Aston Martin Channels James Bond, Heads to Alaska

Aston Martin is channeling their inner James Bond and taking their Rapide to Alaska. They will run the Rapide from Anchorage to Deadhorse in order to show the durability and endurance of the car.

If you remember the James Bond film Die Another Day, then you must have loved the ice chase scene. Well, in my opinion it was the best scene in one of my least favorite Bond movies. So, of course when we got the news Aston Martin wanted to take their Rapide to Alaska I immediately started envisioning chasing North Koreans through ice palaces. Starting in Anchorage and making its way north, the Aston Martin Rapide is set to take its V12 on a 1,230 mile epic journey through the snow and ice.

Ending in Deadhorse, Alaska, Aston Martin wants to show the ability of the Rapide to adapt and handle extreme climates. The Aston Martin Vanquish which appeared in the movie was also a V12, but it was never put to the same tests as the new Rapide's V12. This is the real deal, going to within a few dozen yards from the Arctic Ocean should be extreme enough to please any skeptic. The road to Deadhorse is considered one of America's most isolated and desolate roads. The road travels through the Antiguan Pass, a section that crosses the Continental Divide and leads 4,739ft up-hill.

Armored Aston Martin DB11 Will Make You Feel Like James Bond

The company says the lightweight armor can be applied to almost any vehicle.

We’re used to seeing insanely opulent SUVs like the Rezvani Tank feature armor protection on the options list. But if you’ve ever wanted to feel like James Bond and own an armored Aston Martin, you now can. Listed for sale on JamesEdition is a 2018 Aston Martin DB11 with a difference – it features armor protection from Germany company Trasco. The car showcases the company’s new A-Kip (Anti-Kidnapping) lightweight armoring concept, which is designed to offer protection “against attacks with handguns, kidnapping, car-jacking or theft of valuables.”

Using certified ballistic materials such as ballistic steel combined with composite materials fitted inside the doors and Level 4 Certified Ballistic Glass all-around, Trasco has added an additional 331 lbs to the standard DB11’s curb weight.

The company claims the DB11’s gross weight hasn’t changed, however, resulting in “no compromise of the vehicle’s performance or comfort characteristics.” Inevitably, the extra weight will have decreased the performance slightly but a V12-powered car with 600 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque on tap still isn’t going to be slow, so we doubt any customers will complain.

Tresco claims the lightweight armoring can be applied to almost any vehicle including sedans or sport cars from luxury brands such as Aston Martin, Ferrari, Porsche, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Volvo, Jaguar, Bentley and Rolls-Royce, and even smaller sedans. SUVs such as the Mercedes-Benz GLS, G-Wagon, BMW X6, Audi Q7, Lexus or Range Rover can also be fitted with the company’s lightweight armouring. The best part is you can barely tell it’s an armor-protected vehicle, as Tresco retains the original design of each car, allowing it to discretely blend with traffic.

Pricing for the armored Aston Martin DB11 is only revealed on request. A standard version will set you back at least $200,000, so it obviously isn't going to be cheap.

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You Can Own James Bond’s Iconic Aston Martin DB5

It could fetch over $2 million at auction.

James Bond’s gadget-laden Aston Martin DB5 is one of the most famous movie cars of all time, to the point the British automaker is synonymous with the movie franchise. And now an original example that was used during filming is heading to auction looking for a new owner. Sadly, this particular DB5 isn’t the one Sean Connery drove in Goldfinger. Instead, it’s the 1965 model Pierce Brosnan drove in the 1995 flick Goldeneye. After featuring in the movie, the car was used to promote the film and the Aston Martin DB7.

A few years later, it was sold at auction in 2001 and bought by entrepreneur Max Reid for ￡149,828 ($200,000). That may sound like a paltry amount for a classic Aston Martin, but at the time it “became the most valuable piece of Bond memorabilia ever sold” according to Bonhams. Clearly, the car’s value has significantly increased since then, because the auction house now estimates the car will sell for ￡1.2 – ￡1.6 ($1.6 -$2.1) million. “The DB5 is one of the most recognizable and desirable British classic cars in the world - it is also the ultimate Bond car,” said Sholto Gilbertson, Bonhams Motor Cars Department Director.

“Every fan remembers Pierce Brosnan tearing through the hills in this car, and it must be up there as one of the most thrilling Bond car chases in history. This Aston Martin is something very special indeed.” The vintage film-famous Aston Martin DB5 will be going under the hammer at the Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale on July 13. If you need a recap, the DB5 was driven in the thrilling opening chase scene of Goldeneye against a Ferrari F355 GTS through the hills above Monaco.

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James Bond’s Lost Aston Martin DB5 Allegedly Found In The Middle East

The iconic movie car has been missing since 1997 after being stolen from an aircraft hanger.

The 1964 Aston Martin DB5 driven by Sean Connery in Goldfinger is one of the most iconic movie cars of all time. Sadly, one of the two DB5s used in the movie has been missing for over 20 years – until now. The famous movie car was stolen from an airport hangar in the Florida Keys back in 1997 and hasn’t been seen since, but according to Auto Classics James Bond’s Aston Martin DB5 has been rediscovered in a secret location in the Middle East, so there’s hope yet that it could be recovered.

Art Recovery International was hired by an unspecified insurance firm to track down the lost DB5 and have been told the car was re-located to the Middle East after it was stolen from the airport hanger. The car is now reportedly worth $13 million, and a “six-figure sum” has apparently been offered for information leading to its safe return. “I have been given a specific tip, but we are working on it,”. Christopher A Marinello, the chief executive of Art Recovery International, told the media.

“We want to reach out to the collector car community and a vast array of mechanics to let them know we are very serious about recovering it. As there are many Aston Martins, it is very important that we get a shot of the chassis number, DP/216/1. This is what we are looking for, as it is very specific to the vehicle. It is quite possible the potential in the Middle East is a mere lookalike, which is why it is crucial we retain a close-up of the chassis number.”

After filming for Goldfinger was completed, car collector Richard D Losee bought the DB5 from Aston Martin for $12,000. He then sold it to businessman and car collector Anthony Pugliese III for $250,000 in 1986, who stored it at the Boca Raton Airport hangar. It was then stolen from the hanger by thieves in 1997. For the film, the DB5 was modified with an array of gadgets including machine guns, tire-shredding blades and oil, smoke and water emitters.

This made it heavy so the thieves had to drag the car out by the axles, which left incriminating tire marks providing a trail up to where the car was believed to be loaded onto a cargo plane. The other DB5 “road car” used in the film was sold to a collector in 2010 for $4.1 million.

Coincidentally, the Ford Mustang GT Fastback driven by Steve McQueen in Bullitt was also recently rediscovered after being presumed missing for more than 40 years.

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