LONDON.- Have you always fancied yourself as Daniel Craig or Sean Connery? Well to help you get into the role look no further than Bonhams next Aston Martin auction on 21st May 2011 at Aston Martin in Newport Pagnell.

As well as identical replica’s of two of Bonds most iconic Aston Martins, from On Her Majesty’s Secret Service and Living Daylights, a whole host of Bond automobilia offers a more affordable option to help you get into the role.

Two Bond cars, Lots 317 and 330, are to feature in the 12th annual Bonhams auction of Aston Martin and Lagonda Motor Cars and Related Automobilia – the only auction in the world solely dedicated to this iconic marque. The project of replicating the two Bond cars was entrusted to the Works Service in 2008. The DBS that was used in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service is the car that Bond’s wife Tracey is killed in, only a few hours after their marriage. The replica in this auction is expected to fetch £50,000-70,000. The second Bond car is a replica of the V8 Volante used in Living Daylights and is estimated at £70,000-100,000.

Prior to the car auction will be the sale of automobilia, which for the first time this year will include a special section of Bond-related items. Among many other lots, buyers will be able to vie over the steering wheel from the 1964 DB5 that Bond drove in Goldfinger (£2,500-3,500), a 21cm prop stunt knife used by Halle Berry in Die Another Day (£400-600) and Bond’s Walther P99 back-up pistol used during the filming of Die Another Day (£300-500).

Highlights from future Bonhams sales including watches, jewellery and guns will also be on show.

James Knight, Group Head and Managing Director of the Bonhams Motoring department comments, “Since our inaugural sale with the Factory in 2000 we have seen ever increasing levels of interest in the marquee. It is hard to believe that this annual sale has seen us handle close to 500 Aston Martins totalling some £30million.”

Director of Aston Martin Works Service and Parts Operations, Kingsley Riding-Felce, agreed: “We have seen the prices of Heritage DB models double over the last 12 years, showing their investment potential.We are now seeing the other Heritage models, particularly V8 cars, steadily starting to rise further in value. These examples, along with others in the sale are sure to confirm this and would be a great addition to any collection.”

Lot 317
Works Service-restored, 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service' 007 replica
1968 Aston Martin DBS Vantage Sports Saloon
Registration no. OEL 565G
Chassis no. DBS/5148/R
Engine no. 400/3864/S
£50,000-70,000

Although always intended to house the new Tadek Marek-designed V8 engine, the Aston Martin DBS first appeared with the 4.0-litre 'six' of the concurrently produced DB6. This well proven engine was available in standard tune, producing 282bhp, or to Vantage specification with triple Weber 45DCOE carburettors, special camshafts and a higher compression ratio, in which form its maximum was raised to 325bhp.
Styled in-house by Bill Towns, the beautiful DBS caused quite a stir, Autocar magazine observing that: 'Without the aid of an Italian stylist the Newport Pagnell team came up with something as modern, handsome and Italianate as anything from the Turin coachbuilders at that time.'

Beneath its shapely exterior the DBS employed a platform-type chassis with independent suspension all round: wishbone and coil-spring at the front, De Dion with Watts linkage at the rear. Larger and more luxuriously appointed than the DB6, the heavier DBS disappointed some by virtue of its slightly reduced performance, but the Vantage version's top speed of 140mph and a standing quarter-mile time of 16.3 seconds were highly respectable figures nonetheless. Assessing the virtues of Aston's new flagship, Autocar judged it superior to the DB6 in many areas, the bigger DBS offering four full-sized seats in addition to transformed handling and roadholding courtesy of the new rear suspension and standardised power steering.

'Turning to matters other than performance, we really were most tremendously impressed by the DBS,' enthused Car magazine. 'The interior, especially merits praise not only for its uniquely satisfying aesthetics and superb finish (way, way ahead of any Italian rival in this respect) but also for the thought that has gone into the ergonomics of its layout.'

Although less well known as such than the earlier 'DB' series, the DBS is yet another 'James Bond' Aston Martin, having featured in the 1969 motion picture, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, starring George Lazenby as the eponymous secret agent.

Finished in the same colour scheme as the Lazenby DBS – Olive with black leather interior – this example benefits from a most extensive (though not 'body off') restoration completed by Works Service in December 2008 at a cost of £190,400 (see detailed invoice on file). Works carried out include rebuilding the engine to 'unleaded' compatibility; fitting new Weber carburettors; replacing the automatic transmission with a five-speed manual gearbox to original specification; stripping bare, repairing and repainting the body; and re-trimming the interior. 'OEL 565G' has remained in storage at Works Service since completion and is presented in the kind of condition one would expect following such a thorough rebuild by the best-qualified technicians in the field. The car is offered with the aforementioned restoration invoice, current road fund licence, Swansea V5 registration document and fresh MoT.

Lot 330
Works Service-converted to 'Prince of Wales' specification,
'Living Daylights' 007 replica
1986 Aston Martin V8 Volante Convertible
Registration no. C391 VPL
Chassis no. SCFCV81C9GTL15413
Engine no. V/580/5413/LFA
£70,000-100,000

The Aston Martin V8 survived the company's changes of ownership and financial upheavals of the 1970s, appearing in numerous variants, one of the more exclusive being the Volante convertible. Introduced in response to customers' demands for such a car, the latter first appeared in June 1978. Arguably the ultimate in soft-top luxury, the Volante boasted a lined, power-operated hood which, when erected, endowed the walnut embellished interior with all the solidity and refinement associated with the saloon version. Although its open-car aerodynamics meant that top speed suffered with the hood down, the Volante's 140mph-plus maximum nevertheless ranked it among the world's fastest convertibles. V8 Volante chassis numbers ran from '15001' to '15849', a total of 849 cars.

Although introduced in 1978, the Volante convertible did not become available to high-performance Vantage specification until 1986. Along with the more powerful Vantage engine and its associated bonnet came flared wheelarches, a boot spoiler (a feature the Volante had previously lacked) and an extended front spoiler, while glassfibre extensions replaced the model's hitherto characteristic chromed sill covers. The result was a muscular, aggressive-looking car that could justifiably claim to be the world's fastest convertible.

Not all Aston Martin customers found the new look to their liking however, preferring the more restrained appearance of the earlier model. Foremost among these was HRH The Prince of Wales, who ordered his Volante with Vantage engine and bonnet but otherwise effectively to standard specification. For many the jewel in the Aston crown, the Vantage Volante to 'Prince of Wales' specification was produced for only two years from 1988, drawing uniquely from the best of the Volante and Vantage features. The factory went on to build 26 examples of the 'Prince of Wales' specification Vantage Volante before V8 production finally ceased in December 1989.

Chassis number '15413' is a late Series 1 model built for the US market immediately prior to the introduction of the fuel-injected Series 2. Converted from left- to right-hand drive by the factory in July 1987 and fitted with European-specification bumpers, the car benefits from a most extensive (though not 'body off') restoration completed by Works Service in December 2008 at a cost of £176,000, in the course of which it was converted to cosmetic 'Prince of Wales' specification (with standard rather than Vantage engine).

Works carried out include rebuilding the engine to European specification and 'unleaded' compatibility; fitting new Weber carburettors; overhauling the automatic transmission; rebuilding the rear axle with a higher final drive ratio; stripping bare, repairing and repainting the body; re-trimming the interior and hood; re-veneering the woodwork; fitting correct Ronal wheels; and supplying a tool roll, jack, warning triangle and securing straps.

The car has been refinished in Cumberland Grey to the same specification as the Volante that featured in the 1987 motion picture The Living Daylights, starring Timothy Dalton as secret agent '007', James Bond. 'C391 VPL' has remained in storage at Works Service since completion and is presented in the kind of condition one would expect following such a thorough rebuild by the best-qualified technicians in the field. The car is offered with AMWS's detailed invoice, current road fund licence and fresh MoT.