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Aston Martin DB5 re-creates life-size Corgi diecast toy car for 007 movie

To promote the upcoming James Bond film "No Time To Die," Aston Martin has turned a DB5 into a life-size toy car. In fact, the car itself is kind of a giant toy, one of the $3.6 million DB5 Goldfinger Continuation models that mimic the movie car with mock machine guns and rotating license plates. Now, it has a giant vintage Corgi Toys box to match. The original Corgi 007 Aston Martin DB5 toy debuted in October 1965, about a year after the "Goldfinger" movie showed Sean Connery behind the wheel of the gadget-infused spy-mobile. According to some estimates, the Corgi sold 4 million copies in four years, making it the best-selling toy car in history. Over the years, Corgi has retooled and re-released the model several times, selling over 20 million in total. The big box, unveiled at London's Battersea Power Station, re-creates Corgi's original release packaging complete with period artwork. In 1965, according to Aston Martin, the toy car sold for just 50 pence, the equivalent of just under $14 today when accounting for inflation. You can still get a new one for about $20, but first-release models can run up to $350 in good condition. The DB5 Goldfinger Continuation is one of just 25 cars built by Aston Martin's Heritage Division, the same outfit that brought you continuation models of the DB4 GT and DB4 Zagato. However, while those are faithful re-creations of the original cars, the DB5 Goldfinger is a little different. The cars are built as the original DB5s were, taking about 4,500 hours each and emerging from the same workshop in Newport Pagnell as the 1963 models did. In this case, the intriguing DB5 Goldfinger was developed in conjunction with Chris Corbould, the special-effects coordinator on the last 14 Bond movies and the individual responsible for modifying several of the picture cars. The cars have been outfitted with oil slicks, Browning machine guns that pop out from behind the lights, and a bulletproof shield that rises from the rear to protect the rear windscreen from villainous rounds. None of these things actually work — the oil is really water, the guns emit a bang-bang noise and flash some LEDs — but even so, the car is not street legal. It also comes with a rotating license plate holder and a roof panel shaped like Bond's ejector seat exit. There is, of course, no ejector seat.

One-off Aston Martin DB9 Spyder Zagato Centennial up for grabs

There's a long and proud history of Aston Martins coachbuilt by Zagato, and while we wouldn't call them commonplace, most of them were put in serial production, however limited. But not this one. This one-of-a-kind DB9 Spyder was handbuilt by Zagato (along with a similarly styled DBS coupe) to celebrate Aston's centenary. Rather than remain in the private collections of either company, though, it was built in England, fitted with its customer bodywork (over the course of a year) in Italy, showcased back in England and then again at Pebble Beach before being delivered to its owner, who has kept it in California ever since. But now he's putting it up for auction. Equipped with a 6.0-liter V12, carbon-ceramic brakes and of course that unique coachwork, the DB9 Spyder Centennial edition has been consigned to RM Sotheby's for its sale in Monterey this coming August, two years after it was first shown there. It's anticipated to fetch between $380,000 and $450,000, which would be about double what Aston charges for a new DB9 Volante, but strikes us as a pretty solid investment considering just how rare this particular Anglo-Italian bird really is. Of course the Aston Zagato isn't the only notable vehicle RM has in store for Pebble this year. It's also highlighting a 1968 Maserati Ghibli Spyder that's billed as the first of its kind ever made, a US-spec Ferrari Daytona prototype, an early Lamborghini Countach and a rare 1973 Nissan Skyline GT-R. In short, RM's Monterey auction is already shaping up to be a notable one, and we're still a few months out with new consignments being added all the time.

Aston Martin DB11 AMR gets more power and carbon fiber

Aston Martin has pulled the wraps off the DB11 AMR, and the fact that it's just what we expected it'd be shouldn't diminish the impact of this ultimate (for now) DB11. But, if you're not down with AMR, a quick backgrounder for you: Early last year, Aston launched the Vantage AMR Pro and the Rapide AMR, the first salvos in a full broadside of AMR models that will encompass the entire range. There are two AMR subdivisions — AMR is handled by Aston's main design and engineering teams, while the Pros are handled by the Advanced Operations department. History aside, the DB11 sports a 30 horsepower bump, up to 630 horsepower. Previous AMR models made power bumps with new exhaust systems, and given the DB11 AMR's exhaust revisions, we wouldn't be surprised if some of the power increase came from the exhaust side of things. More to the point, the twin-turbocharged 5.2-liter V12 now scoots the DB11 AMR to 60 mph in just 3.5 seconds, and top speed is increased to 208 MPH. Unspecified suspension and chassis changes are claimed to deliver "a greater sense of connection without harming the supple ride," Aston claims, and we've no reason to doubt it. A new transmission calibration rounds out the dynamic changes. On the visual side of things, there's much more exposed carbon fiber and a smattering of gloss black detailing, smoked tail lamps, and dark, monotone leather/Alcantara draped throughout the interior. It's darker, a bit harder-edged, and sportier, but very much in the vein of Aston's careful balancing act between conveying athleticism visually while maintaining a degree of traditional British comfort and decadence. The eye-popping, dayglo accents on some color combinations seem more Nike shoe than grand tourer, but that's AMR's thing. The U.S. MSRP will be $241,000, and the cars will be delivered to owners in summer 2018. The extremely limited edition Designer Specification cars, offered in Stirling Green with lime accents, will be limited to 100 units globally and are $29,000 more. If you want one of those, you should probably get on the horn with your Aston dealer right now. Related Video: