From Thailand with Love: Aston Martin DBS replica based on Opel Calibra

If James Bond were real, we wouldn't recommend trying to impersonate him. We get the feeling that 007 wouldn't take to impostors very well. Fortunately he's a fictional character – or so we're led to believe – so the gloves are off. If you're planning on pulling off the Bond look, you're going to need a Bond car. And if it's the Bond of late, you'll need an Aston Martin. Unfortunately, most of us can't afford a real Aston, so a group of coachbuilders – apparently in Thailand, world capital of the sex-change operation – have created this replica.

The clone is built on the chassis of an Opel Calibra, a sports-coupe also sold with the same nameplate in different markets alternatively as a Vauxhall (UK), Holden (Australia) or Chevrolet (South America) and based on a Saab-sourced platform. Apparently the Calibra is known as a good starting point for replicas, with reports of Porsche Turbos and others based on the same. Whether this one is any better executed, however, than the Mustang-based Vanquish or the one based on the Mazda Miata is another story.

While reports suggest this a replica of a DB9, to our eyes bears the hallmarks of the DBS that's been 007's ride for the past couple of installments. Which is a good thing, because if you're going to pull off the looky-look, you'd better get the details right. Have a closer look in the gallery below, and for comparison's sake, an example of the donor car in the one below that.

[Source: TopSpeed via CarScoop]