Junk Bonds: 5 Car companies (unofficially) cashing in on the 007 craze

Article content

Big-budget mainstream movies mean big-budget mainstream marketing opportunities, and the biggest companies with even a loose tie-in to the film will almost assuredly hawk some Officially Licensed™ merchandise in the lead-up to, and during, its run in theatres. That’s definitely true of the 007 franchise and its new No Time to Die release.

Article content

However, there’s only so much of that licensing to go around, which explains why you’ll also see a handful of companies suddenly start building and pitching not-quite-Official™ secret-agent cars and products as well. This is not to criticize the efforts of these people; after all, the most I’ve managed to build are a couple of LEGO sets and a few derby cars.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

Try refreshing your browser, or
tap here to see other videos from our team.

Junk Bonds: 5 Car companies (unofficially) cashing in on the 007 craze Back to video

So let’s look at these slightly skewed James Bond tributes, all released within just the past month, through that lens. Besides, here’s something even potentially more embarrassing than any of the brands on this list shamelessly joining in on 007 fever: your author, who is generally of sound mind and body, will defend to the death his opinion that the Brosnan-era Bond flicks were good and enjoyable films.

Article content

Suddenly, the entrants on this list don’t seem so bad, eh?

BAE Vantare

Perhaps seeking to cash in on the current Bond frenzy, the crew at British Automotive Engineering (BAE) waited until early October to announce they’re taking modern Aston Martin DB9s and redressing them in sheetmetal meant to evoke Bond’s DB5 from the 1960s. BAE (perhaps one of the most unfortunate acronyms) says it uses lightweight materials and bespoke specialist parts to create the car, while continuing to deploy the tasty naturally aspirated V12 engine known and desired by gearheads worldwide.

But does the new styling work? Well — maybe. From certain angles – particularly straight-on – the front looks like a DB5, albeit one that’s suffering an allergic reaction from a bee sting. The front three-quarter view is especially difficult, exposing the challenges when trying to mate sculpted DB5 fender styling with a modern car and all its safety equipment — not to mention making room for the V12. We will posit that the rear styling works better, despite the upright taillamps arguing with the DB9’s flowing C-pillar.

Article content

Heritage Customs ‘Tuxedo Black’ Defender

Hey, if you’re going to make a 007 tribute, please put in more of an effort than a bit of paint and wallpaper. This off-road Defender, called the “Tuxedo Black” – billed in the press release as “a car not to die for,” with “special paint [that’s been] shaken, not stirred” – is from an outfit called Heritage Customs, a group which bills itself as a “contemporary studio for carchitecture.” Its design team works on Defenders of all stripes, integrating customer wishes to build a rig which reflects individual ideas and tastes, from subtle details to grand gestures.

As one of its Valiance models, this Tuxedo Black seems to build on other inky offerings like its All Blacks and Mystic Black options. The company installs a set of its own-design wheels, then goes ahead and says ‘yes’ to much of the Land Rover accessory catalog — all of which is dipped in a vat of black paint, of course. No mechanical changes are mentioned as being included in the conversion’s €20,995 (CDN$30,145) price tag, though there are interior upholstery upgrades plus extra bling in the form of new insignia and emblems.

Article content

Lunaz DB6 Electric Conversion

We can’t fault the look of this machine, though ripping the heart out of a DB6 (or DB5) and replacing it with electric gubbins seems tantamount to replacing a rack of ribs at 17 ^th Street BBQ in Memphis with a vegan alternative. We know it’s healthier, but it doesn’t seem right. Regardless of what we think, Lunaz has been doing brisk business converting classic luxury vehicles from Rolls-Royce and the like, turning them into modern electric vehicles with all the visual class of the real thing.

Taking the donor car down to its bones, the company installs an electric powertrain while also upgrading other ancillaries to modern standards. In other words, the driver will be able to stop this thing after quickly getting it up to speed using the instant torque of an electric motor. The new batteries range in size from 80 to 120 kWh and are compatible with fast-charging, meaning you should be able to make a quick getaway with Moneypenny.

Article content

Rocket League Aston Martin Valhalla

Forgive us for including one actually official marketing tie-in, but if your tastes run towards virtual cars rather than physical ones, know that Aston Martin has permitted the Rocket League crew to include its Valhalla hypercar in the popular online game. This is in addition to a replica of the mighty DB5, which returns to the Item Shop after being previously featured as an award for an in-game achievement.

This particular Valhalla will ding a player’s account for about 1,000 in-game credits, surely making it one of the most affordable Aston Martins ever sold. And for anyone wondering, Rocket League is a cross-platform game in which teams of players use rocket-equipped vehicles to play soccer. Seems like a perfect setting for a Bond-themed car, don’t you think?

Article content

Editor’s Pick: Fibreglass Aston Martin DB5 Replica Body

It’s surely no coincidence classic car auction site Bring A Trailer listed this replica of an Aston Martin DB5 body in the first week of October, right as No Time to Die hit theatres. But we can’t fault the site for arranging that fortuitous bit of timing—it likely helped the fibreglass shell net its US$65,000 result. The White Rock, B.C.-based seller and constructor of the replica apparently made the entire thing by hand; patterned it directly after the Bond car; and finished it, for now, in primer. Included in the sale were “a right-hand drive dashboard, headlights, taillights, a chrome grille, mirrors, headlight surrounds […] and windshield and rear window rubber and chrome trim.”

The seller’s only other listing on the auction site? Another, more complete full-scale Aston Martin DB5 Bond replica , sans drivetrain. It sold for over US$200,000 in November 2020 — when No Time to Die was at one time scheduled to hit theatres.