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Daniel Craig's personal James Bond Aston Martin is for sale

LOS ANGELES — James Bond is parting with his personal Aston Martin. Actor Daniel Craig, who has played the British spy known as 007 in four films, is auctioning for charity the limited-edition vehicle made for him by Aston Martin four years ago, Christie's auction house said on Thursday. Aston Martin cars have appeared in Bond films over nearly 50 years, beginning with 1964's "Goldfinger" in which Sean Connery drove a silver Aston Martin DB5. The brand has appeared in all four Bond films starring Craig. Craig's personal car is a 2014 Vanquish that Aston Martin produced just 100 examples of to celebrate its 100th anniversary. Craig's vehicle is, naturally, number 007. "It was an homage, really, to his career," Becky MacGuire, director of Christie's' The Exceptional Sale, said in an interview. "What he's brought to the Bond character has been so appreciated by the company and, of course, zillions of fans." The vehicle has a midnight blue exterior and dark blue luxury leather interior chosen because of Craig's preference for denim and dark colors, Christie's said. Proceeds from the sale will benefit New York-based charity The Opportunity Network, which helps students from disadvantaged communities achieve their college and career goals. Craig and his wife, actress Rachel Weisz, both sit on the organization's board of directors. The car's value is estimated at $400,000 to $600,000. It will be displayed at Christie's showroom in Los Angeles from Feb. 27 to March 3 before moving to New York, where it will be auctioned on April 20 as part of Christie's annual decorative arts masterpiece sale called The Exceptional Sale. Last year, Craig said he will reprise the role of James Bond one last time. The film is expected to be released in U.S. cinemas on Nov. 8, 2019.Reporting by Nichola Groom Related Video:

Aston Martin working on mid-engine Valkyrie ‘brother’ to rival McLaren P1

We know about the Aston Martin Valkyrie and the Valkyrie AMR Pro (pictured). And we know Aston Martin is planning a mid-engine rival for the Ferrari 488 and McLaren 720S. Now Autocar reports that the English luxury maker is working on yet another mid-engine model, a hypercar to outdo the McLaren P1 and Ferrari LaFerrari and stand up to the coming McLaren BP23. The newest addition to the small carmaker's grand plans is said to be known internally as "brother of the Valkyrie," and came about because of the sellout success of both the Valkyrie and Valkyrie AMR Pro. Both "brother of Valkyrie" and the 488 competitor are expected to use a carbon monococque with aluminum subframes. Both will use lessons from Aston Martin's tie-up with the Red Bull Formula 1 team, especially in packaging. Both are due to hit the market around 2021. And both will be products of the carmaker's Performance Design and Engineering Centre, a base of 130 engineers set up at Red Bull F1's Milton Keyes headquarters. However, the former car will fight in the GBP1M-plus price bracket ($1.4M-plus) where various manufacturers have made amazing hay with warp-speed daily drivers, and will be a limited edition "in order to add to its desirability." We remain in the dark on powertrains for both cars, but outsiders expect both to use a V8. When it comes to the "brother" car, Aston Martin's working relationship with Mercedes-AMG means it could tap the 4.0-liter V8 used by the DB11 and the Vantage. Apparently that engine can be wrung out to 800 horsepower with help from an ultimate EQ Boost setup. That still wouldn't be enough to compete in the segment, though, so the "brother" could become a demonstrator for Aston Martin's electric know-how — a rolling showcase that could turn its halo light on a potential electric sports car. Or perhaps there's another option that turns to Cosworth, the company helping develop the 1,000-hp 6.5-liter V12 in the Valkyrie. Aston Martin boss Andy Palmer wouldn't say much more about the junior supercar powertrain than, "In our portfolio today, we don't have an engine capable of giving us the output we require.

Aston Martin DBX SUV officially enters production

On one hand, now is the perfect time for Aston Martin's very first production SUV to roll off the assembly line. Because there's nothing like an expensive luxury sport utility vehicle to rake in some cash when the going gets tough, as has been the case for the premium British automaker since it launched its stock IPO in 2018. On the other hand, even a flashy utility vehicle faces major headwinds in these difficult times as the coronavirus pandemic continues to dominate headlines. In any case, the Aston Martin DBX has officially entered production at the automaker's facility at St Athan in Wales. The first model was painted in a lovely hue that the automaker calls Stirling Green and that otherwise adorns Aston Martin's racing vehicles. The company says it has received more than 2,000 orders for the DBX so far, and the first deliveries will begin later this month. A milestone moment. Just over four years since we announced our investment in a brand new manufacturing facility at St Athan in Wales, the first Aston Martin to be “Hand Made in Wales” – DBX - has been driven off the production line.#AstonMartin #DBX #BeautifulIsRelentless pic.twitter.com/nI5V7BaZWr — Aston Martin (@astonmartin) July 9, 2020 Marek Reichman, executive vice president and chief creative officer, said from the launch, “We are incredibly proud of our first SUV, which is as much of an Aston Martin as any one of our sports cars. From my design team to the engineers, the vehicle dynamics team and all the experts who hand-craft this beautiful car, here at St Athan, the DBX has become the car that will drive Aston Martin into a bold new era.” Here's hoping Reichman is right and that Aston Martin can turn its fading fortunes around. Related Video: