Aston's next Supercar to Make Debut on Film
Out of all the gizmos and gadgets that secret agent James Bond has
 | | The man and his new wheels: Daniel Craig and the forthcoming Aston Martin DBS. (Photo: Aston Martin) |
available to him, the one item that's sure to get the most attention is his set of wheels. Like the man himself, the vehicles of choice have always been classy, sophisticated and oftentimes rare. From chasing down (or fleeing) antagonists, in fact, most Bond cars end up with almost as much celebrity status as the star playing the role.
Over the years, a great number of automakers have stepped up to the casting couch including BMW, Ford, Toyota and Lotus, but the brand synonymous with 007 is Aston Martin. Out of all the many films, Aston Martin's vehicles - in particular the classic, silver DB5 (see automotive news  | | Not your typical Aston Martin Vanquish... (Photo: Aston Martin) |
section for Nov 27, 2005:
Original Bond Aston Martin DB5 Going on the Block in January) - have enjoyed more exposure than any other brand. This is, of course, aside from the brief stint that spanned the mid nineties to early naughties where Bond consecutively drove a trio of BMWs that included the teal green Z3, remote-operated 7-Series sedan and stunning Z8 roadster - horribly divided in two by a giant saw.
Although Aston Martin was officially back on board the Bond franchise in the 2002 flick, Die Another Day, where his vehicle of choice was Aston's Vanquish supercar, this time around the British sports car maker took an active role in the film. As was announced earlier this year by chairman and CEO  | | The new Aston wasn't made specifically for the movie either, as was this Lexus for Minority Report... (Photo: Lexus Canada) |
Dr. Ulrich Bez, Aston Martin prepared an all-new flagship vehicle that will make its debut in the forthcoming Bond film, Casino Royale (see automotive news section for Jan 27, 2006: James Bond to debut Aston Martin DBS in Casino Royale).
Unlike other movies where cars are purpose-built for their roles (eg. the red Lexus from Minority Report or otherworldly Audi RSQ from i Robot), the DBS isn't a one-off creation for Mr. Bond. Eventually, anyone with the correct number of dollar bills will be able to purchase one of these beautiful machines, as the DBS is scheduled to be  | | .... and the Audi RSQ from i Robot. (Photo: Audi Canada) |
the successor to the Vanquish. Since the time of our original news report, we've learned that the car will not use a sequential-shift gearbox; instead, it will have a traditional six-speed manual. Engine size and power have yet to be revealed, though it is expected to be a V12 configuration with approximately 600 horsepower.
The DBS is the latest project led by Aston Martin's new Design Director, Marek Reichman, who took over the position from former director of design Henrik Fisker. Reichman considers the car as a "link between our elegant DB9 road car and the powerful DBR9 race car." He also says that the DBS is a part of the brand's evolutionary development, which includes the compact V8 Vantage and the Rapide four-door concept sedan that debuted at NAIAS earlier this year.
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