2009 Aston Martin Db9 on 2040-cars

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James Bond cars heading to auction with other series costumes and props

Here's your chance to really drive what 007 drove. On Sept. 28, Christie's will be auctioning 60 pieces from the expansive EON Productions archives, including costumes, props, and since this is Autoblog, cars! Much of the Sixty Years of James Bond Collection up for auction are pieces used during the filming of "No Time to Die," but there are some other noteworthy items from earlier films. The 60 pieces coincide with the film franchise's 60th anniversary. Among the cars is one of seven Aston Martin DB5 replica stunt cars built specifically for the movie, complete with plenty of damage incurred during the pre-credits sequence. It would also seem to be one of the stunt cars fitted with Gatling gun props behind the headlights (you can read more about the team behind the stunts here). As it's a replica and a stunt car, it does not have a full DB5 interior. However, as it's a replica and a stunt car, it also has a 3.2-liter inline-six from an E46 BMW M3. Now that's a melding of my personal tastes if there ever was one. Its price estimate is between GBP1.5 million and GBP2 million, or about $1.84 million and $2.46 million. Proceeds from every lot will go to various charities.  The auction's other cars driven by 007 in the film include an Aston Martin DBS Superleggera and one that's particularly close to my heart, a 1981 Aston Martin V8. Although it appears to be the same car driven by Timothy Dalton in "The Living Daylights," it's in fact a different car, made obvious by the fact that its model year is from six years prior to Mr. Dalton's first go in the tux. Also included in the auction are stunt vehicles used by baddies (we really need to talk about the blood money on JLR's hands after doing all this business with Spectre), including a Range Rover Sport SVR, a Land Rover Defender 110 and Jaguar XF. There's also a Triumph Scrambler motorcycle used in the filming, plus a new special edition 007 60th Anniversary Land Rover Defender 110 V8 not used in the film.  The only vehicles being auctioned from earlier films include a Q Boat from "The World is Not Enough" (I'm guessing EON still has a couple of them), the cello case from "The Living Daylights" (yes that counts as a vehicle), and a Day of the Dead parade bike from "Spectre" (I could buy that, ride around Portland on it and no one would bat an eye).

Aston Martin DB11 V8 loses four cylinders but none of its grace

We love the Aston Martin DB11. Few vehicles combine speed, luxury, and comfort as well as that beautiful British coupe. That said, it's not the most efficient or affordable GT in the world, but Aston Martin is planning to change that. Starting this year, the company will offer the DB11 a twin-turbocharged V8 sourced from the mad Germans at Mercedes-AMG. We've known about the engine partnership for a while now, though we assumed the first Aston Martin to use a Mercedes-AMG V8 would be the next-generation V8 Vantage. At first, sticking a V8 under the hood might seem like an odd choice, but the DB series only recently started using V12s. Historically, the car has packed powerful inline-six engines. Offering two engines will allow the company to sell a lower-cost model and presumably boost sales. That means changes are strictly mechanical in nature. The engine is the now-common 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged Mercedes-AMG V8. Output is 503 horsepower and 498 pound-feet of torque. That's down 97 horsepower and 18 pound-feet of torque from the 5.2-liter V12. In the Mercedes-AMG C63 S, the 4.0-liter V8 makes equal horsepower and 18 more pound-feet of torque. Aston Martin says that the partnership with Mercedes-AMG allows the company to tailor the engine for Aston Martins. This means a new ECU with new engine and throttle mapping. Losing four cylinders changes the character of the car a bit. The DB11 V8 is a not-insubstantial 254 pounds lighter than the V12. Since most of the weight savings comes from behind the front wheels, Aston Martin says the V8 model is more agile than the V12 model. Engineers have adjusted the suspension bushing, geometry, anti-roll bars, springs, dampers, and stability control to account for the weight savings. The DB11 V8's diet helps offset the lower power output. As such, the 4.0-second 0-62 sprint is just 0.1 seconds off the V12. Top speed is down 13 mph to a still extralegal speed of 187 mph. We don't have fuel economy ratings for the US, but expect an improvement from the V12's current rating. The V8 will be available with all of the same equipment and trims as the V12, with just a few visual changes to distinguish the two models. The V8 gets unique wheels, darker headlight surroundings, and just two vents on the hood, available in either black or titanium. The DB11 V8 goes on sale in the US later this year. At $198,995, it undercuts the V12 model by $17,500.

Aston Martin DB9 successor makes one sexy mule

It's been a dozen years since Aston Martin first introduced the DB9 to the world, and while it has undergone numerous revisions and updates over the course of its lifetime, twelve years is a long time. Fortunately the British automaker is preparing to launch a new version, and that's just what our shooters in Eiffel have spotted running around the Nurburgring. Now it's hard to tell much from these spy shots, because the prototype they depict is mostly wearing the bodywork of the existing DB9. So all the interesting stuff is happening beneath the skin. But it does appear that the front end is wider, giving the next-generation model – whatever it will ultimately be called – a wider front track and more room in the engine bay. Those who've been following the news will know that Aston has signed a deal with Mercedes-AMG that will see the German automaker's performance division supply it with a new powerplant, but that's not expected to be ready for the DB9 successor's arrival. Look for it to pop up in production guise sometime next year, then, with an evolution of Gaydon's long-serving and ubiquitous 6.0-liter V12 engine that's already developing 592 horsepower in the Vantage GT3... excuse us, Porsche: "GT12." Related Video: