Site MapWhy Aston Martin Became James Bond’s Signature Car
The only thing more Bond is a martini shaken not stirred
James Bond, suave superspy and illustrious brand ambassador, has used a great many consumer products throughout the years. There are the various watches that lay claim to being Bond’s official timepiece. There are also the many, many liquor labels that purport to be the preferred drink of 007. And let’s not forget the fashion designers that promise to make you look like Pierce Brosnan in a suit. But through all the changing placement deals over time there is one that has persisted where the rest have fallen away – Bond’s official ride, Aston Martin.
But how is it, of all the luxury cars in the world, that Aston Martin became the iconic centerpiece of the Bond mythos?
We don’t believe that it would be a stretch to say Aston Martin would not be where it is today were it not for the British spy with a penchant for getting his girlfriends brutally murdered. Now, this is not a knock against Aston Martins. We think they’re amazing cars. We’ve even profiled the new Aston Martin Valkyrie which we are very much looking forward to being out in the world. We’re simply trying to say that we think that the car manufacturer’s destiny is ultimately linked to that of Ian Fleming’s indestructible creation.
When the DB5 first appeared in 1965’s Goldfinger it completely changed the game. Nothing like it had ever been seen before. Being a spy is a job that usually entails being subtle and unseen. Yet, here Bond was riding around in a bright silver sports roadster. It also had a bunch of flashy gadgets to boot!
It made Bond something more than an agent with a license to kill. It made him unstoppable. It made him a superhero.
In a time when all the cool superheroes like Superman and Spider-Man were American, James Bond was suddenly the first truly British superhero. And it was the ejector seat and the oil slick in the DB5 that gave him his powers. It worked so perfectly that every successive iteration of Bond since, from Roger Moore to Daniel Craig, has paid homage to it. It’s like Batman’s cowl; you just can’t imagine Bond not driving an Aston Martin.
That is essentially why the Aston Martin will always be Bond’s car, because it can never be anyone else’s. To this day if you buy a DB9 or a Vantage you are essentially borrowing the Bond identity for yourself. No one ever sees someone driving a Ferrari or Lotus, both cars Bond has driven in the past, and thinks ‘oh, that’s a James Bond car.” There’s only one logo that imparts the all the envy associated with being the man every man wants to be, and that’s the Aston Martin.
