James Bond’s Aston Martin sells for £2.4million

An incredibly rare Aston Martin DB10 made for the latest James Bond film Spectre, sold under the hammer for an amazing £2,434,500.

The auction at Christie’s will provide funds to the Medecins Sans Frontieres charity. The bidding was described as ‘tense and exciting’ before a final bid of an whopping £2,434,500.

The buyer now owns a true piece of automotive history; the only Aston Martin DB10 to be made available for public sale. Celebrating the British brand’s half century with Bond, which started with the iconic DB5, the DB10 gives a glimpse of the future design direction for the next generation of Aston Martins. Production of the DB10 was strictly limited to 10 models of the bespoke sports car which was developed and hand-built by the designers, engineers and artisan craftspeople at Aston Martin’s Gaydon headquarters in the UK for the latest Bond film, Spectre.

Eight of the DB10’s were modified for filming, but two of those produced were kept back as show cars for display purposes only and the DB10 auctioned is one of them.

The money raised by the auction will benefit Medecins Sans Frontieres. MSF - or ‘Doctors without Borders’ – is a global humanitarian aid organisation that provides medical care and support to victims of armed conflict, epidemics and other disasters.

Aston Martin CEO Dr Andy Palmer said: “The DB10 is one of the rarest cars ever created. Only 10 will ever be made and this is the only one that will be made available for sale. It’s great to see this DB10 raising vital funds for Medecins Sans Frontieres, it is a fantastic charity that we are delighted to support”.

‘James Bond Spectre – The Live Auction’, was a unique collection of 10 lots which raised a total of £2,785,500 on the night. A further 14 lots are available in the online sale, which continues until 23 February, celebrating the release of the 24th Bond film on Digital HD, Blu-ray and DVD.

James Bond’s Aston Martin DB10 up for auction

A unique Aston Martin DB10, made for James Bond in 'Spectre' is to be auctioned for charity.

The Aston Martin DB10 – the first bespoke car created for James Bond by Aston Martin – is to go under the auctioneer’s gavel at Christie’s in London, with proceeds donated to Medecins Sans Frontieres. The only car to date in the rarest DB lineage to be made available for private ownership, the auction offers a very rare opportunity to own a piece of automotive history with bids almost certainly to go over the £1-million mark.

The auction of the only DB10 to date to be made available for private ownership celebrates the release of the 24th Bond film ‘Spectre’ on Digital HD, Blu-ray and DVD with 24 special auction lots going under the hammer for charity, led by the DB10.

Celebrating the British brand’s half century of working with Bond, which started with the DB5, the DB10 gives a glimpse of the future design direction for the next generation of Aston Martins. Production of the DB10 was strictly limited to ten examples of the bespoke sports car which was developed and hand-built by the designers, engineers and ‘artisan craftspeople’ at Aston Martin’s Gaydon headquarters in the UK for the latest Bond film.

The DB10 features a 4.7-litre V8 petrol engine and six-speed manual gearbox, with Aston Martin saying it ‘has an estimated top speed of around 190 mph’. The car features an all carbon fibre exterior, while the interior has been handmade using fine luxury leathers, carbon fibre and aluminium.

Most of the DB10s were modified for use in the filming of Spectre, but the DB10 offered at Christie’s is one of only two “show” cars, which were left unmodified and used for display purposes. This DB10 took pride of place at the world premiere of Spectre at the Royal Albert Hall in London and has been signed by James Bond himself, Daniel Craig.

The auction will take place on 18th February at Christie’s King Street auction house in London.

James Bond posters to go under the hammer

Auctioneers Coys are selling a collection of rare James Bond film posters and memorabilia at their "True Greats" auction on December 1.

The sale will feature posters from iconic productions such as Thunderball, Her Majesty's Secret Service, The World is Not Enough, Octopussy, You Only Live Twice, Dr No, Goldfinger and SPECTRE. The release of the latest Bond film last month has spiked interest, proving the 007 franchise is as popular as ever.

Perhaps the most anticipated item to go on sale is the rare 1965 Thunderball poster, which is estimated from £8,000 to £10,000. "Originally designed in four panel format, intended to be cut into two or four for the cinema to use around the advertising area, this particular version was never cut into sections and is one of the finest examples available." said, Adrian Cowdry, vintage poster specialist at Coys.

A limited edition SPECTRE poster that was designed for the cast and crew of the film will also feature and is estimated to fetch between £700 to £800.

There will also be a number of first edition Bond novels on sale, including Man with the Golden Gun, Octopussy and On Her Majesty's Secret Service, estimated at £150 to £500. 

Also on sale is a 1928 Supercharged Bentley Blower. Long before Ian Fleming placed James Bond at the wheel of an Aston Martin, he had 007 thundering around in a Bentley in the early novels.

Coys' "True Greats" auction takes place on Tuesday 1 December 2015 at 3pm at the Royal Horticultural Society, Lindley Hall, Vincent Square, Westminster, London, SW1P 2PE.

Viewing is available on Monday 30 November and on the day of the sale from 10am.

Jaguar to feature at WIRED2015

Jaguar to feature at WIRED2015

Jaguar to feature at WIRED2015

Jaguar to feature at WIRED2015

Jaguar to feature at WIRED2015

Jaguar to feature at WIRED2015

Jaguar to feature at WIRED2015

Jaguar has confirmed it will showcase its technologically-advanced XF saloon car at WIRED2015.

WIRED magazine's annual two-day flagship event brings the WIRED world to life, and is recognised as the multimedia authority on the future, in print and digital. The XF will be joined by the C-X75 concept hypercar, shown for the first time in the UK - which features in the new Bond adventure, SPECTRE.

Senior Jaguar executives Kevin Stride (XF Vehicle Line Director), Adam Hatton (Creative Director, Jaguar Exterior Design), Alister Whelan (Creative Director, Jaguar Interior Design) and Peter Virk (Head of Connected Technologies and Apps) will support the presentation of the all-new XF at WIRED. Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) will also offer exclusive workshop sessions at the WIRED conference.

The appearance of the new XF will focus on the car's 'inherently innovative' technologies including InControl Touch Pro (offering door-to-door navigation, iOS and Android connectivity and Meridian digital surround sound), Jaguar Configurable Dynamics, All-Surface Progress Control (enabling smooth, drive-away on low friction surfaces such as snow and ice), laser head-up display, autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise-control with queue-assist, lane keep-assist, intelligent speed limiter and semi-automated parking.

Chaired by WIRED UK Deputy Editor, Greg Williams, and supported by additional speakers from WIRED2015, two 30 minute thought-leadership sessions will cover topics designed to stimulate discussion and debate by experts in their field. The first session is scheduled for Thursday 15th: 'Humanity in the digital age', with the second scheduled for Friday 16th: 'Integrated innovation: Car design and Engineering'. Both sessions will be filmed and published by Jaguar and WIRED at the event.

In addition, Jaguar Land Rover will show some of the company's future technologies and research projects, including: Mind Sense - Jaguar's research project to see if a car could effectively read the brainwaves and monitor if the driver is alert and concentrating on driving. The most common method for monitoring brainwaves is close to the source using sensors attached to a headband, to circumvent this requirement, Jaguar Land Rover is investigating methods in use by NASA and the US bobsleigh team to develop pilots' concentration and focus. Mind Sense will detect brainwaves through the hands via sensors embedded in the steering wheel, with software adopted to amplify the signal and filter out the pure brainwave from any background noise between the driver's head and the wheel. If brain activity indicates a day dream or poor concentration, the steering wheel or pedals will vibrate to raise the driver's awareness to the lapse. User trials are underway, supported by leading neuroscientists to verify the results.

JLR is also researching how a car could heat or cool an 'air bubble' inside the vehicle, and maintain temperature and air quality using innovative new heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) technologies.

Cargo Sense is an idea for a trailer monitoring system designed to optimise cargo loading for safer towing. As well as helping users load cargo evenly and efficiently, the pressure sensitive mat would detect if a load, be it solid (boxes, furniture, car) or alive (horse), is moving around in an unexpected or abnormal way whilst traveling. The project includes the development of an App that allows drivers to monitor the status of a trailer and its cargo remotely via smartphone.

WIRED2015 takes place from 15 - 16 October at Tobacco Dock, London E1.

007's Aston Martin DB10 set for Regent Street Motor Show

007's Aston Martin DB10 set for Regent Street Motor Show

007's Aston Martin DB10 set for Regent Street Motor Show

007's Aston Martin DB10 set for Regent Street Motor Show

Following the premiere of the new Bond film Spectre, 007's latest car - the bespoke Aston Martin DB10 - will be one of the star attractions of the annual free-to-view Regent Street Motor Show in London.

Created specially for the movie, the hand-built DB10 is the latest in a long line of Aston Martins to have been driven by UK's favourite secret agent. Bond's first Aston was the famous DB5 from Goldfinger in 1964. As well as the DB10, Aston Martin will also be displaying a number of cars from its current model range including the latest DB9 GT, limited edition Vantage GT12 and a four-door Rapide S.

Enticing as many as 350,000 visitors last year, London's premier shopping street is closed to traffic for the day to allow cars from the past, present and future to be displayed. The Show's centrepiece will be a display of more than 100 veteran cars all taking part in the EFG International Concours d'Elegance. Many owners and their passengers will be in period costume, preparing themselves for the famous Bonhams London to Brighton Veteran Car Run, which sets off from nearby Hyde Park early the following morning (Sunday, 1 November).

The veterans will be rubbing shoulders with classic cars, bikes, new cars and futuristic 'low or no' emission electric and hybrid vehicles. The latter display is backed by two organisations helping to shape our motoring future - Go Ultra Low and Transport for London (TfL).

The Regent Street Motor Show takes place from 10:30 until 16:00 on Saturday 31 October and is just one element in the Royal Automobile Club's London Motor Week, seven days when the capital honours cars.

Ian Fleming's Bentley R-Type Continental up for auction

Ian Fleming's Bentley R-Type Continental up for auction

James Bond creator Ian Fleming's 1953 Bentley R-Type Continental Fastback has been unearthed in an unrestored condition, and is set to go to auction.

Finished by renowned British coachbuilder H.J. Mulliner, the R-Type Continental Fastback was built in extremely limited numbers. These high-performance grand touring cars attracted an elite clientele that included royalty, celebrities, and captains of industry. This car - BC10LB - is no exception, as Ian Fleming, creator of the James Bond series, ordered this Bentley for his friend and collaborator Ivar Bryce. Bryce worked for the British Security Coordination during World War II and was the inspiration for Fleming's character Felix Leiter. It's a little known fact that Fleming penned James Bond as a Bentley driver in the first six of his novels.

Originally finished in Deep Grey and specified as a left-hand drive, manual gearbox car with front wing spats and lightweight seats, Bryce's R-Type Continental was equipped with bespoke features such as fitted luggage and a racehorse mascot. Recently discovered in a Hollywood garage, where it had been hidden away for over three decades, this unrestored R-Type Continental is one of the most exciting post-war Bentleys to come to market.

Official auction house of the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, Gooding & Company, will be overseeing the sale and have put an estimate on the '53 Bentley at just over £1million.

The auction takes place on Saturday, August 15 and Sunday, August 16 in Pebble Beach, California.