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Why you should run out and buy a vintage Aston Martin Lagonda right now

Aston Martin has a reputation for crafting some of the world's finest luxury GTs, and with a little help from James Bond, it has also become a quintessential British brand. While the company's models are known for combining speed and luxury, they certainly aren't recognized for being inexpensive. However, there might be a way to get the Aston badge and potentially make a little extra money if you ever decide to divest. Bloomberg suggests looking outside the mainstream by taking a closer look at the original wedge-shaped Lagonda (above). First shown in the mid '70s, the Lagonda looks like nothing else on the road before or since. Early models feature pop-up headlights and styling so sharp the sedan appears to be slicing through the air, even while sitting still. Later revisions softened the design slightly, and even Aston Martin's modern reinterpretation (inset) doesn't go as far as its predecessor. The interior is what really makes the Lagonda famous (or infamous), though. With instruments displayed on LEDs or CRT screens, depending on model, it's like the science fiction in there. Power is provided by a 5.3-liter V8 quoted at around 280 horsepower, according to Aston Martin. Unfortunately, the Lagonda's avant-garde styling and reputation for unreliability hasn't garnered much love for the super saloon over the years. Aston Martin only made 645 of them by the time production ended in 1989. The tide appears to be turning, though, and the sedan's value is rising strongly. According to Bloomberg, citing Hagerty, prices currently average about $44,000, up 61 percent since 2010, and the later, somewhat more reliable examples are up 85 percent. Perhaps those values are soaring because those lining up for the new Lagonda (a.k.a. Taraf) are looking for a historical counterpart to display alongside their next car. Head over to Bloomberg to get the full story on why it might be time to reconsider these once unloved four-door Astons.

Say hello to the Aston Martin 'On Her Majesty’s Secret Service' DBS Superleggera

There's the fact that the Aston Martin DBS Superleggera has become the carmaker's most popular canvas for special editions of late. There's the fact that Aston Martin has a longstanding relationship with the production company behind the James Bond film franchise. And there's the fact that Aston Martin is working with the Bond franchise at the moment, with the Rapide E and who knows how many other Warwickshire products to star and cameo in Bond 25. And that's how we arrive at the fact of the Aston Martin "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" DBS Superleggera, which celebrates the sixth film in the franchise. From now on we'll call this coupe the OHMSS DBS Superleggera, which, when pronounced "Oh Ms. DBS," is a wonderful acronym. We didn't make that up, either — the first five letters are etched onto the strakes on the front fenders. In 1969, George Lazenby as James Bond drove an olive 1969 DBS in the film. This being a turbulent time for the franchise, the car had no gadgets and didn't appear in any action scenes. The best it could do for fighting was a 4.0-liter inline six cylinder with either 282 horsepower or 325 hp depending on whether it had the SU or more potent Weber carburetors. Now that we live in an era of all-action-all-the-time, the DBS Superlegerra celebrates the film's semicentennial with a 712-hp, 5.2-liter twin-turbo V12. Olive paint dresses up the carbon fiber bodywork and the cantrails and roof that are usually black. The hue gets contrasted by a six-bar horizontal grille and a delightfully ornate set of diamond-turned wheels. The interior is wrapped in Pure Black leather set off with Alcantara in the same kind of gray blend found in the 1969 DBS. The seats get outlined in red piping, matching the red-trimmed glovebox in the movie where Bond retrieved his disassembled Armalite AR-7 rifle and telescopic sight. If a buyer wishes, he can order a custom black drinks case for the trunk, designed to fit two bottles of bubbly and four flutes. Aston Martin will make 50 examples of the Oh Ms. DBS priced at GBP300,000 (about $380,000). That's around $72,000 more than the standard GT, and we'd recommend splurging on bulletproof rear glass for the new DBS, too. That will still be an easier bullet to take than the track-only, GBP2.75 million Aston Martin Goldfinger DB5 Continuation Gadget.

Aston Martin DB5 'No Time to Die' Edition takes 007 to the tikes

Last August, The Little Car Company introduced the Aston Martin DB5 Junior. It was a two-thirds-scale replica of the life-sized item, with an electric powertrain in place of the inline-six, made for kids whose leases were up on their Little Tikes Cars and wanted to get into something more mature. A year later, with the new James Bond film No Time to Die finally reaching theaters at the end of this month, The Little Car Company (TLC) has rolled out a DB5 Junior No Time to Die Edition in its sales garage. Working with Aston Martin, Eon Productions, and Bond film special effects supervisor Chris Corbould, the newest little Aston gets more power and a host of gadgets. The original DB5 Junior contained a 1.8-kWh battery pack powering a 6.7-horsepower motor, and could be driven in Novice or Expert modes. The Bond-themed version has been uprated to a 7.2-kWh pack turning a 21.5-hp motor, and can be piloted in Novice, Expert, Competition and Escape modes. It's the most powerful vehicle the company currently offers, and can go up to 80 miles on a charge. Fidelity to the original includes Silver Birch paint and Smiths instruments, although a couple of gauges have been swapped out to serve an EV powertrain instead of internal combustion. The Bilstein dampers and Brembo brakes with brake regeneration are subtle improvements. And true, Daniel Craig's Bond doesn't drive the droptop DB5, but TLC made a Q Branch executive decision so that parents could fit in the car beside their kids.   Gadgets are controlled by a hidden switch panel in the passenger's door, because agents-in-training should focus on driving. They goodies menu lists a digital license plate, fake Gatling guns behind the headlights, a real smokescreen generator emitted through exhaust tips, and a skid mode. Owners of the last year's DB5 Junior will get first right of refusal to purchase the No Time to Die Edition. Unlike the original, which TLC made 1,059 examples of, the DB5 Junior No Time to Die Edition will be limited to 125 units. The new version doubles the price of the original, costing GBP90,000 ($122,616 U.S.) plus tax to become a miniature agent in Her Majesty's Secret Service.  Related Video: