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Aston Martin building 28 Goldfinger DB5 reproductions — complete with gadgets

The Lego iteration of the 1964 Aston Martin DB5 featured in the James Bond movie "Goldfinger" is a pretty cool toy for any Bond fan, what with its full suite of movie gadgetry. But for the well-heeled 007 fan, Aston Martin has something even more special in store. The car company announced that it will build a grand total of 28 full-size reproductions of the famous movie sports car. It won't simply be a DB5 in the correct color, either. The company is teaming up with the special effects supervisor from the most recent James Bond films, a man who, according to IMDb, has been working on Bond movies at some level since " The Spy Who Loved Me" and was the special-effects supervisor on the the Christopher Nolan Batman trilogy and the two latest numbered installments of the " Star Wars" series, to build the cars with "functioning gadgets such as revolving number plates and more." The "and more" part has us particularly intrigued. We imagine the tracking computer and bulletproof shield are simple enough. But the hideaway machine guns and ejector seat might be tricky. Regardless, you won't be able to deploy any of the gadgets on public roads, as Aston Martin explicitly states the cars won't be street legal. We're sure that won't keep Aston from finding buyers for these dream DB5s. The price tag probably won't deter serious buyers, either. The company says each car will sell for 2,750,000 pounds, which comes to $3,510,000 at current exchange rates. Of the 28 cars, 25 will be sold directly to customers. The remaining three will include one for Aston Martin, one for EON Productions, the company that produces Bond movies, and one that will auctioned for charity. Aston estimates the first cars will be delivered in 2020. Related Video: Featured Gallery James Bond's 1964 Aston Martin DB5 View 61 Photos News Source: Aston Martin, IMDbImage Credit: RM Auctions / RM Sotheby's TV/Movies Aston Martin Coupe Special and Limited Editions Classics aston martin db5

Aston Martin Valhalla project rebooted with Mercedes-Benz technology

Aston Martin will leverage its access to the Mercedes-Benz parts shelf to revise the Valhalla it plans to release in the coming years. Specifications haven't been finalized yet, but the supercar will most likely arrive with a German heart. Announced in early 2019 as the Project 003, and named Valhalla later that year, the Ferrari-punching model was on track to make its debut with a 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 mounted behind its passenger compartment. Aston Martin proudly pointed out that the six was the first engine it developed in-house since the Tadek Marek-designed 5.3-liter V8 entered production in 1969. These plans changed after Daimler purchased a 20% stake in the firm, however. Aston Martin boss Tobias Moers (whose last position was at the head of Mercedes-AMG) told investors that his team is "re-assessing" the Valhalla, and that it will "probably have a different drivetrain" than the concept. He didn't reveal what the model will be powered by, and he stressed that nothing is off the table. Mercedes-Benz has a wide range of four-, six-, eight-, and 12-cylinder engines in its parts bin, plus hybrid technology and electric motors. Electrification remains in the pipeline regardless of the path the company chooses to take. "With the transformational technology agreement with Mercedes-Benz, there are other chances for us regarding combustion engines, but we still have an electrified drivetrain," he said without providing more specific details. It sounds like Aston will make visual tweaks to the Valhalla, too, because Moers revealed that buyers will be shown an updated version of the car in the next four months. It's unclear whether it will be presented to the public, too. Regardless, the car's introduction is tentatively scheduled for late 2023, so it will likely arrive here as a 2024 model. Moers confirmed that a plug-in hybrid model with what he described as "a reasonable electric range" will join the Aston Martin range in the coming years, too. He added that three new variants of the DBX, the firm's first SUV, are on their way as well. One is a plug-in hybrid. Details about the others aren't known, but another could be a sportier version positioned at the top of the range. Finally, the first electric Aston Martin will arrive in about 2025.

A hybrid and electric Corvette, plus we drive the Ioniq 5 | Autoblog Podcast #728

In this episode of the Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Road Test Editor Zac Palmer. Zac drove the electric 2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5, and Greg drove the fire-breathing 2022 Maserati Levante Trofeo. The two dive deep into the relatively heavy news week by starting off with a discussion about the upcoming hybrid Corvette before chatting about what the electric Corvette might be like. They have a chat about the possibility of Porsche and Audi officially joining the Formula 1 field. Then, Greg and Zac get into some quick-hitting news to round out the segment by dissecting the updated Kia Soul (now without a turbo), the 30th Anniversary Edition Land Rover Defender and the new CEO at Aston Martin. Following the news and drive reviews, they rope in Senior Editor, Green John Beltz Snyder to give them a quick download of what went down at the first drive for the 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning. Finally, they reach into the mailbag and answer some questions from someone who is less than pleased about infotainment systems in some new cars. And lastly, the gang hears back from someone they helped out in a prior Spend My Money segment on the podcast. Send us your questions for the Mailbag and Spend My Money at: Podcast@Autoblog.com. Autoblog Podcast #728 Get The Podcast Apple Podcasts – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes Spotify – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast on Spotify RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown News The hybrid AWD Corvette and the electric Corvette Audi and Porsche to enter Formula 1 Land Rover Defender 30th Anniversary model 2023 Kia Soul refresh A new CEO at Aston Martin Cars we're driving 2022 Maserati Levante Trofeo 2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5 Dispatch from the 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning first drive in Texas Mailbag: A discussion about complicated infotainment systems Also, trading a Model 3 for an Escape PHEV? Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts Autoblog is now live on your smart speakers and voice assistants with the audio Autoblog Daily Digest. Say “Hey Google, play the news from Autoblog” or "Alexa, open Autoblog" to get your favorite car website in audio form every day. A narrator will take you through the biggest stories or break down one of our comprehensive test drives.