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James Bond's ‘GoldenEye’ Aston Martin DB5 sells for $2.6 million

Last month, we wrote about the "GoldenEye" Aston Martin DB5 coming up for auction at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, and reported that it was estimated to bring in $1.6 million to $2.14 million. The Aston did a lot better, as it ended up selling for a comfortable $2.6 million. The cinematic Aston's buyer turned out to be the newly founded NYC spy museum Spyscape, which is already displaying the DB5 deal on its website. As a matter of fact, Spyscape will even be offering rides in the DB5 — not a lot of people have ridden in any DB5, let alone one that has been driven by James Bond. As Hemmings notes, the DB5 in question was found for filming by Aston Martin itself along with a couple other examples. After filming wrapped up, it was restored — reportedly to address damage accumulated during the shoot — and put on a promotional tour. Stirling Moss himself drove the car onstage at the Los Angeles Auto Show, when the spiritual successor for the DB5, the DB7, was presented. It's worth noting that the car sold in 2001 for $200,000, and that it was the most expensive piece of Bond-related stuff sold at the time. Last weekend's auction price puts a zero at the end of that price, and then some. Meanwhile, if you can't afford a $2.6 million James Bond car, how about the just-out Lego kit costing $149.99? Related Video: TV/Movies Aston Martin Auctions Luxury Classics aston martin db5 db5

No surprise, Brits still love the Aston Martin Vanquish

We like the Aston Martin Vanquish very much. Sure, there are faster, wilder, crazier vehicles available for the money. Cough, Ferrari, cough. But there's something just so damned charming about the Aston and its big, monstrous V12 engine and stunning looks. And we're not alone in that opinion. You'll hear much the same if you watch the video above, the latest from the team at Xcar. In it, you'll watch host Alex Goy sample the stunning Vanquish Carbon White Edition, rocketing along Britain's stunning B-roads accompanied by a howling engine note. Goy heaps particular praise on the Vanquish's new transmission, the extremely well-received eight-speed automatic from ZF. Aston Martin has a spotty record when it comes to automatic transmissions, but this is the same sublime box being employed by luxury brands across the globe. Considering that, its capabilities in the Vanquish aren't too surprising. You can and should check out the full video from Xcar up at the very top of the page, if only for the V12 soundtrack alone.

Aston Martin's model configurator puts the cars in the pits

For Formula 1 fans who dream dreams of Aston Martins, but aren’t likely to shop for one, thereÂ’s a new opportunity to build one in a virtual environment thatÂ’s more than appropriate: on the track. On the eve of the second Grand Prix of the season in Saudi Arabia, the British luxury car maker has unveiled a digital online configurator that places a custom-built Aston of oneÂ’s choice inside the racing teamÂ’s pit garage, where it is showcased alongside the AMR23 F1 car. Apparently the company is hoping the brand can capitalize with a publicity boost thanks to driver Fernando AlonsoÂ’s podium finish at the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix earlier this month. Since “almost 90% of our customers are passionate about Formula 1,” AstonÂ’s marketing chief Renato Bisignani said that the garage setting--no signs of grease or dirt anywhere--works as “a key ingredient to our award-winning configurators success.” He said that more than half of AstonÂ’s buyers look in on the configurator “during their purchase journeys.” The Aston Martin configurator can be found at configurator.astonmartin.com. Related Video: