2005 Aston Martin Db9 on 2040-cars

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James Bond 1965 Aston Martin DB5 movie car up for auction

Aston Martin made headlines and sparked strong emotions when it announced it would be building fully-functional continuation versions of the famous gadget-laden 1964 Aston Martin DB5 from the James Bond film Goldfinger. But if a modern replica doesn't cut it, you'll have the opportunity to buy an original Goldfinger-specification Aston Martin DB5 this summer. It will go to auction at RM Sotheby's event in Monterey during Pebble Beach week, and it also features functional gadgets. This particular car is one of two 1965 Aston Martin DB5 ordered up by Eon Productions, the company behind Goldfinger and the next film Thunderball. Both cars were purchased and used as promotional cars in the U.S. for Thunderball. While they weren't used on screen, they did get all the gadgets from the film, and according to RM Sotheby's, the functioning gadgets were installed by Aston Martin and built to be used repeatedly and reliably, unlike the film cars. The auction house notes that the car has only had three private owners. It's also went through a complete restoration that was finished in 2012. That restoration also included the gadgets, so you should be able to raise the bullet-proof shield, extend the bumper overriders, activate the smoke screen, front guns and oil slick. Presumably the ejector seat doesn't actually work, but the panel above is removable. The various toggle switches along with the weapon drawer and tracking screen are all accounted for, too. When the car goes across the block in August, the price will certainly be in the seven figure range. The car was previously sold by RM Sotheby's in 2006, and it went for $2,090,000. The car had not been fully restored at that point, either, so it should go for even more this year. We'll be curious to see if it matches the $3.6 million price of the continuation cars.

Aston Martin DBS GT Zagato previewed in renderings

Last fall, Aston Martin and Zagato announced that they would be building special continuation versions of the DB4 GT Zagato to celebrate the Italian design house's 100th anniversary. But the two companies wouldn't stop there, as each DB4 would come with an yet-to-be-revealed DBS variant. Now the companies have released detailed renderings and information about what is officially called the Aston Martin DBS GT Zagato. The car will be based on the hottest DB11 model, the DBS Superleggera. That means it should have a twin-turbo V12 making at least 715 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque with all of that going to the rear wheels through an eight-speed automatic. Outside of the bones, the DBS GT Zagato will have a thoroughly revised exterior. As shown in the photos, the front grille is one piece and is more reminiscent of what's found on the smaller Aston Martin Vantage. An exaggerated double-bubble roof is a highlight, and it stretches out to the pointy tip of the tail. The hood echoes the double bubble in its center. The taillights have an afterburner shape that Zagato has favored lately. Neither Aston nor Zagato has said when we'll see the actual car, but we expect it will be shown sometime this year. Buyers will start getting their DBS GT Zagatos at the end of 2020, a year after their DB4 GT Zagato continuation cars are delivered. As a reminder, the price for each of the 19 pairs of cars is 6 million pounds, or $7.93 million at current exchange rates and before taxes.

Aston Martin to race with solar power

Aston Martin may be more about luxury GTs than performance-obsessed supercars, but when it comes to racing, it's no holds barred. Aston Martin Racing has developed competition-spec versions of the Vantage and DB9, and even done a few LMP1 prototypes. But while some have been powered by V8s and others by V12s, the one underlying commonality is that they have all – in contrast with championship-winning diesel and hybrid prototypes – been powered exclusively by internal-combustion engines burning gasoline. That's what makes this announcement noteworthy. At Le Mans last weekend, the factory team announced a partnership with the Hanergy Global Solar Power & Applications Group that will see solar panels installed on the roof of the Vantage GTE it fields in the World Endurance Championship. Only the thin panels won't be powering the wheels, boosting the engine somehow or powering the batteries for a hybrid assist. They'll be used to power the air conditioning system. Which may seem inconsequential, but when you consider that the AC typically saps power from the engine – and it can sap quite a lot on a hot race day – that could amount to a serious performance advantage while keeping the drivers comfortable. While the system wasn't ready to use at Le Mans last weekend, temperatures at the French track don't get too high, so the air-con wouldn't likely be a big factor. The team (operated on Aston's behalf by Prodrive) does expect, however, to have the system up and running in time for next round at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, where it can get insufferably hot. Aston and Hanergy also hope to install the system on the V12 Vantage GT3 and V8 Vantage GT4 it supplies to customer teams, and install solar panels on the roof of the new facility Prodrive is building in Banbury, UK. Aston Martin Racing Joins Hanergy in Solar-Powered Project Le Mans, 13 June 2014 - Banbury, 13 June 2014 - Aston Martin Racing has signed a partnership agreement with solar technologies experts Hanergy Global Solar Power & Applications Group, in a project exploring how the sun's energy can be used to improve race car performance at the pinnacle of sportscar racing, the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), starting with the 24 Hours of Le Mans this weekend (14-15 June).