Autoblog

Few would argue that actor Daniel Craig revived the James Bond series with the movie Casino Royale in 2006. That film featured the Aston Martin DBS as Bond's personal whip, though he was caught driving what was then Ford's brand new Mondeo family sedan from the airport to the hotel, as well. It appears another one of Ford's more pedestrian offerings will make a cameo in the next Bond film titled Quantum of Solace that's scheduled to debut on November 7, 2008. The new cast member will be the next generation Ford Ka small car. The video after the jump shows the car (around 2:24 in) being used in filming. No doubt another Aston Martin will appear as well, despite the fact that Ford has sold off the brand. After all, how could Craig stay in character driving an entry-level three-door hatchback the entire film?

[Source: Motor Authority]

We bring you yet another example of people getting bent out of shape over what appears to us as innocuous advertising. This time it's Ford of Europe, which has been running a commercial for its Focus Zetec Climate model using clips from the movie Casino Royale. As we all know, Ford had great product placement in the new Bond flick, which featured Aston Martin's new DBS as 007's main ride, as well as a new Ford Mondeo as his rental car of choice. Unfortunately, some people complained that this new commercial is misleading, insinuating by association that the Focus Zetec Climate appeared in Casino Royale, which they reason would make it more attractive to some.

If you buy a car because you think it's in a movie that you obviously haven't even seen, then you're a piss poor shopper. Though most consumers aren't that dumb, Ford has been ordered by the Advertising Standards Agency to quit running the commercial just in case someone out there believe Bond rolls in a Focus. Sigh.

You can see if the commercial is misleading for yourself after the jump.

[Source: Guardian.co.uk, Carscoop]

We finally got to watch Casion Royale the other day and were very impressed with the new Bond – clearly a darker and more mature double-O than previous ones who were cast as cartoonish philanderers. In addition to the new Bond, the series also received a new cast member in the form of the Aston Martin DBS. The story of Aston's involvement in Casino Royale is interesting, considering the automaker needed to supply the film with cars a full two years ahead of the DBS reaching production. Of course, the majority of the four cars Aston Martin delivered to the production were completely destroyed for a scene in which Bond swerves to avoid steamrolling his lady love and enters into a series of seven barrel rolls. The scene's stuntwork was so successful that it entered the Guiness Book of World Records for achieving seven complete rolls, besting Top Gear, the previous record holder. Unfortunately, the end result of the wreck was a destroyed DBS. Brit mag EVO chronicles the story of Aston's involvement in Casino Royale here, and provides a series of shots showing the DBS before and after the crash. Surprisingly, the Aston Martin DBS still looks gorgeous after going end over end a record number of times. It just needs a little TLC to get back on its feet.

[Source: EVO]

Each new James Bond film, in addition to being an event in and of itself, is a massive advertisement for every single branded item seen on the silver screen. Whether it's 007's Smirnoff vodka, Walther pistol, or Aston Martin automobile, each item's appearance on screen is indeed a Very Big Deal for the company behind it. And so, Ford is crowing about its involvement in Casino Royale in an article on its website (read it after the jump). The film represents the first time the general populace will see the new European-market Ford Mondeo and Aston Martin's DBS (shown), which will spawn a production model as well.

Ford's desire to promote its involvement is to be expected. After all, firms pay big bucks to get placed in high-profile films. A full read of the article, however, reveals a bit of gloating as FoMoCo has some fun with the fact that it, and not Toyota, is the supplier of James Bond's car. While we thank God that we weren't subjected to the sight of James Bond driving a Camry (a clear sign of the apocalypse), the reality is that Toyota offered up something significantly more upmarket. Apparently, they approached the filmmakers with enough dough to fill the bed of a Tundra and proposed having their upcoming supercar (presumably the production version of the LF-A concept) be Bond's ride of choice.

There's more after the jump, so read on!

[Source: Ford via Inside Line]

Generally, manufacturer vehicle programs are held to show the vehicles and go for a short drive. They usually feed you a boring lunch and then send you on your way, loaded with all kinds of information to sift through and find the real story. Tying into the James Bond theme and Ford's affiliation with the new movie "Casino Royale", Lincoln took us all on a full-day adventure. The "My Dream is to be a Special Agent" program held in Detroit to showcase the new MKZ and MKX models as well as Lincoln's new "Dreams" (www.mydreams.tv) website, which goes live Monday, was anything but boring.

It started as a normal media event, with executives and engineers presenting information about the new products and features and walking us through the new website. From there it got interesting. In an effort to give us the true Bond driving experience, we were then invited to a couple of really cool driving events.

We were handed the reins of a new Mustang GT and invited to try our skills at drifting the Mustangs through a wet autocross course. Are they nuts? Asking journalists to drive like, well, journalists? As if that weren't enough, we were then escorted to the Michigan Stare Police "Alley Test" where we guided a P.I. Crown Vic through a narrow lane of cones first forward, then backward, only stopping briefly to back into a parking spot and accelerate out. Lots of fun, damaged cones, and bruised egos.

After my turn in the MKZ, we stopped at the Firing Line gun range and were allowed to shoot an array of pistols, learn close combat skills, and test our S.W.A.T. abilities on a laser simulator. If you haven't had the chance to fire a .44 Magnum, it's one of those things you should put on your list of stuff to do before you die.

Into the MKX and on to the MGM Grand Casino for a "shaken not stirred" martini class and game of baccarat on the house. Are you starting to see the 007 connection yet?

Last but not least we were shuttled to the Star Theatre to attend a pre-screening of the new James Bond 007 movie "Casino Royale" which featured the most automotive nirvana this side of "Gone in 60 Seconds". Of course, James eventually drives the Aston-Martin DBS, but only after piloting a new Ford Mondeo sedan as well as a '64 Aston-Martin DB7. Other notables included a Bentley Continental GT and GTC as well as a Flying Spur. One scene includes the Bentleys, the DBS, a Maserati Spyder, and a Rolls-Royce Phantom. Although the movie has tons of cool automotive iron, very little of the movie revolved around the cars. As a matter of fact, the DBS gets driven about 2 minutes before it is...I don't want to ruin it for you!

Between each of the events, we were able to drive an MKX and MKZ. The initial impressions will be posted soon, with full Autoblog Garage evaluations scheduled in the very near future.

In the week of the release of the most recent James Bond movie Casino Royale, there are reports that Ford sent information to potential buyers regarding the well being of Aston Martin. It stated that Aston is on track to sell 7,000 cars this year and will generate sales of £479m (US $912m) and a profit of £57m (US $109m). It also states that the Gaydon plant capacity could be expanded to 9,000 vehicles if necessary.

There are concerns within the company that the sale of Aston Martin could mean that vehicle production would move out of the UK, causing the loss of nearly 1,000 jobs. Could they really build an Aston Martin anywhere but the UK? If they do, they might have to deal with 007 himself.

[Source: autoindustry.co.uk]

Even more news on the Mondeo front. This crucial new model for Ford is getting some serious playtime, and justifiably so. It's handsome and sporty and has a lot riding on it. OK, we've seen a bazillion photos of it already, both spy and official. And we know it will play a part in the new Bond movie, Casino Royale. We also have most of the specs and details about features and content. So it was only a matter of time before we got to see the upcoming Ford Mondeo, in action. In this clip, we get to see some brief action shots of the Mondeo interspersed with new Bond, Daniel Craig, doing some typically 007-like acrobatics, but this commercial clip is actually for the car's baby brother, the Focus. Click and enjoy.

click on image to enlarge

After pictures of a vehicle have been surreptitiously leaked onto the web ahead of their scheduled release, there's always this awkward moment when the automaker finally releases the pics officially. It's like opening up a birthday present you found stuffed in the closet a week ago and trying to act surprised. Nevertheless, Ford went to all the trouble of professionally photographing its hand-built, one-of-a-kind 2007 Ford Mondeo used in the shooting of the new James Bond flick, Casino Royale, so we feel obliged to indulge the automaker by reshowing you these pics. At least we have high-res versions of each shot now and the press release is a good read. Turns out the shooting actually took place in the Bahamas last February, when the new Mondeo's design was still a twinkle in some designer's eye. This one-off was built entirely by hand at Ford of Europe's Design Studio in Cologne, Germany in January and shipped off in a crate to the set. They did a fantastic job building the car, as you'd be hard pressed to point out any piece of fabrication that doesn't appear production ready.

[Source: Ford]

Finally, the Aston Martin DBRS9 mules are starting to resemble something James Bond would actually use to carry out international espionage. These new spy shots from Edmunds show the DBRS9, which is based on the standard DB9, with plenty of nipping and tucking going on to give the car a much more aggressive presence, one worthy of the Bond man himself. A pair of creased air inlets flanks a wide lower air intake in the Aston's front fascia, while oversized vents behind the front wheels and an integrated body color diffuser out back make the DBRS9's intentions very clear. All in all it's a wicked look that will compliment the car's supposed 500+ horsepower engine quite nicely.

[Source: Straightline Blog]

Related Posts:

• Spy Shots: Aston Martin's gorgeouos DBRS9
• Bond's Vanquish from Die Another Day auctioned off
• Aston Martin DBS: Bond's ride for the rest of us

A new trailer for the upcoming James Bond flick Casino Royale starring Daniel Craig gives us a few quick glimpses of the Aston Martin DBRS 9 that 007 will be driving in the film. While footage of the unique DBRS 9 in the trailer is limited to about 2 or 3 seconds, we're sure the car will see much more screen time in the actual film. After the film fades from the big screen, however, a few lucky owners will still be able to open their garage doors and take the production version of Bond's DBRS 9 for a spin. That car is reported to have an uprated 500-hp V12, race-car inspired lowered suspension and wider track. Until then, check out the trailer and try not to cringe when Craig rolls the car.

[Source: YouTube]

Related posts:

• Spy Shots: Aston Martin's gorgeous DBRS 9
• Bond's Vanquish from Die Another Day auctioned off
• Aston to sell Nurburgring Vantage V8 in limited numbers