Bond was the saviour of Aston Martin
30-Sep-2002 • Bond News
Share the Story
"We were very sniffy about it," says Roger Stowers, Aston Martin`s historian, of the company`s initial involvement with the Bond movies. "[Producer Albert] Broccoli wanted us to give them two cars for Goldfinger, but the factory was struggling just to keep up with building a half dozen DB4s a week." David Brown, then owner of Aston Martin, was in New York City at the time and advised the managing director, Steve Heggie, to "do what you think is right." Reluctantly, the factory lent a pair of DB5s and a few boxes of spare parts to Broccoli, who must have been a little disappointed. He`d wanted the DB4 because it was then the most desirable Aston Martin, having a sinuous lightweight body designed by Zagato. "But we didn`t have any left," Stowers says.
Almost four decades later, everybody understands that James Bond is Aston Martin`s most important customer. In spring 2001, as soon as the Vanquish was ready, CEO Ulrich Bez invited Barbara Broccoli, Albert`s widow and the principal of Eon Productions, the producer of Die Another Day, to the factory to see the new car. "I gave Barbara a tour on country roads," he says. "She was really frightened. She was awed by the noise, the performance."
Ford`s placement office and Eon hammered out the details: Ford and Aston Martin would provide seven Astons, two of which would not come back alive. In addition, Eon would get eight Jaguar XK8s (two to destroy, four to use in close-up work, and two others for special effects) and several Ford Thunderbirds, the car that Halle Berry drives in the film. According to Bez, no money changed hands. Six weeks before the film debuts (November 22 in the United States), Ford will commence an ad campaign featuring the film and the car. The tag line: "The best of the British."
Visit Worth.com for the full article.
Discuss this news here...
