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Roger Moore's 1970 Aston Martin DBS sells for $900k [w/video]

Think of Roger Moore zipping around Europe in an Aston Martin thwarting evil plans, and you'll probably think James Bond, right? Wrong. Because though 007 has driven a variety of Astons in the various films over the years, none of those were in the Moore era. He drove a Chevy Impala in Live and Let Die, a Mercedes in The Man With The Golden Gun, a Lotus Esprit in both The Spy Who Loved Me and For Your Eyes Only, a Range Rover in Octopussy and a Ford LTD in A View to a Kill. But that wasn't the only jet-setting do-gooder Moore played. He drove a Volvo as Simon Templar in The Saint, but after that and before his Bond days, he got his turn behind the wheel of an Aston in a television series called The Persuaders! The show starred Moore as Lord Brett Sinclair and Tony Curtis as American playboy Danny Wilde in a TV series that ran on both ITV in the UK and ABC in the US. It sadly only ran for one 24-episode season, but remains a cult classic. The series was as much about the cars as it was the stars, with Curtis speeding around Europe in a Ferrari 246 GT Dino and Moore in this yellow 1970 Aston Martin DBS. And it just sold at auction. As Octane pointed out when it drove the car for its September 2013 issue, the car was loaned to the show's producers and, though it packs the 4.0-liter inline-six of the DBS, was fitted with the wheels and badges of the Aston Martin V8 that followed – just without the eight-cylinder engine. It was sold to a private owner after the show finished filming and then bounced around different owners before collector and enthusiast Mike Sanders bought it and subsequently sold it to one Ed Stratton. Ed brought it back to show spec, took it to Villa d'Este, had Moore and Curtis sign the inside of the trunk lid, and now put it up for auction. The star of Bonhams' 15th annual sale at the Aston Martin Works in Newport Pagnell this past weekend, the DBS sold for a record GBP533,500 – equivalent to almost $900k at today's rates – contributing to GBP8.7 million ($14.6m) in total sales that day. Find the press release below, along with a video of a pretty great scene from The Persuaders! with both Moore and Curtis. ROGER MOORE'S 'THE PERSUADERS!' ASTON MARTIN SETS WORLD RECORD FOR A DBS SOLD AT AUCTION 17 May 2014, The Aston Martin Works Sale In its 15th year Bonhams Aston Martin Works sale totals at GBP8.7 million Roger Moore's 'The Persuaders!' Aston Martin DBS sets world record for DBS sold at auction, selling for GBP533,500.

2019 Aston Martin DBS Superleggera Volante breaks cover

With less than a month to go before the official unveiling, it appears that the 2019 Aston Martin DBS Superleggera has been spied in Volante convertible form. The car is very clearly related to the DB11 GT sports car currently available, but with a number of updates. It should also be lighter (hence the Superleggera name) and more powerful. The most notable exterior change is in the front fascia, particularly the main grille. The traditional Aston grille shape has been stretched downward in the style of the Rapide and the Vantage AMR Pro. It also ditches the classic slats for an aggressive black mesh. Flanking the grille are two large air inlets that surely provide more cooling to the engine. Their positioning would be ideal for brake cooling, too. On the hood, the new DBS Superleggera gets two large vents right in the middle. Based on a teaser image, there will be Superleggera badging in a classical script next to the vents. The hood also has a bit of a raised dome down the middle. Moving around to the side, the car is basically unchanged save for deeper side skirts. The rear also lacks much in the way of changes. It has sprouted an additional pair of exhaust tips. Interestingly, each side has a small tip and a large one. We're not sure if this is a stop-gap measure for the prototype, or if the different-sized tips will be a production feature. When the car is revealed in June, it will come with a version of the twin-turbocharged 5.2-liter V12 found in the DB11. It will almost certainly have more power than existing DB11 models, meaning it will have more than the 630 horsepower of the DB11 AMR. Rumors have even indicated as much as 700 horsepower. With the Superleggera name, it will likely be lighter than existing DB11s, too. And of course, expect a price above other DB11s. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2019 Aston Martin DBS Superleggera spy shots View 24 Photos Image Credit: SpiedBilde Spy Photos Aston Martin Convertible Luxury Performance Supercars aston martin db11 aston martin dbs superleggera

‘Goldfinger’ Aston Martin DB5 Lego kit has fully functioning gadgets

Just as we predicted, Lego's James Bond-themed Aston Martin model kit is of the 1964 Aston Martin DB5 from "Goldfinger." A car that also featured prominently in other Bond films including " Casino Royale," "Skyfall" and " GoldenEye," among others. ( The real "GoldenEye" movie car just sold for a cool $2.6 million.) And while at first blush, it seems that the Aston's effortless class didn't quite translate as well to brick form as boxier vehicles such as the VW Bus and the Mini Cooper, we can easily forgive it. Why? Because it has all of the gadgets from the movie, and they all work! Working from the nose of the car, the turn signals drop out of the way to reveal the machine gun barrels. These disappear at the pull of the shift lever in the interior. Also in the interior are the hideaway tracking computer in the dash and the door-mounted car phone. Of course the best feature inside is the ejector seat. Pull on the rear bumper, and the roof lifts off and other mechanical bits fling the seat through the opening. Behind the rear window, there's the bulletproof shield that can be raised into position. Finally, all four wheels can have the tire cutters fitted, and the license plates swivel for different numbers. And for car enthusiasts, Lego has made sure that the model is simply a nice and accurate replica of a DB5. The hood is hinged at the front, and underneath is a detailed model of the car's double-overhead cam straight-six. It's modeled down to the triple carburetors. The doors open, naturally, as does the trunk, which has quite a bit of space. The Lego kit goes on sale Aug. 1 for $149.99. It consists of 1,290 pieces, and the finished model measures out to about 13 inches in length. Related Video: Featured Gallery Aston Martin DB5 Goldfinger Lego Kit View 41 Photos Image Credit: Lego Toys/Games TV/Movies Aston Martin Coupe Classics Lego aston martin db5