WHY SEE ONE BOND VEHICLE WHEN THREE WILL DO?

12 November 2015 was a lucky day for me as I got to see not one, not two, but three different Bond vehicles!

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Thanks to the kind people at Stratstone Aston Martin, Derby, I got to see one of the bespoke 10  Aston Martin DB10 cars that had been made for the James Bond film SPECTRE. 

Having found out that the car would be at the dealership I spoke to their Sales Manager who said unfortunately the car was there for a private event but if I could get there early enough I could take photo's of the DB10 and a Silver Birch DB5 that they had on display, so long as I was finished before their event started at 10:00 AM.

So armed with my camera I got the kids off to school and braved the rush-hour traffic and then got to the Aston Martin dealership a little after 9:00 AM. And despite trying to remain calm on the outside, on the inside I was thrilled at seeing such a unique Bond car 'in person'.

The car was a beautiful piece of machinery. When my wife saw the car for the first time she described it as  A Beautiful Shark. And looking at it up-close I could not help but agree with her. I would describe it as both powerful and elegant in equal measure.

The DB10 on display was driven by former Rally driver Mark Higgins. Looking through the window of the DB10 I could see that the interior of the car was very different to how it appeared on-screen - it featured the safety harnesses, roll cage and hydraulic brake that was needed to ensure Mark could safely throw the DB10 through the streets of Rome.

Also on display was a beautiful 1964 Aston Martin DB5. Although sporting the BMT 214A number plate I was advised that this particular car had not appeared in any of the 007 movies. Still to see such a beautiful piece of automotive history up close was a joy to behold. 

Whilst I was looking at the cars I saw a motorbike being wheeled into the showroom to be displayed alongside them. It was the Norton Dominator SS Motorbike that featured in SPECTRE  in the Q's lab scenes, sporting machine guns, and in the Clapper-Board photo opposite.

It was amazing to see the amount of detail that had been given to the motorbike considering the small cameo roll it had in the film. I guess in the days of Blu-Ray and High Definition this has to be the case - or things will look quite rough and ready  when the film is scrutinised by Bond fans in H.D.

Looking at the two cars side-by-side it was awe-inspiring to see over 50 years of automotive history and the bespoke craftsmanship of Aston Martin. Looking at the first and last of the James Bond Aston Martin's made me wonder what Aston Martin have planned for their future cars... and if any of them will be driven by 007.

I guess only time will tell.

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