2002 Aston Martin on 2040-cars

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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

2012 Pebble Beach Concept Car Lawn offers a tutorial in cars to come

The Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance is a showcase for some of the world's most exquisite vintage vehicles, but if newer metal is more your speed, the Concept Car Lawn is the place to be.
This year saw models from Bugatti, Lamborghini, Aston Martin, McLaren and Bentley as well as SRT, Hennessey, Infiniti and Lexus among others. The ultimate sampler platter of exotic and concept vehicles saw the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse mingle with the Lamborghini Urus Concept and the mighty Hennessey Venom GT, though we found ourselves particularly smitten with the BMW Zagato Roadster and the Aston Martin Vanquish.
Not that we could go wrong anywhere we looked. The 2013 Bentley Continental GT Speed seemed perfectly content parked on the manicured putting green, as did the McLaren MP4-12C Spider. Get cozy with the full gallery below to see the smattering of metal on the lawn.

Aston Martin partners with Chinese company to make RapidE by 2018

Aston Martin intends to launch a production version of the electric RapidE concept by 2018, and a partnership with Chinese company LeEco should make that quick timeline possible. The deal brings the British brand a significant step closer to its goal of offering a more electrifying lineup. Under this deal, Aston Martin and LeEco will develop the battery and powertrain tech for the RapidE together, and they'll also work out how to produce the electric sedan. According to the announcement, some of these innovations might show up in Faraday Future vehicles because LeEco is the new name for LeTV, which is backing the mysterious EV startup. Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer confirmed development of the electric Rapid last spring and later said the company already had a test mule. Rumors suggest the all-wheel drive EV could be astoundingly powerful with between 800 and 1,000 horsepower. A single-charge range of 200 miles is also possible. However, the British company might produce only a few hundred RapidE's a year at prices between $200,000 and $250,000 each, which would make it a niche product for the boutique brand. The RapidE's high price and low production would keep the sedan out of the mainstream, but the model's development could allow Aston Martin to hone its EV prowess for the more mainstream DBX electric crossover. The CUV is due around 2019. ASTON MARTIN AND LEECO PARTNER TO CO-DEVELOP ELECTRIC VEHICLE Published: Feb 17, 2016 17 February 2016, Frankfurt, Germany: Leading global technology company LeEco and luxury sports car brand Aston Martin today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) towards the creation of a partnership that will develop a production version of the Aston Martin RapidE electric vehicle concept. It is anticipated that the partnership will see the two companies working together in developing and manufacturing RapidE, with potential for adding a range of next-generation connected electric vehicles on behalf of Aston Martin, LeEco and Faraday Future. This new signing extends the existing collaboration between the two companies. In January 2016, LeEco and Aston Martin revealed the first results of their partnership – an Aston Martin Rapide S incorporating the latest Letv Internet of the Vehicle (IOV) system.