2009 Aston Martin Vantage on 2040-cars

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Aston and Jag from James Bond Spectre have at it

Daniel Craig hasn't made a bad James Bond film yet. Spectre is his next step into the iconic role that's due to hit theaters on November 6, and it doesn't look likely to ruin his streak. Still, that's a long wait for such an exciting movie. If you're willing to possibly spoil just a little for yourself, a new featurette shows part of one of the big car chases right now. From what we've seen so far, the chase through Rome in Spectre has earned a good amount of screen time. While the reason for it in the plot is a mystery, that doesn't really matter anyway. What's important is that the scene stars Bond in the Aston Martin DB10 and a villain played by Dave Bautista in the now supercharged V8-powered version of the Jaguar C-X75 racing around the Italian capital's tight streets at night. This clip gives a glimpse at some of the work necessary to get the difficult filming completed. We've seen some of that effort before, though, when footage of the preparation for one shot leaked out. Craig reportedly sustained a pretty bad bump on the head during the shooting, and an earlier rumor also suggested that Bond might get behind the wheel of a Fiat 500 at some point in the scene.

Aston Martin hires Ferrari's 'key guys' to challenge 488 GTB

Aston Martin is wasting no time in its aggressive product rollout, and it's putting Ferrari and other supercar makers on notice. At the recent launch of the DB11 V8 in Catalonia, Spain, we caught up with Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer. The Aston chief gave us new details on plans for a mid-engine car to go up against the Ferrari 488 GTB, the McLaren 720S and the Lamborghini Huracan. Palmer says Aston has harnessed a great deal of learning from the $3 million Valkyrie hypercar and plans to apply that to its next mid-engine car, slated to land sometime in 2020 or so. As indicated in part of our conversation below, design plans for that car are developing quickly. Autoblog: You said there will be a forthcoming mid-engine sports car. I still think the Ferrari 488 GTB is one of the best I've driven. How do you compete with that? Andy Palmer: "Well, I agree with you. That's the best car in its segment. And we're going to take it on. And I realize the gravity of that statement, of what that means." AB: So how do you take on the 488 GTB? AP: "Well, to start with, you recruit from Ferrari the head of body structures, and the head of powertrains. I've now got three of Ferrari's key guys. And really, it's a big compliment to Ferrari. That's the defining car in its segment, and it's really, really good. And those three guys now work for me. And you combine those guys with Nick [Lines, chief planning officer, Aston Martin] and Marek [Reichman, chief creative officer, Aston Martin] who you know really well, and you create some great recipes. And now I've got a better understanding of what that car looks like." AB: How far along is that car? Is there a clay model already? AP: "Yeah, there's clay. There's actually eight quarter-scales. And there's one in particular that I'm leaning toward. We've got it pushed out; it's gone to a second studio in Milton Keynes. That studio is different from Gaydon. And I've got a pretty good idea of what the replacement for the 488 is going to be like as well. So, if we're going in that market, we need to be ahead of the 488. And there's no naivete about what that means." View 16 Photos One of the recruits Palmer is referring to is Max Szwaj, former head of innovation and body structures at Ferrari and Maserati. Szwaj has been named vice president and chief technical officer in his new role in Gaydon.

Aston Martin DBS Superleggera Volante is coming soon for $329,100

You've seen the coupe and read the reviews. You've seen the spy shots filtering out of the Nurburgring. And now you've finally, digitally and officially, seen the Aston Martin DBS Superleggera Volante. It's exactly what you'd expect — take the DBS Superleggera, keep its twin-tubrocharged 5.2-liter V12 engine and eight-speed automatic transmission, ditch its hardtop in favor of a folding convertible mechanism, add a drop of sunshine and a copious extra dose of wailing exhaust note, stir and enjoy. Aston Martin boasts that the DBS Superleggera Volante's top speed of 211 miles per hour matches that of the coupe and makes it the fastest convertible ever to roll out of Gaydon. Its quoted 0-62 mph time of 3.6 seconds (.02 seconds behind the coupe) and 0-100 time of 6.7 seconds means it's no slouch in the acceleration department, either, despite its quoted dry weight of 4,107 pounds. Fortunately, that heft (375 pounds more than the coupe) is distributed equally over the front and rear wheels. A revised aerodynamics package that includes a front spoiler and airdam, side strakes that are deeper than those of the coupe, a double rear diffuser and a so-called Aeroblade II all combine to deliver 390 pounds of downforce. That's just 6.6 pounds less than the coupe, despite the inherent aero penalty caused by the removal of the roof. It takes just 14 seconds to open and 16 seconds to close the soft top. At 10.2 inches, Aston says the folded roof stack is the smallest in its segment, and the top is offered in eight colors. A twill carbon fiber mesh finish is optional for the windshield surround, as well as the rear tonneau cover. Want one? You'll have to wait for the third quarter of 2019 to order the DBS Superleggera Volante in the United States. And you'll need a check for $329,100.