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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.

Tesla Model S squares off against Aston Martin Rapide S

Can the Tesla Model S electric motor's 443 pound-feet of torque from zero rpm and equivalent of 416 horsepower trump the Aston Martin Rapide S V12's 457 lb-ft from 5500 rpm and 550 hp? Autocar attempts to answer that question by drag racing them - which only leads us to ask more questions. Which is the fastest around a race track? Is the Tesla's relatively low top speed of 130 miles per hour (the Rapide S can reach 190 mph) forgivable in light of its astounding torque? Does that even matter?
We hope Autocar's Steve Sutcliffe will pit the Tesla and the Aston Martin against each other again in the near future to answer those questions, and pick once and for all which one is the preferred luxury sedan. But until then he entertains us in the video below by raving about the Model S's attributes, pitching it into medium-speed sweepers and getting it a bit sideways with nothing but road and tire noise permeating the cabin - something people in the UK can experience for themselves once right-hand-drive cars go on sale there this spring.

Aston Martin Victor is a one-off Q build inspired by the original V8 Vantage

Aston Martin’s Q division should be taken very seriously. It just turned out this stunning one-off custom model named the Aston Martin Victor. The Victor is based on a One-77, and itÂ’s the biggest project Q has ever taken on. Aston used the V8 Vantage of the 1970s and 1980s as the design inspiration for the Victor, making it look like a resto-mod Aston Martin. We dig it, a lot. The styling is massively different than a One-77 from front to back, as Aston has gone over every surface of this car. Our favorite highlights include the round headlights, Vulcan-inspired taillights, and boattail rear with its massive, upturned spoiler. It walks the Aston line of being beautiful and aggressive at the same time, with the emphasis on aggression in this build. The paint is called Pentland Green, and itÂ’s complemented by a whole lot of satin carbon fiber. The carbon-fiber monocoque chassis is adapted from the One-77. However, the new carbon-fiber body weighs less than that of the original One-77. Under the sculpted hood sits a 7.3-liter V12. ItÂ’s also from a One-77, but itÂ’s been heavily breathed upon by Cosworth. Output is bumped up to 836 horsepower and 606 pound-feet of torque, increases of 86 and 53 respectively. And then thereÂ’s the transmission. Aston converted it to a genuine three-pedal six-speed manual. The gearbox comes courtesy of Graziano. It requires new twin coolers to handle the heat and a motorsport clutch to handle the torque.  Shifting is done with a solid walnut knob, and itÂ’s simply beautiful. Forest Green “Conker Bridge of Weir” leather covers the cabin where you donÂ’t see exposed carbon fiber. Cashmere is used for the headliner, while anodized aluminum and polished titanium serve in concert with walnut wood for the interior trim. Yeah, it was probably extremely expensive. This car should handle spectacularly well, too. It uses the same inboard dampers and springs as the Vulcan, allowing for six settings of aggression. Aston says it was tuned to ride well on the street in addition to a racetrack — after all, it is road legal. Center-lock wheels are fitted, and six-piston Brembo brakes with carbon-ceramic rotors sit within them. Aston says it produces even more downforce than a Vantage GT4 racecar, so itÂ’s a serious track monster. We donÂ’t know how much it costs, but whoever commissioned the build is certainly extravagantly rich. Related video: