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James Bond will return ... in an Aston Martin DB5

The 25th James Bond film has a title: "No Time to Die." Honestly, it's bit generic and indicative of the Brosnan-era films or a post-Fleming novel. Whatever, as a diehard 007 fan, they could call it "Octopussy 2: Revenge for Vijay" and I'd still be giddy with anticipation.  Now, though I'm desperate to avoid spoilers, I couldn't help but notice news over at James Bond experts MI6-HQ that filming has begun in Italy with an Aston Martin DB5. They share images of multiple DB5's in a car transport along with what appears to be some new Jaguars. As you might recall, "Spectre" ends with Bond driving off into the sunset in his DB5 with Madeleine Swann. We already knew that Lea Seadoux would be returning for "No Time to Die," and now we know the car is coming back, too.  However, there was also the earlier news that another classic Bond Aston Martin would be returning: the V8 Vantage featured in "The Living Daylights." Same number plate and everything. That sounds absolutely awesome, yet I'm also sad I know it. Damned spoilers. Wait, I guess I'm now part of the problem.  Related Gallery 007 Best James Bond Cars View 20 Photos

2015 Aston Martin Vanquish [UPDATE]

There's something really special about an Aston Martin Vanquish. It's not my favorite model in the British automaker's range – I'm more of a Vantage guy, if I'm being choosy. But every time I drive one, I feel like I'm piloting something fit for royalty, $300,000 price tag and all. It's stunning to look at, even in the rather drab shade of gray pictured here. It makes an absolutely killer noise, the free-breathing V12 firing from beneath the hood and out the back with a truly intoxicating sound. And from behind the wheel, it feels like a truly proper grand tourer. Well, almost. The one major hiccup with the Vanquish I drove last year was its six-speed automatic transmission. In a word, it was awful. Really jarring shifts, delayed manual control through the paddles, and really, just a hugely misaligned piece of an otherwise excellent puzzle. So I was happy to hear that for 2015, Aston Martin had fitted a new, ZF-sourced, eight-speed unit – you know, the transmission being used by automakers like BMW, Jaguar, Audi, and many more. I normally have zero issues with this silky gearbox. But in the Vanquish, it wasn't smooth sailing like I expected – it feels like it still needs some final calibrations. But that doesn't make this car any less special. Drive Notes I love this engine. The 5.9-liter, naturally aspirated V12 makes 569 horsepower and 465 pound-feet of torque, and it absolutely loves to rev. That's a good thing, since the siren song of the Vanquish's V12 is most pronounced at higher engine speeds. In fact, it's not really all that audible right from the get-go. You have to work it up past 2,500-3,000 rpm before this thing really starts to sing. But when it's turned up to 11, it's one of the best-sounding engines I've ever heard. That said, getting the Vanquish going is kind of an awkward process. There's a surprising momentary lack of power delivery right at throttle tip-in, and then the Vanquish suddenly jolts forward. It's alarming – I found myself raising an eyebrow and yelling "GO!," especially when trying to quickly merge into the traffic flow. But it'll go, when it's ready, and hitting 60 miles per hour takes just 3.6 seconds. The transmission is still an issue here. When left to its own devices, it doesn't have a problem finding the right gear for the occasion, but the actual shifts don't fire off with the smoothness and quickness that I've come to expect from this tranny in other models.

Aston Martin plans to keep the internal combustion engine alive beyond 2030

As it stands, Aston Martin will be banned from selling gasoline-burning cars in its home country in 2030. California lawmakers want to push internal combustion technology off the scene by 2035, but Aston Martin's chief executive doesn't think that pistons, valves, and fuel injectors will completely disappear even as bans come into effect. "By 2030, 5% of business will still always be ICE. I never see it going down to zero," predicted Lawrence Stroll, Aston Martin's chairman, during the Financial Times Future of the Car summit. He added that there is "always going to be enthusiasts" who will request a powerful gasoline-fueled engine, and who will be able to pay for it. If it's not delayed, loosened, or reversed, the United Kingdom's blanket ban on internal combustion engines will mean that any new gasoline-powered Aston Martin sold within the nation's borders will not be street-legal starting in 2030. Owners will presumably be allowed to drive them on private property, like race tracks, and companies like Porsche are ramping up their efforts to present synthetic fuels as a viable alternative to premium unleaded. Across the pond, no such ban has been announced by our federal government -- at least not yet. 2021 Aston Martin DBX View 40 Photos Aston Martin plans to keep investing in gasoline-powered engines in the coming years; if the technology is getting regulated into extinction, it's going out with a bang. Stroll announced that some of the company's future models will continue using engines built by Mercedes-AMG, but they'll be tuned in-house. "Our current AMG engines are just that: AMG engines in an Aston. With this new deal, we will have bespoke AMG engines for Aston with different outputs, torque characteristics, etc. They'll still be AMG components, but they'll be bespoke-manufactured in Germany," he announced. As it stands, the only engine the carmaker gets from its German investor and partner is a twin-turbocharged, 4.0-liter V8, which powers a wide range of models. Its portfolio also includes a V12 it designed in-house, and a new 3.0-liter V6 is under development. Engines aren't the only bits with a "made in Germany" tag that future Aston Martin models will receive, however. Stroll confirmed that AMG's upcoming plug-in hybrid technology will permeate the British firm's range, and he revealed that the first electric Aston Martin will use drivetrain components (like motors and batteries) from AMG.