A tribute to James Bond

With the new Aston Martin DB12 Goldfinger Edition, Aston Martin pays homage not only to James Bond, but also to the Bond film that many fans consider the best film in the series. Not only was Goldfinger the first film to feature James Bond driving an Aston Martin, he drove what many consider to be the defining 007 car – a 1964 Aston Martin DB5. It was a powerful combination, the quintessential James Bond (played by Sean Connery). driving the quintessential James Bond car.

Aston Martin is paying homage to this original combination of two icons by producing a limited run of 60 DB12 Goldfinger Edition cars. These cars will be produced with a range of exclusive Q by Aston Martin features, customization and bespoke service from the automaker. I visited the Q by Aston Martin facility and it’s every bit as attractive as you’d imagine. Sort of like a Willy Wonka installation, but instead of candy it’s an endless collection of leather and suede patterns, along with exterior paint samples and computer screens to help shoppers visualize these elements coming together.

For this limited run of DB12 Goldfinger Editions, the folks at Q will paint all 60 Silver Birch, the same color as the DB5 in the original film. All cars will ride on 21-inch multi-spoke silver wheels with diamond trim around black brake calipers. This DB12 will offer custom gold side stripes and a unique Aston Martin logo in silver with black enamel contrast. There will also be a shiny chrome “Q” fender badge to promote Bond’s “cool” factor.

The DB12 cabin will have Sports Plus seats with a ribbed pattern and the door sills will display a specific Goldfinger 60th anniversary logo. Aston Martin designers brought the “Goldfinger” and the “60 Years” together in an extremely effective way. Of course, you can’t pay homage to Goldfinger without gold, so the DB12 will have 18-karat gold-plated interior details. These are seen on the drive mode knob and other scroll controls, as well as the gear selector.

And if you haven’t noticed yet, check the gear selector lines. Sound familiar? They are modeled after the gold tracking device that Bond used in the film. Finally, there is an “eight of hearts” embroidered on the driver’s side sun visor, which references the playing card seen in the last hand during the pool scene in Miami. Aston Martin says several cool accessories will be included with each of the DB12 Goldfinger Edition cars. A special cover for the car, an exclusive box for presenting the car key, a scale replica of the car, also in Silver Birch. They will all come in a special secret agent-like briefcase painted in Silver Birch.

Don’t forget that all of these James Bond elements are featured in the latest Aston Martin DB12, a high-performance grand touring coupe with a 4.0-liter V8 engine that produces 671 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque. These cars can reach 60 mph in about 3.3 seconds, cover a 1/4 mile in just over 11 seconds, and reach a top speed of over 320 mph. The exterior is stunning, the interior is luxurious and palatial, and the exhaust note, especially in Sport+ mode, is extremely satisfying. It would be cool to get one of these 60 Goldfinger editions, but even without the Bond film elements, the current DB12 is a very attractive supercar.