Whereas on my every day scorching lady stroll yesterday night, I got here throughout a street-parked Aston Martin Vantage that stopped me in my tracks. Not simply any “regular” Vantage, this can be a Vantage 007 Version, of which simply 100 had been produced in 2020 to have fun “No Time to Die,” the final James Bond film with Daniel Craig because the titular character. Most significantly to me, its distinctive styling cues had been impressed by the V8 Vantage that Timothy Dalton drove in 1987’s “The Dwelling Daylights,” which is my absolute favourite Bond automotive — and my favourite Aston.
I instantly knew this Vantage was this specific particular version, as a result of my mind is beneficial for mainly nothing however data like this, however even when you weren’t conscious of this particular version it might be a really cool spec. It’s painted within the subtly brown-ish shade of Cumberland Gray, with silver wheels (a rarity for contemporary Vantages) and yellow strains on the splitter, facet skirts and diffuser impressed by the hazard stripes on the ‘87 Vantage’s deployable skis. There’s a kinda lame Vantage badge on the fender vent, however decidedly not lame is the customized grille, which has a chrome border and sq. mesh like on the older automotive.
Whereas I didn’t take a peek into the cabin, there are some cool Bond-inspired particulars in there as properly. It has some 007 badges, after all, and the seats, parcel shelf and headliner have a lined leather-based motif like that of the ‘80s mannequin. For the true nerds, the solar visors are embroidered with the radio frequency Bond makes use of to flee within the film, the carbon-fiber seatbacks have holes impressed by a cello (an vital plot level in “Daylights”), the paddle shifters have etched missile steerage crosshairs, and a plaque below the middle armrest has a laser-etched design depicting all of the totally different devices of the “Daylights” film automotive.
Sadly, this specific instance didn’t have the best choice that Aston supplied for the 007 Version: A customized ski rack and color-matched pair of skis. In “Daylights” Bond’s Vantage doesn’t have a ski rack per se — it has built-in outrigger skis that deploy from the facet skirts — however it’s a cool contact nonetheless. Bond has pushed vehicles with rad ski racks, although, like his crimson Turbo Esprit in 1981’s “For Your Eyes Solely.”
This bundle price $34,425 on prime of the usual Vantage’s base value. Certain, that’s the worth of a properly optioned Honda Accord, however is an Accord this cool? Definitely not. You’re by no means gonna catch me being aggravated by how a lot Aston milks its Bond historical past, both, however I’d love if extra corporations would do the identical. Bond has pushed so many various kinds of vehicles over the a long time which might be additionally price being celebrated. The place’s my particular version Renault impressed by the Renault 11 that will get sawed in half in “A View to a Kill?”
