James Bond Will Get The First Aston Martin DB-9 Replacement

"Justin T. Westbrook" (justintylerwestbrook)
11/16/2014 at 10:00 • Filed to: James Bond, Aston Martin, DB9, DB10, Aston, Martin, 007, Bond 24, 24, cars, action, stunts, movies, films, crashes, trains, Skyfall, Casino Royale, hot

Fun Fact: Way back in January of 2006, Aston Martin made the unprecedented announcement that an all new model would be revealed to the world later that year in the 21st James Bond movie, Casino Royale . That model ended up being the revival of the DBS, which was based on the DB-9 platform. All of this happened thanks to a deal between Aston's then-owners Ford and the Bond production team. Bond also drove the crazy rare exotic Ford Mondeo.

Details of the car were kept for Bond's eyes only until audiences finally saw the new car in the flesh in November of 2006, when the film premiered and revealed the beautiful Silver-Grey, kick-ass, Bond baddie beating, gorgeously loud DBS to the World. The car wasn't traditionally unveiled until all the way in August of 2007. As described by Aston Martin, "The DBS is not of the understated elegance of a DB9, nor the youthful agility of the V8 Vantage. It is explosive power in a black tie and has its own unique character which will equal that of James Bond." Indeed, as the strong but refined character of the car fit Daniel Craig's new rough and tough, sarcastically dry humored, '0-60 before I reload' characterization of Bond like a white dinner jacket and a cigarette fit Sean Connery.

In Casino Royale , James Bond's DBS is decked out with totally radical, uhm, glove box drawers.. which slide out to reveal a pistol and a defibrillator. There's a reason Q-branch doesn't appear in this one. Bond does conveniently go into cardiac arrest at one point, so I guess it's good to be prepared. The highlight of the car featuring in the film comes when Bond's babe, Vesper, has been kidnapped in an evil Jaguar, and the super spy gives chase. The evil Jaguar guys dump her in the middle of the road just over a crest, and swerving to miss her, Bond flips his VIN-number-001 DBS seven times , breaking the movie record for number of flips in an assisted vehicle rollover in a film. The stunt team had to use a nitrogen air cannon to flip the car because the stability control and aerodynamics were so good it would correct mid-air and land planted, you know, not dramatically wrecking the car to bits. Because of this, on one take it slid a couple hundred feet into a pants-shitting camera crew that managed to run away, as hilariously featured in the behind the scenes on the Blu-Ray copy of the film. From Top Gear:

From Casino Royale :

Okay, so to get to the important bit, and the title of this article, the real fun fact is that the DBS in Casino Royale was really just a DB-9 in very pretty drag. Yes, the actual DBS is based on the DB-9 platform, but the models used in the film were pre-pre-production models. To get the new car to appear in the film, they simply gussied up a DB-9. You'll remember the actual unveiling of the production model wasn't until August of 2007, about 9 months after the film was released. The real DBS finally featured in 2008's Quantum Of Solace , where Bond tears it to absolute shit in the first three minutes of the film and it never comes back.

All of this 'fake DBS' Bond history is good news for what Aston Martin have planned next year. It's actually kind of old news. Now free from Ford in recent years, Aston has managed to keep its deal with the Bond production team which is why, among other reasons, the DB-5 was able to show up in 2012's Skyfall . As we already know, the new DB-9 replacement is planned for a 2016/2017 unveiling/release. The deal between the Bond crew and Aston Martin supposedly means the car company's products are guaranteed to be in the next two Bond movies, with Bond 24 already planned for an October 2015 release. The juicy bit came from an interview with the two main producers of the Bond films back in March of this year. Speaking at the Bond In Motion exhibit in London, Michael G. Wilson claimed that a new Aston Martin " that people haven't seen " would be in Bond 24. Seeing as the newest model is currently the Lagonda sedan, and that's only for some guys in a desert, it looks like history will repeat itself with the new generation of Aston Martin showing up first in the still untitled Bond movie in 2015. Besides, Bond doesn't typically do four doors. Here's the full interview:

It is likely that this all new model will indeed be the replacement for the DB-9, which may be called anything from DB-9 again to DB10-14. Seeing as the car isn't planned for production until possibly 2017, it is likely that the car featuring in the Bond film may just be a cosmetic upgrade to a slightly modified current DB-9, Vantage, or Vanquish designed to look and sound like the new model. The new car is already rumored to be Bond's ride of choice in a car chase planned through the streets of Rome. Likely giving chase will be the recently cast Dave Bautista, the red guy from Guardians Of The Galaxy , fitting the role of 'big scary brawn meanie'.

Further teasing the eagle-eyed Bond fans were a few Instagram posts by Stunt Coordinator Gary Powell. This is the guy that convinced Daniel Craig to climb on a crane in Casino Royale , jump off of a few rooftops in Quantum Of Solace , and legitimately play out a fight on top of a train going 50mph in Skyfall . According to the account @garystunts, he has made several trips to Aston Martin's Gaydon headquarters in Warwickshire, England. Most of the teasing photos have been taken down, but one of a directional sign reading "Aston Martin" and another of a completely chrome car are still up. It's likely these meetings are to go over how the new car will fit into the film, as Gary Powell is the main brain behind organizing chaotic things like explosions, fights, and more importantly the kick ass car chases in the films.

Gary Powell was under fire earlier this year for revealing the production crew heading to Morocco, Rome, and Austria, which all turned out to be confirmed shooting locations for the next film. Those posts were also subsequently removed. Mexico has also recently been added to the list of locations.

With filming of Bond 24 set to begin next month, and lasting a guesstimated 6-7 months, it should not be long before either Aston Martin officially announces their plans for the new model in the film, or some Roman Jalopbro snaps a selfie with Daniel Craig and the pre-production model running stop-lights in Italy.

All of this information comes from my "it's not that weird, Mom!" knowledge of everything James Bond, and these sites: !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , and the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! as well as the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . As a random shout out, if you want to buy things to look and feel as cool as James Bond, James Bond Lifestyle is an amazing directory of where to find everything including recipes of stuff he's eaten, watches and cheaper knockoff watches, cars, drinks, sweaters, cigars; you name it.

I just really like this screen grab. It's all dramatic and cool and shit.

Justin Westbrook is a 20-year-old General Manager of a Jimmy John's sub shop in North Carolina, and spends his spare time watching James Bond movies, thinking about going to college, and participating in "the internet."

DISCUSSION (26)

FromCanadaWithLove > Justin T. Westbrook
11/16/2014 at 10:18

Good read. I've always been a massive James Bond fan, too (hence the word play in my username.) The two DBS' (CR/QoS and OHMSS) are tied for my favourite Bond cars.

There must be a press conference soon. Skyfall's was this time in 2011. It'd be great to get more details on the new Aston. I'd love it if they'd bring back green Aston Martins; maybe use the Alloro Green.

Kat Callahan > Justin T. Westbrook
11/16/2014 at 10:28

Nice, will share later.

Justin T. Westbrook > Kat Callahan
11/16/2014 at 10:29

Thanks, Kat!

Justin T. Westbrook > FromCanadaWithLove
11/16/2014 at 10:32

The OHMSS DBS is one of my favorite cars, period. It's so.. quasi-muscle car. I like Dalton's V8 Vantage as well. The press conference should be anywhere in the Dec 1st to Dec 6th range as far as I've heard. They're hoping to start filming before the new year, so time is on our side.

The rumor mill has been alarmingly quiet compared to this time during Skyfall's production. We had about a month long dry spell, but just this week it's been said that Christoph Waltz will play a key character. The main Bond girl is still unknown, though. Usually that's one of the first things to slip.

Tareim - V8 powered > Justin T. Westbrook
11/16/2014 at 10:34

I really hated that scene is Casino Royale as the car flipping was so fake, no supercar would flip like that in those circumstances without the assistance it was given

The Stig's Rustbelt Cousin > Tareim - V8 powered
11/16/2014 at 10:56

Of course it was fake; if reality were anywhere near that exciting, you wouldn't go to the movies. If the Aston didn't swerve and flip over 7 times, what would the outcome of that chase have been? Bond avoids running over his girl, maintains control of the car, and then successfully chases the bad guys to wherever they were going? Or would he manage to come to a stop, untie her, and then take her back to the hotel for some cocoa and grief-counseling? Either way, the plot of the movie doesn't move forward in a compelling way.

I forget exactly which episode of Top Gear it is, but you should watch the one where Clarkson and Hammond attempt to film a movie chase scene. It's a good example of how it's impossible for film producers to appease car-nerds, without being pedantic.

Tareim - V8 powered > The Stig's Rustbelt Cousin
11/16/2014 at 11:12

I'd have been happy with what happen with the white car in the video above as there would be no way he'd be getting out from there in a hurry

The Stig's Rustbelt Cousin > Tareim - V8 powered
11/16/2014 at 11:56

The car is in a ditch. Hardly an incapacitating accident for the driver. That's about as exciting as Bond not being able to continue his pursuit because it's snowing and he forgot to have his winter tires installed.

KirkyV > The Stig's Rustbelt Cousin
11/16/2014 at 12:53

Personally, my ideal solution to the problem would've been for the DBS to deploy its Q-branch air-rams, jump over the girl, and then land on top of the baddies' car, crushing them. Bond would then step out, form a one-liner based around some variation of the word 'crush', and go pick up Vespa. They'd then drive to the villain's top secret island-lair, reaching it by means of the DBS' ekranoplan-esque amphibious mode.

I like my Bond old-fashioned.

The Stig's Rustbelt Cousin > KirkyV
11/16/2014 at 14:17

Movies as escapist entertainment? It's a crazy idea, but it just might work! You may want to run your ideas past our friend here, after he's done complaining about how the filmmakers didn't show Bond holding the traction control button down for 18 seconds to switch it off.

Vin > Justin T. Westbrook
11/16/2014 at 14:38

As a random shout out, if you want to buy things to look and feel as cool as James Bond, James Bond Lifestyle is an amazing directory of where to find everything including recipes of stuff he's eaten, watches and cheaper knockoff watches, cars, drinks, sweaters, cigars; you name it.

Good-bye, all chances of being productive this fine Sunday.

Becks118 > Justin T. Westbrook
11/16/2014 at 15:22

I read that article freaky fast for some reason...then I read your bio and it all makes sense. I'll take a turkey tom on wheat, hold the sprouts.

Justin T. Westbrook > Becks118
11/16/2014 at 16:41

Sprouts are optional *rolls eyes* and do you want cheese on that?

StingrayJake > Justin T. Westbrook
11/16/2014 at 17:45

Aston Martins all look the same. But I still like them.

Vic788 > Justin T. Westbrook
11/16/2014 at 22:25

I think "Q" should be play by Sean connery and should ramble something like this .

Kinja'd!!!

Vincent Davidson > Justin T. Westbrook
11/16/2014 at 23:10

Nice.

MannyBones > Justin T. Westbrook
11/17/2014 at 12:56

All of this happened thanks to a deal between Aston's then-owners Ford and the Bond production team.

Suppsedly it helped that the Broccolis were personal friends with Ford PAG's head Wolfgang Rieztle, who used to be at BMW and is why BMW's were used during Pierce Brosnan's run.

YoeMeyeR > Vic788
12/02/2014 at 14:47

I would definitely watch the next 'Bond if Sean plays the Boss...or the Father or whatever you wanna call it.

Just Cars for Joe Bryant > Justin T. Westbrook
12/02/2014 at 16:42

While not the best Daniel Craig Bond film, Quantum of Solace still has the best Aston Martin action to date in my book:

Justin T. Westbrook > Just Cars for Joe Bryant
12/02/2014 at 16:57

YESYESYESYESYESYESYES.

shieldsdb > Justin T. Westbrook
12/03/2014 at 13:28

The crash scene made me cry! :(

Hydro-Spanner > Just Cars for Joe Bryant
12/03/2014 at 14:10

agreeeeeee

Taylor Hedgie > Justin T. Westbrook
12/03/2014 at 17:55

Kinja'd!!!

Major OSHIT moment for me when I first watched it.

Justin T. Westbrook > Taylor Hedgie
12/03/2014 at 19:05

Not to mention what I accept as some of the best cinematography in the franchise. Casino Royale as a whole is a beautifully shot film.

Taylor Hedgie > Justin T. Westbrook
12/16/2014 at 05:51

Does that scene still hold that world record for something or another? I can't remember what exactly, prolly flips or, flips.

Justin T. Westbrook > Taylor Hedgie
12/16/2014 at 09:02

I have no idea. It was 10 years ago. But I do not know how to look these things up.