iDale

A US car enthusiast has bought James Bond’s famous Aston Martin car at auction in London for more than four million dollars. The 1964 silver Aston Martin DB5 was driven by Sean Connery when he played the fictional British spy in the films “Goldfinger” (1964) and “Thunderball” (1965).

One of the most gorgeous cars of all time

The US collectors name is Harry Yeaggy, a Cincinnati banker, who outbid his rivals to buy the car for 2.6 million pounds (4.1 million dollars). Quite a bargain considering the pre-sale estimate was actually more than five million dollars.

This DB5 has a full complement of operational “Q-Branch” gadgets, and auctioneers RM Auctions dubbed it the most famous car in the world…

Note the oil slick sprayer alongside the exhaust

Road hogs better beware! The extending, spinning wheel slicers will make chop suey of any car that gets on your nerves!

You don't want a face-off with this bad boy!

The top of the gear shift flips up to reveal a red button that activates the ejector seat! There is also a homing radar and telephone mounted inside the driver’s door panel.

Control all the shizz with the toggles in the centre console

Although the seats could do with a reupholstering, who cares when you’re driving one of the worlds finest performance cars ever made. And this is not a rear spoiler…

Bullet-proof shield - perfect for gunfire in hot pursuit

Did I mention that the purchase of the car also included a stay at the GoldenEye resort in Jamaica, the original Caribbean estate of Ian Fleming, the British author who created James Bond. And a custom-made suit woven with gold thread made by the tailors who dressed Connery as Bond was also thrown in. Sweet!

I’m surprised that none of SA’s blog boys selected it as their dream toy here.

And look at how far Aston Martin has come with the one-77 since then.

Now isn’t this cute, an Aston Martin we can all afford:

From Aston Martin:

Toyota’s revolutionary iQ platform is about to reset traditional thinking, with plans that the world’s smallest four-seater will serve as the basis for a new luxury commuter car to be exclusively built for and sold to Aston Martin owners. Toyota Motor Europe (TME) today announced that the new “Cygnet” would pair Aston Martin’s trademark design flair with the Toyota iQ’s highly compact and low-CO2 city driving package. The commuter car will be tailored specifically to customer requirements at Aston Martin’s global headquarters in Gaydon, the United Kingdom.

‘It’s a great compliment that the Toyota iQ has been hand-picked by one of the world’s most prestigious sports car brands, a company with whom we also share a strong friendship. This collaboration represents a natural pairing of strategies: a small yet spacious package, perfect for the city driver, finished off with Aston Martin’s iconic design language,’ said Tadashi Arashima, CEO and President of TME. ‘The Cygnet is a good choice for the Aston Martin owner looking for that second or third car, which is luxurious and eco-conscious,’ he added.

Although radically different in size and customer base, Aston Martin and Toyota are united in their corporate philosophies of delivering superior quality, engineering excellence and innovative technology. The collaboration is also fortunate to benefit from a strong relationship underlined by a passion for cars.

The Toyota iQ is considered a breakthrough in intelligent design. Less than three metres in length, its flexible package can accommodate up to four people, providing owners with a new dimension of versatility. Featuring a range of design innovations – such as its flat under-floor fuel tank and asymmetric dashboard – the iQ is positioned as the “no compromise choice” with CO2 emissions starting as low as 99 g/km. It also offers outstanding levels of passive and active safety equipment resulting in a Euro NCAP 5-star rating.

Despite tough market conditions for the automotive industry, the Toyota iQ has proved appealing to a wide variety of city drivers with a taste for style, driving performance and low CO2. The Toyota iQ made its European sales debut in January 2009. It continues to perform in line with expectation, with over 25,000 units sold to-date.

The planned collaboration with Aston Martin is a timely endorsement of the iQ’s superior packaging. The announcement marks a critical step in Toyota’s longer-term planning to expand the ‘iQ world’ – that is, to bring new versions of the Toyota iQ to market globally and expand the company’s eco-friendly line-up.

If you missed the teaser and the photo gallery, then skip right ahead to this short and sweet video exposing the new one-77 up close! I think this is possibly the most beautiful car on earth (besides the lamborghini over here)

Spotted on A Cape Town Blog

Yes, this is it, the new Aston Martin one-77 project car. It’s just HOT and clearly shows the new direction that the British car maker is heading towards!

It’s got lots of vents and ducts, inlets, outlets and new visual enhancements… despite all the alterations it hasn’t lost that certain je’ne se quoi that makes an Aston Martin what it is (a pebble. I’m serious)!

I promised Justin hartman and the rest of the blogger boys (SA Blog Boys and Their Dream Toys) that I would take a closer look at this baby…

Click here for the one-77 Photo Gallery

Aston Martin says that the One-77 is “the ultimate creative interpretation of the renowned British marque.” With a price-tag said to be around the £1 million mark, the hand-built supercar is said to be very special. Special??? You could feed a small country for two weeks with a price tag like that.

Right and left-hand drive versions will be available, which means we’ll likely see Lolly Jackson or a random empowerment partner cruising the streets of Sandton very soon.

See more at one-77.com