In February we learned that current James Bond star Daniel Craig planned to auction his bespoke Aston Martin Vanquish, with all proceeds going to charity. The Christie’s auction in New York took place late last week and that stunning V12-powered coupe was sold for $468,500. It was originally estimated to bring in between $400,000 to $600,000, so the estimate turned out to be pretty spot-on, but it’s still definitely at the lower end of the spectrum.
Daniel Craig himself, who sits on the board of The Opportunity Network, the recipient of the proceeds, made a surprise appearance at the auction to help bring in the bids. He even worked the phones and spoke to bidders encouraging them to, of course, place even higher bids. The 2014 model year Vanquish itself is called the “Centenary Vanquish,” numbered 007. Makes sense. Craig teamed up with Aston Martin Chief Creative Officer Marek Reichman for the bespoke effort, which resulted in a left-hand drive, 6.0-liter V12-powered exotic. A six-speed automatic transmission directs power to the rear wheels. Painted midnight-blue, the interior also boasts a similar color.
Only 100 examples of the Centenary Blue Edition Vanquish were made, but only one belonged to agent 007 himself. And now it’s moved on to its second owner, who we doubt has any secret agent fighting skills. They will, however, soon be on their way to Aston Martin's headquarters in Gaydon, UK for a full factory tour, another benefit of placing the winning bid.
