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1965 Aston Martin DB5 Convertible fetches record $2 million in Paris

Aston Martin and Ferrari may occupy similar territory in the current market for new cars, or at least overlap, but when it comes to their respective classics, they're in different leagues. While some classic Ferraris can sell at auction for eight figures, the highest prices ever paid for classic Astons work out to seven. That makes this latest result something of a world record. At its recent auction, held at the Grand Palais in Paris during the Retromobile classic car show this past weekend, venerated auction house Bonhams sold a 1965 Aston Martin DB5 Convertible (one of just 35 left-hand-drive models made) for the equivalent of $2.14 million. That makes it the highest price ever paid for a production DB5 - coupe or convertible - in the history of automobile auctions, driving the most successful automobile auction Bonhams has ever held in Europe. It was not, strictly speaking, the most ever paid for any Aston, however. That honor, according to Sports Car Market, goes to the 1955 DB3S racer that Gooding & Co. sold for $5.5 million at Pebble Beach last year. Nor was it the most expensive DB5 (modified or otherwise), after the highly modified one from the James Bond movies Goldfinger and Thunderball sold for $4.6 million back in 2010. This latest record easily eclipsed other production DB5s, though: The most we'd ever seen a standard model sell for was $1.65M at RM's auction in Monterey last year. Other high-priced Aston auctions include a Zagato-bodied 1960 DB4 GT "Jet" ($5M, Bonhams 2013), another DB3S ($3.7M, RM 2012), a '57 DBR2 ($3.4M, Christie's 1985), a Ghia-bodied '56 DB2/4 ($2.3M, RM 2013) and a series of DB4 GTs that have gone for between $2.2 and $2.7 million.

Aston Martin SUV production to start in late 2019

Aston Martin has confirmed it's upcoming SUV will begin production at a new factory beginning in late-2019. The high end sport-utility will be similar in size and design to the DBX Concept, which Aston Martin first exhibited in Monterey back in 2015. Since it first debuted three years, the market for exotic and hugely expensive sport-utilities has gotten red-hot and highly competitive. New models in this rarefied segment of the sport-utility world now include the Lamborghini Urus, Rolls-Royce Cullinan, and Bentley Bentayga. The plant where Aston will build its SUV is based in St. Athan, Wales, on the site of a former Royal Air Force base. A total of three former aircraft hangars are being combined, to create this new facility. This factory is only part of a larger expansion plan that will add roughly 1,000 new employees to Aston Martin's ranks, stationed throughout its existing facilities in Gaydon and Newport Pagnell, along with the new St. Athan-based site. "We are delighted at the progress being made at the St Athan site. The team have done a fantastic job in advancing the facility and I was incredibly proud to chair our first Board meeting at the new plant," said Andy Palmer, Aston Martin's president and CEO. Showing how important adding a truck is to its future business model, Aston confirmed a total of 150 employees will be assigned solely to "pre-production preparations" related to the company's upcoming SUV. Related Video:

Catch these four Aston Martins in Bond 25, 'No Time to Die'

Unless Aston Martin is holding a trick up its sleeve, an Aston Martin Rapide E will not be appearing in the new James Bond movie "No Time to Die," as we'd previously thought. The film will, however, feature the Valhalla, the DBS Superlegerra, the V8 Vantage and the DB5, as confirmed by a recent tweet.  As the anniversary of when the first Bond film "Dr. No" was originally released in 1962, Oct. 5 has been deemed Global James Bond Day. To celebrate the occasion, two things were unveiled: the first movie poster for "No Time To Die" and Aston Martin's movie lineup. Playing to the 25th anniversary, Aston will include classic models, current cars, and future rides. Part of this news is not really news. We knew both the V8 Vantage and the DB5 would be in attendance, but the inclusion of both the DBS Superleggera and the Valhalla is a nice surprise. There's no word whether the DBS will be one of the "On Her Majesty’s Secret Service" special-edition examples, but we doubt it. The pairing of the Superleggera and the Valhalla sparks excellent memories of the epic Aston Martin DB10 vs. Jaguar C-X75 chase scene from "Spectre." We can only hope we're so lucky to see these cars in yet another romp. Few numbers about the Valhalla's powertrain have leaked, other than it will be mid-engined with a twin-turbocharged V6 with F1 tech, but it's doubtlessly capable of battling the DBS, which has a 715-horsepower twin-turbocharged 5.2-liter V-12.  We'll find out how involved each vehicle is on April 8, 2020, the day "No Time To Die" releases. Past, present and future. To mark the 25th Bond film, #NoTimeToDie, four of our cars will be featured in the film. From the classic DB5 and V8 Vantage, to the new DBS Superleggera and Aston Martin Valhalla, there is something for every Bond fan.#JamesBondDay@007 pic.twitter.com/cmKvswriHo — Aston Martin (@astonmartin) October 5, 2019 Celebrate #JamesBondDay with the first poster for #NoTimeToDie #Bond25 pic.twitter.com/EoU4PXhxwX — James Bond (@007) October 5, 2019