'Die Another Day' Aston Martin Vanquish headed for auction

The Aston Martin Vanquish used to promote the 007 film Die Another Day will be up for auction.

Per H&H Classics — an auction house based in Europe — the aforementioned grand tourer will go under the hammer on October 9 at the Imperial War Museum in Duxford. The estimated cost of the Aston Martin Vanquish is about £50,000 (around P3.701 million) to £70,000 (approximately P5.181 million).

“Our October auction offers a fantastic opportunity to own a slice of movie and motoring history with this stunning Aston Martin Vanquish,” H&H Classics Sales Manager James McWilliam said in a press release.

Unlike the aptly-nicknamed Aston Martin “Vanish” in the 20th Bond film — which had adaptive camouflage, shotguns, machine guns, missiles, and a seat ejector — this DBS predecessor offers only standard-issue appointments.

It wears a Tungsten Silver paint with Charcoal leather and an aluminum center console, similar to the hero cars used in the film. Also, the said sample came with technology and materials that were considered state-of-the-art at the time.

Power came from a V-12 engine, which gave the Aston Martin Vanquish a top speed of up to 321 kilometers per hour. It only has 37,800 miles (60,833 kilometers) on the odometer and has been in the hands of its current owner for more than 20 years as part of a prominent collection.

Not like the Aston Martin Vanquish seen in Die Another Day (which had a KEO2 EWW number plate), the one up for auction — for a time — donned the appropriate plate number “M16 SPY.” It was also registered as “A12 AML.”

“Additionally, as well as the close connection to James Bond and Pierce Brosnan, who himself owned a 2002 Aston Martin V12 Vanquish, the car is also a superb example of the marque’s last hand-built grand tourer,” McWilliam noted.

The Aston Martin Vanquish used to promote the movie started its life as one of seven automobiles retained by the English car brand for press duties. That said, it already graced the pages of various publications before it was delivered to Pinewood Studios for a photoshoot alongside the fifth James Bond, Pierce Brosnan.

Outside the silver screen, the Aston Martin Vanquish’s ties to 007 extends to the James Bond videogame Nightfire (available on the Nintendo Gamecube and Game Boy Advance, Sony PlayStation 2, Microsoft Xbox, and on PCs).

It was also featured in the James Bond game Everything or Nothing (available on the Nintendo Gamecube and Game Boy Advance, Sony PlayStation 2, and Microsoft Xbox).

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