What you’re looking at here is a very special 2001 Aston Martin Vanquish. Not only was this used by Pierce Brosnan to promote the movie ‘Die Another Day’ back in 2002, but it was also literally the first car to ever drive down the M6 Toll road to commemorate its opening in 2003. It is now up for grabs at auction where it’s expected to fetch anywhere from $65,000 to just over $90,000.
Technically, this isn’t one of the hero cars used in the movie, where Bond drives a gadget-laden V12 Vanquish equipped with cloaking tech, missile launchers, and other advanced weaponry. However, we can still call it a ‘Bond car’ to some extent. Brosnan did use it – and it looks just like the movie car.
In case you’re having trouble remembering the plot of Die Another Day, let’s just say that we totally understand. It wasn’t one of the most critically acclaimed Bond films ever made. I think the plot had something to do with North Korea and a rogue colonel, then somehow Bond ends up in a chase scene in Iceland on a frozen lake where missiles start flying.
Actually, that sounds a lot like something we might see in a modern-day Fast & Furious movie, but I digress.
Those of you who are genuinely interested in the car will be interested to know that the sale is taking place on Wednesday, October 9, at the Imperial War Museum in Duxford, courtesy of H&H Classics. This Vanquish, which also sported the number plate ‘M16 SPY’ for a brief while, has just 37,800 miles on the clock, and began life as one of seven Vanquish models retained by Aston Martin for press duties.
According to the ad, the car was later delivered to Pinewood Studios to be photographed alongside Pierce Brosnan and looks just as good now as it did back then – approximately 22 years ago when the studio was busy promoting ‘Die Another Day’.
At that time, this was described as the ultimate grand tourer, its main rival being the Ferrari 550 Maranello and its successor, the 575. I guess you could say that both cars were movie stars, the latter playing a major role in Bad Boy 2 and arguably seeing even more screen time and action than its British rival.
In case you’re having trouble remembering the plot of Die Another Day, let’s just say that we totally understand. It wasn’t one of the most critically acclaimed Bond films ever made. I think the plot had something to do with North Korea and a rogue colonel, then somehow Bond ends up in a chase scene in Iceland on a frozen lake where missiles start flying.
Actually, that sounds a lot like something we might see in a modern-day Fast & Furious movie, but I digress.
Those of you who are genuinely interested in the car will be interested to know that the sale is taking place on Wednesday, October 9, at the Imperial War Museum in Duxford, courtesy of H&H Classics. This Vanquish, which also sported the number plate ‘M16 SPY’ for a brief while, has just 37,800 miles on the clock, and began life as one of seven Vanquish models retained by Aston Martin for press duties.
What else is special about this Vanquish?
This first-generation model, styled by Ian Callum, made its debut at NAIAS in January of 1998, boasting a naturally aspirated 5.9-liter V12 engine (like the one in the DB7). It produced 460 horsepower and 400 lb-ft of torque, which would have been enough to get you from zero to 60 mph in under 5 seconds, before maxing out at more than 190 mph (306 kph).At that time, this was described as the ultimate grand tourer, its main rival being the Ferrari 550 Maranello and its successor, the 575. I guess you could say that both cars were movie stars, the latter playing a major role in Bad Boy 2 and arguably seeing even more screen time and action than its British rival.