrowed a scooter to drive back to the pits on the track before the session was officially over.

Vettel is the second F1 driver to be the victim of a crime this year, after Ferrari's Charles Leclerc was mobbed by fans while on a walk in Viareggio, Italy, and one of them slipped the $300,000 Richard Mille watch he was wearing off his wrist.

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Vettel finished the Spanish Grand Prix in 11th place, just one position out of the points.

Aston Martin's 'scary' 2022 Formula One car revealed

Thu, 10 Feb 2022 12:39:16 -0500

And then there were three. Well, technically six.

Aston Martin Racing became the third Formula One team to unveil its 2022 car on Thursday, which it will field in a two-car effort for drivers Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll.

The AMR22 debut was preceded by those of the Red Bull Racing and Haas F1 cars over the past week.

Formula One has introduced new regulations for its cars this year requiring all-new designs. The AMR22 features the long, smooth nose, simpler wings, narrower body and "ground effects" tunnels, and wider tires required by the rules.

Aston Martin Racing's Chief Technical Officer Andrew Green said it was a scary process that required several trips back to the drawing board and still isn't a finished product.

"I think what we are seeing is the first iteration of the AMR22," added Green. "We are on a steep learning curve, everyone's on a steep learning curve, nobody’s got the answers yet. I think we are going to see this car develop highly over the coming season… So, it is an exciting time to be in Formula 1, but it’s also quite nerve-wracking."

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The season kicks off with a closed track test session in Barcelona from February 23-25 that's followed by a second test and the first race in Bahrain in March.

Aston Martin reveals 'final' V12-powered Vantage before electric motors kill it

Wed, 01 Dec 2021 12:45:20 -0500

This is how the British build muscle cars.

Aston Martin has announced the upcoming return of a V12-powered Vantage that combines its largest engine with its smallest car.

The brand has yet to reveal the car in full, but has released a video that teases the sound of the car's powerful engine revving to the back drop of combusting fuel crackling as it exits the hot exhaust pipe.

Aston last offered a V12 Vantage in 2018 and this will be the first of the latest generation of the model, which is currently available with a twin-turbocharged V8 that produces up to 527 hp.

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Aston offers a twin-turbocharged 5.2 liter V12 in its DB11 and DBS models with a top power outputs ranging from 528 hp to 715 hp.

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The V12 Vantage will debut in full sometime in 2022 and you'll want to act quickly if you want one. Aston said it isn't just a Limited Edition model, but a Final Edition as the next generation Vantage will be fully-electric.

How 'No Time to Die' brought back James Bond's original Aston Martin DB5

Fri, 08 Oct 2021 11:46:15 -0400

EXCLUSIVE: Daniel Craig’s final outing as James Bond in "No Time to Die" features one franchise character that will never die: The Aston Martin DB5.

After making its debut as the superspy’s gadget-filled car in "Goldfinger" in 1964, the iconic silver coupe has appeared in seven subsequent films.

NTTD’s special effects and action vehicles supervisor, Chris Corbould, knows the car well, having worked on six of those films during his more than four-decade tenure with the series.

Corbould said the decision to bring it back wasn’t a hard one.

"It’s a discussion with the director and producers about what they’d like to see in the film, and it very quickly became apparent that everybody wanted to see the DB5 back. And not just in a cameo role, but in a full combat mode," Corbould revealed during an appearance on The Fox Garage.

Corbould said the first step was a meeting with the folks at Aston Martin, who asked how many of the rare sports cars would be needed for production.

"When we said 10, there’s a deadly silence in the room," Corbould said.

"The next question is, where do we get those 10? Do we buy 10 DB5s on the open market between 1 and 2 million [pounds] a pop? Probably not the best financial way of going about it. Do we go to owners to see if they’ll rent us their cars? Well, if I was an owner of a DB5, would I rent it to James Bond to do an action sequence? Probably not."

Instead, Aston Martin supplied two originals and built eight replicas for Corbould’s team to customize for the various needs of a chase sequence filmed on the streets of the ancient stone city of Matera, Italy, that’s teased in the trailer for the film.

"They did a marvelous job, because they performed absolutely amazing," Corbould said.

Several of the cars were outfitted for stunt driving, while two were equipped with a host of gadgets that included smoke screens and a pair of miniguns that emerge from behind their headlights.

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Corbould said he made 14 trips to the Southern Italian locale to lay out the scene and that probably 95% of what’s on screen was real driving and practical effects, rather than CGI.

Several other Aston Martins appear in the film, including a new DBS and a classic V8 Vantage, like one that appeared in "The Living Daylights" in a chase shot on a frozen lake, which Corbould said is his favorite Bond car of all time.

This tiny James Bond Aston Martin DB5 kills with cuteness

Tue, 21 Sep 2021 13:52:04 -0400

Even James Bond was a baby once, right?

Aston Martin has collaborated with The Little Car Company to create a two-thirds scale version of 007's iconic DB5 spy car to help promote the upcoming film "No Time to Die."

The working replica features Gatling guns hidden behind the headlights, a smoke screen, rotating license plates and a "skid mode" that lets it do donuts as you fire away.

The convertible is large enough to fit an adult and child side by side and is driven by a 21.5 horsepower electric motor that's good for a top speed over 45 mph.

It's not legal to be driven on the street, but is anything Bond does legal? It does come with a real car price tag, however. Just 125 will be sold for a very Aston Martin-esque $125,000 each.

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One could consider that a bargain, however, as Aston Martin sells full-size replicas of the DB5 with functional gadgets for $3.5 million.

A car built to promote the film "Thunderball" that wasn't even used for filming was also sold in 2019 for $6.4 million, while a long-lost car featured in both that film and "Goldfinger" that was stolen in 1997 could be worth $15 million if it surfaced for sale today.

Aston Martin reveals $3.5 million full-size James Bond 007 Corgi 'toy' car

Tue, 31 Aug 2021 12:42:28 -0400

To celebrate the release of the final "No Time to Die" trailer, Aston Martin has created a full-size version of the classic Corgi "Goldfinger" James Bond 007 1965 DB5 toy car.

The silver coupe is sitting in a replica of the diecast toy's transparent box and will be displayed outside London's Battersea Power Station through October 1.

The car is much more than a scaled-up plaything, however. It's a fully-functioning reproduction of the film car that was built as part of a continuation series Aston Martin launched last year and equipped with a working smokescreen, deployable bulletproof shield, revolving number plates and simulated reciprocating machine guns that deploy from the corner lights, but do not fire, among other features.

Aston Martin is selling 25 of the hand-built cars, which aren't even street legal, for $3.5 million each.

That's a bargain price compared to what the two authentic cars used in the making of "Goldfinger" and "Thunderball" are worth. One was sold in 2010 for $4.1 million while the other was stolen in 1997 and is still missing, but has been valued at up to $15 million.

SLEUTH SAYS STOLEN "GOLDFINGER" ASTON MARTIN IS IN THE MIDDLE EAST

A third replica commissioned as a promotional car that never even appeared on screen was even auctioned for $6.4 million in 2019.

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Corgi has sold over 20 million of the toys since they were introduced in 1965 and DB5s have been featured in several Bond films, including "No Time to Die," which premieres in the U.S. on Oct. 8.

Stolen James Bond 'Goldfinger' Aston Martin DB5 is likely in the Middle East, sleuth says

Sun, 22 Aug 2021 10:14:27 -0400

A major movie mystery could soon be solved. Not on screen, but in the real world of stolen art.

In a theft fitting of a spy thriller, one of the two gadget-filled 1964 Aston Martin DB5s featured in the James Bond films "Goldfinger" and "Thunderball" disappeared from a hangar at Boca Raton airport in 1997.

The silver coupe was spirited away without a trace, leading some investigators to believe it had been flown away by a cargo plane or even a small drug-running plane that quickly dropped in to pick it up.

The car had been purchased at auction in 1986 for $275,000 by real estate developer Anthony Pugliese, but was insured for $4.2 million at the time of the heist, which is roughly what the other car was auctioned for in 2010.

A new podcast produced by Spyscape called "The Great James Bond Car Robbery," which is narrated by "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery" star Elizabeth Hurley, has taken an in-depth look the incident and one contributor to the program has revealed new information about the car’s whereabouts today.

Christopher A. Marinello is the CEO of Art Recovery International, a firm that tracks down valuable stolen goods for insurance companies and individuals, including some that had been looted by Nazis.

The classic car enthusiast has been for over a decade on the "Goldfinger" case for an insurance firm, which has an open offer of $100,000 to anyone with information that leads to the car’s recovery.

"I had the Corgi toy version of the car when I was a kid," Marinello told ӣ��Ƶ Autos. "It means a lot to me personally and to the world. It’s perhaps the most famous car ever."

Marinello calls it his "white whale" and the "Holy Grail" of art recovery, and says he’s actually pretty sure he knows exactly where it is.

He believes it is in a country in the Middle East, that he’s not ready to publically name, and owned by one of the top car collectors in the world.

"If I’m right, it’s part of a collection of around 4,000 vehicles."

He said he gets tips all of the time from people who’ve come across DB5s that they thought was it, but that a recent one sounded very credible.

The person imparted details about the vehicle no one who wasn’t intimately familiar with it would know.

Marinello isn’t accusing the current owner of being behind the theft or even initially knowing that they’d purchased stolen goods.

"These sorts of people buy a lot of luxury items, often without going through due diligence, and when they find out something is stolen, they think they’re above the law and that it’s not their problem," Marinello said.

"But it is their problem."

He’s dealt with the type before and is hopeful that they’ll discretely approach him to work out a deal in private for the return of the vehicle, which is worth far more than $4.2 million today.

A third identical car that was built to promote "Thunderball" and didn’t even appear on screen was auctioned in 2019 for $6.4 million and experts tell Marinello the missing car could go for $15 million or more if it ever crosses an auction block.

Marinello hasn’t heard more than the first released episode of the eight-episode podcast, and is just one of a number of people involved in the car’s history that are included, but he can’t wait to see how it ends.

Machine Gun Kelly's stolen Aston Martin recovered by LAPD

Tue, 15 Dec 2020 11:10:25 -0500

Machine Gun Kelly has had a good thing happen to him.

The “Bad Things” singer’s Aston Martin sports car has been recovered by police a week after it went missing.

TMZ reports that LAPD officers spotted the very purple coupe passing by their patrol car on Monday and then found it abandoned in a driveway with the engine running with no suspects in sight.

The car was impounded as part of the investigation, but is undamaged, according to TMZ.

Kelly’s old next-door neighbor, Jeff Lewis of "Flipping Out" fame, first reported the theft on his radio show, when the person who bought his former house called to ask if the security cameras could see the driveway from where Kelly’s car was stolen — but no dice.

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Kelly purchased the distinctive $205,000 coupe last year as a present to himself, celebrating the end of his Hotel Diablo World Tour.

Aston Martin selling new 007 'Goldfinger' DB5s for millions

Tue, 07 Jul 2020 10:01:02 -0400

Aston Martin’s newest car is 55 years old.

The British automaker has completed the first of 25 reproductions of the iconic DB5 first featured in the James Bond film “Goldfinger,” gadgets included.

The continuation cars are powered by a 4.0-liter inline-6-cylinder engine and are equipped with a functional smokescreen system, simulated oil slick sprayer, deployable bulletproof shield, revolving number plates and simulated reciprocating machine guns that deploy from the corner lights, among other features.

The interiors are outfitted just like 007’s car with a radar screen, switch panel for all of its special features and an ejector seat button hidden in the gear lever – but no ejector seat. There is, however, a removable roof panel over the passenger seat for effect.

The cars are also the most expensive in Aston Martin’s current line at $3.5 million each, and they come with one major caveat: they’re not street legal.

The only DB5 from the film whose whereabouts is known was sold at auction for $4.6 million in 2010, while a second was stolen from Boca Raton Airport in 1997 and never seen again.

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Aston Martin's first new engine in 50 years is a 'hot' V6

Tue, 24 Mar 2020 15:11:00 -0400

Automotive production may be at a standstill due to the coronavirus outbreak, but future product development continues.

Aston Martin has revealed the first new engine that it’s developed entirely on its own in more than a half-century.

The previous one was the famed 5.3-liter V8 that launched in 1969 and powered all of the company’s models for two decades, until it was supplanted by motors based on Ford and then Mercedes-AMG technology.

The new engine is a compact 3.0-liter V6 that will be the beating heart of a hybrid powertrain debuting next year in the mid-engine Valhalla that Aston Martin said will be more powerful than the current 715 hp DBS Superleggera.

Full details for the TM01 (named for 5.3-liter designer Tadek Marek) have not been revealed, but it features a “Hot-V” design, with twin turbos mounted between the cylinder banks, and a dry-sump oiling system that allows it to be mounted lower in the chassis and can more efficiently lubricate the engine during high-speed cornering.

Following its debut in the Valhalla, the V6 will find its way into other future models.

“Investing in your own powertrains is a tall order, but our team have risen to the challenge. Moving forward, this power unit will be integral to a lot of what we do and the first signs of what this engine will achieve are incredibly promising,” Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer said in a press release.

Aston Martin plans to build 500 Valhalla's at roughly $1.3 million each, and it will feature in the upcoming James Bond film "No Time to Die."

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Martha Stewart delivered eggs in her Aston Martin during coronavirus outbreak

Mon, 23 Mar 2020 11:13:02 -0400

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Martha Stewart has been moonlighting as a delivery driver during New York’s coronavirus closures, but of course, she’s doing it with a little more style than most.

The lifestyle guru posted a photo to Instagram on Sunday of her delivering eggs from her farm to a friend’s house in her 15-year-old Aston Martin DB9.

According to The Drive, she’s usually spotted in a Mercedes-GLS, and she notes in the post’s caption that the V12-powered Aston Martin has a manual transmission and is “not very easy to drive,” but sounds great. She also said she dropped the eggs off at the curb to maintain social distancing.

Stewart is no stranger to cool cars, however. In fact, along with her Bedford, N.Y., estate, she owns the former Maine vacation home of Edsel Ford, where she keeps a fully restored Edsel Roundup station wagon in the garage.

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'No Time to Die' trailer reveals big change to 007's Aston Martin DB5

Wed, 04 Dec 2019 15:27:59 -0500

James Bond’s old car has some new tricks.

In the first trailer for the upcoming installment in the 007 film series, “No Time to Die,” Daniel Craig’s Bond takes the wheel of an Aston Martin DB5, as the superspy has many times before.

This time, he finds himself in an old town square surrounded by machine-gun wielding baddies blasting away at the silver coupe with little effect.

While past iterations of the sports car had only a bulletproof shield that popped out of the trunk to cover the rear window, the car now appears to be fully-armored. And that’s not the only change.

The vehicle (a replica of which was recently sold for $6.4 million) has previously been depicted with a pair of .30 caliber single-barrel machine guns that extended from behind its front turn signals, the car now has a set of Gattling guns hidden in the headlights for added firepower.

Bond puts it to good use by doing a donut to sweep the area clear of his attackers, but a quick glance at the control panel suggests it also has a flamethrower and missiles ready to go.

Just in case.

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$192G Aston Martin DBX is an SUV worthy of James Bond

Wed, 20 Nov 2019 08:54:37 -0500

When Daniel Craig retires as James Bond next year, Aston Martin has the perfect vehicle for him to settle into family life with.

The DBX is the British automaker’s first SUV, and will compete with the likes of the Bentley Bentayga, Lamborghini Urus and the Porsche Cayenne Turbo S when it goes on sale late next year.

The five-passenger DBX’s aluminum body features curvaceous styling with Aston Martin’s signature grille and a distinctive ducktail spoiler on its hatchback.

It’s powered by the same 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 used in the DB11 and Vantage sports cars, here with 542 hp that’s good for a sprint to 60 mph in 4.3 seconds and a top speed of 181 mph. Its standard all-wheel-drive system was engineered for both the street performance and some off-road capability, and a standard air suspension can adjust the ground clearance from 7.5 inches to 9.3 inches.

The DBX is largely hand-built in Wales and its interior is trimmed with Bridge of Weir leather and Alcantara upholstery aimed at living up to its $192,086 starting price.

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The high-performance Aston Martin DBX SUV packs heat ... in a gun cabinet

Fri, 18 Oct 2019 09:00:07 -0400

Aston Martin is putting plenty of firepower into its first SUV.

The DBX, set to debut in December, is powered by a 542 hp twin-turbocharged V8 that promises race track performance coupled with off-road capability and a long list of accessories to accommodate a variety of recreational activities.

One of them is a gun cabinet, which can be paired with a custom shooting stick. Images of the option have not been released, but competitor Land Rover has previously offered a special edition Range Rover equipped with a Holland & Holland box.

For animal lovers, the DBX can also be had with a Dog pack that includes a partition, a bed, a bumper guard to protect it from scratches and a portable dog washer, while a leather-upholstered child seat is available.

There’s also a Snow pack that comes with a ski rack, ski bag and boot warmer, and an Event pack with chairs, a picnic basket, hamper and umbrella storage – it is a British automaker, after all.

Aston Martin promises the DBX will be able to corner and brake like its sports cars and hit a top speed in excess of 180 mph. Prices have not been announced, but are expected to start in the neighborhood of $200,000.

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'James Bond' Aston Martin DB5 sold for record $6.4 million

Fri, 16 Aug 2019 08:39:50 -0400

James Bond’s iconic Aston Martin DB5s was sold at an RM Sotheby’s auction Thursday night for a record-setting $6.4 million. And he never even drove it.

The car was one of a pair that were used to promote the 007 film “Thunderball,” but never appeared onscreen. Nevertheless, it was built to the same specifications as the cars that were featured in that film and “Goldfinger,” spy gadgets included.

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Fully restored, its extendable ramming bumpers, smokescreen, bulletproof shield and rotating license plates all function, although the machine gun barrels that emerge from the front marker lights do not fire.

The car was previously sold in 2006 for $2.09 million, and Thursdays’ winning bid is now the highest price ever paid for a DB5. But, unlike diamonds, it probably won’t be forever.

One of the cars that were actually used in both films was auctioned in 2011 for $4.6 million and would surely go for more than $6.4 million today. The other disappeared from a hangar at Boca Raton Airport in Florida and is still missing.

If only there were someone who could crack that case …

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James Bond 007 Aston Martin DB5 worth millions going to auction

Thu, 13 Jun 2019 08:28:48 -0400

An original Aston Martin DB5 built to James Bond’s specifications is heading to the auction block this summer.

The silver 1965 coupe is identical to the one 007 drove in “Goldfinger” and “Thunderball,” complete with all the gadgets. The car wasn’t used on-screen, but was one of a pair ordered by Eon Productions to promote the latter film.

Last sold in 2006 for $2,090,000, the car has been fully restored and the features installed by Q Branch, including its bulletproof screen, extendable bumpers, rotating license plates and smoke screen all function, although the machine gun barrels that emerge from the front marker lights only spit flames, not rounds.

There’s also a removable roof panel to accommodate the passenger-side ejector seat, and a red button in the gearshift to activate it, but you’ll have to press it to find out if it actually works.

The car will be offered at the RM Sotheby’s Monterey auction in August and will be making a U.S. tour before then. It comes up for sale just as Aston Martin is building 25 brand-new recreations of the car that will be sold for $3.5 million each and aren’t even street legal.

As for the vehicle that appeared in the film, there were actually two. One of them was auctioned in 2010 for $4.6 million and is currently in a private car museum in Ohio, while the other was stolen from a hangar at Boca Raton airport in Florida and hasn’t been seen since. The two movie cars and two promotional cars are the only ones commissioned by the production company at the time.

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New $3.5 million 'Goldfinger' Aston Martin DB5 will have smoke screen and machine guns

Tue, 14 May 2019 08:37:19 -0400

Q is on it. Aston Martin is currently in development of 25 recreations of the iconic DB5 featured in the James Bond film, “Goldfinger,” gadgets included.

The automaker has revealed a behind the scenes look at some of the technology it is working on to recreate the cinematic experience in each brand new car.

The silver coupes will be equipped with functional smoke screen generators, simulated oil slick spreaders that spray water and recoiling machine gun barrels that emerge from the front corner lights and feature illuminated flashing tips.

Additional features include rotating license plates, extendable battering rams, and a bulletproof shield for the rear window along with an era-appropriate radar screen, door-mounted telephone and an ejector seat button hidden in the gearshift lever, but not the actual seat … as far as has been made public.

The handmade cars are being sold for the equivalent of roughly $3.5 million each. Yes, that’s a lot, but also something of a bargain compared to the only known existing car from the film, which was auctioned for $4.6 million in 2010 and is surely worth much more today. A second car used for production, the one equipped with the special effects, was stolen from a hangar at the Boca Raton airport in 1997 and its whereabouts remain unknown.

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In a survey conducted by Hyundai last year, Brits named the DB5 their favorite movie car of all time. Unfortunately, unlike the authentic example, the replicas aren’t street legal, so you’ll have to M call in a favor at the DMV if you want to hit the road when deliveries begin in 2020.

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Electric Aston Martin Rapide E lives up to its name

Tue, 16 Apr 2019 08:24:54 -0400

Mr. Bond, your car is here.

Aston Martin has revealed its first electric model, the Rapide E.

The sedan making its debut at the Shanghai Motor Show reportedly will be featured in next year’s installment of the “007” film franchise starring Daniel Craig.

The limited-edition model was created with the assistance of Williams Advanced Engineering, which is heavily involved in the Formula E racing series along with Formula 1.

It’s not a ground-up car, but a retrofit of a conventional V12-powered model, and features a carbon fiber and kevlar-protected power control unit and batteries taking up the space where the engine, transmission and gas tank usually is.

Twin electric motors driving the rear wheels draw their power from it and are rated at a combined 604 hp and 700 lb-ft of torque, which are both more than the gasoline-fueled version boasts.

The battery pack is a relatively small 65 kilowatt-hours and has a range of under 200 miles per charge on the U.S. scale, while Tesla’s top models feature 100 kilowatt-hour packs and over 300 miles of range. The Rapide E is compatible with 800v fast-charging systems, however, which can refill the packs at a rate as high as 310 miles of range per hour.

Aston Martin says the Rapide E will be able to accelerate to 60 mph in under 4 seconds, has an electronically restricted 155 mph top speed and will be able to lap the 13-mile long Nurburgring race track at peak performance without overheating, which has been a bugaboo for high performance electric cars.

Exact pricing is only being revealed to legitimate customers interested in purchasing one of the 155 examples that will be built, but is rumored to be around $300,000.

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Unlicensed driver takes dad's Aston Martin on joyride and promptly wrecks it

Mon, 15 Apr 2019 09:54:20 -0400

Sneaking a ride in your dad’s Aston Martin is never a good idea, but it’s even worse when it’s not his, you don’t have a license and you wreck it.

That’s exactly what 20-year-old George Jones did last November in Painswick, U.K., SWNS reports.

The aspiring musician went for a joyride in an Aston Martin Rapide sedan that his father had rented, hit a truck on a two-lane road and flipped the exotic car. He then abandoned the vehicle and fled the scene, but investigators soon traced its owner and discovered what happened.

The Rapide is powered by a V12 engine with more than 550 hp and has a top speed of around 190 mph.

Jones was charged with “aggravated vehicle taking” and driving without a license or insurance, and was sentenced to 250 hours of community service and eight months in a young offenders detention center, the latter suspended for 12 months.

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He was also banned from driving for two years and had to pay a £425 ($600) fine.

As for the car, the court was told that it had been worth £50,000 ($65,000) prior to the crash, but just £15,000 ($20,000) afterward and had to be written off.

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