The Porsche Taycan had an Imperial escort at its recent debut in Singapore, rolling along the black carpet beside a squad of stormtroopers. In fact, Porsche built an entire “spaceport” in collaboration with designers at Lucasfilm for the event, which also hyped the upcoming film Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker. And while those of us in the Western world have already seen the Taycan, we hadn’t laid eyes on the sketches of the spacecraft also co-designed by Porsche and the Star Wars team, presented at the event.The starship combines Porsche and Star Wars design elements for a piece of fantasy machinery that, though it probably wont appear in any actual Star Wars movies, looks like something a young Han Solo would totally enjoy hijacking. Its got bits reminiscent of the X-Wing, Y-Wing and U-Wing with touches of the Taycan.“Even though they do not seem to share many elements at first glance, both worlds have a similar design philosophy,” said Michael Mauer, Vice President Style Porsche at Porsche AG, in a press release. The close collaboration with the Star Wars design team inspires and fascinates us it was a pleasure to present the design process and some sketches together with Doug Chiang in Singapore. We are looking forward to finalizing the fantasy spaceship design within the next weeks.While they wait for said promised final product, super-fans of Porsche, Star Wars or both can nerd out at the Wired microsite dedicated to the build process, which includes videos, insights and even more sketches of the
Origin: This Porsche X Lucasfilm starship will get you pumped for the new ‘Star Wars’ film
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New Land Rover Defender to star in 25th James Bond film
Land Rover has confirmed that the new Defender will have a starring role in the next James Bond film. The latest instalment in the iconic secret agent series, No Time to Die, will be released in the UK on April 3 2020, and will feature the reborn off-roader taking part in a traditional car chase sequence. The exact nature of the Defender’s role is yet to be confirmed, but Land Rover claims the production’s stunt team have driven it in “the most extreme off-road conditions, demonstrating its unstoppable nature”. A video clip released by the firm shows a group of Defenders being driven at speed on challenging off-road terrain and jumping high into the air, with one clip showing the car seemingly rolling onto its side. The Defender selected for the film is the mid-sized 110 variant, which will arrive in UK dealerships ahead of the shorter 90 and longer 130. It has been specified in range-topping X trim, and equipped with optional equipment including darkened skid plans, 20in black alloy wheels and heavy-duty off-road tyres. Speculation that the Defender could appear in No Time to Die was fuelled by spy shots of the model on set in August, a month before it was officially unveiled at the Frankfurt motor show. The SUV will appear alongside Aston Martin’s upcoming Valhalla hypercar, which was confirmed as the hero car in June. The mid-engined hybrid is the latest in a long line of Aston models to feature in Bond films, following past appearances from the firm’s DB5, DBS, Vanquish, V8 Vantage and one-off DB10 models. Land Rover has also confirmed that its Range Rover Sport SVR will appear in the new film, alongside a selection of historic models including the Series III and Range Rover
Origin: New Land Rover Defender to star in 25th James Bond film
James Bond to drive 4 different Aston Martins in new film
The upcoming No Time to Die is historic in that it marks the 25th James Bond film in the franchise. To mark the special occasion, no fewer than four Aston Martin vehicles will be used in the movie, the automaker announced on James Bond Day, October 5.Aston Martin has been synonymous with the film series ever since a DB5 was used as Bonds primary mode of transportation in Goldfinger, and, following a short stint or two where the spy piloted Lotus and BMW vehicles, has cemented itself as the brand of choice for the worlds suavest secret agent.The lineup breaks down like this: First, we have the one and only DB5. A staple of James Bond history, it needs no introduction, and neither does 007.As another nod to the past, No Time will feature a V8 Vantage like the one Timothy Dalton used in the 80s-era films.Past, present and future.To mark the 25th Bond film, #NoTimeToDie, four of our cars will be featured in the film.From the classic DB5 and V8 Vantage, to the new DBS Superleggera and Aston Martin Valhalla, there is something for every Bond fan.#JamesBondDay@007 pic.twitter.com/cmKvswriHo Aston Martin (@astonmartin) October 5, 2019A surprise addition to the film is the DBS Superleggera its role on-screen was announced October 5. (Wed already known about the other star cars.) Totally befitting of Bond, the gorgeous GT car is powered by a twin-turbo V-12, and has all the amenities of a comfy grand tourer.Finally there’s the Valhalla. Were not sure how Bond is going to get himself into a situation that requires a low-slung supercar, but as per our interview with CEO Andy Palmer, we understand the vehicle will also have a few tricks up its sleeve, as per 007 traditions. (That means gadgets!)How do you like the first images of a new @astonmartin Vantage Roadster, in engineering pre-production form, ahead of its launch in the coming months? pic.twitter.com/5Ccm6STvbQ Dr. Andy Palmer (@AndyatAston) October 7, 2019On top of the smorgasbord of Astons that Bond will drive, the brand itself revealed yet another car October 7, albeit one based off one of its already popular models. The Aston Martin Vantage Roadster will be revealed soon, Palmer tweeted out, with images of a prototype stylish drop-top that will surely blow your hair
Origin: James Bond to drive 4 different Aston Martins in new film
Aston Martin Valhalla to star in new Bond film, alongside V8 and DB5
The Aston Martin ValhallaAston Martin Aston Martins new hypercar the twin-turbo-V6 hybrid we’ve just come to know will be called “Valhalla” will have a role in the upcoming James Bond film, alongside two iconic Bond vehicles, the Aston Martin DB5 and the V8 Vantage.The British automaker confirmed the trios placement in the yet-untitled Bond 25 movie via Facebook late June.From the sounds of it, the film will be a veritable smorgasbord for more automotive-ly inclined Bond fans: outside of these three Astons, there were rumours star Daniel Craig would pilot the marque’s electric Rapide E sedan on-screen, too.More concrete are suggestions a vintage Land Rover Series III will be put to use by the well-known secret agent, since a blue example was photographed on set earlier this year.The film will be the 25th James Bond movie, and both the fifth and last for Daniel Craig. The title is rumored to be Shatterhand, an allusion to villain Ernst Blofeld, and the release date is April 8,
Origin: Aston Martin Valhalla to star in new Bond film, alongside V8 and DB5
Put on Your Judgy-Pants: Big on speed, short on brains, caught on film
This Lexus rolled over in Estonia as its driver tried filming the car reaching its top speedvia Carscoops Have you ever wondered why the speedometer goes all the up to those huge numbers if it seems like your car could never go that fast? And I don’t just mean in your little Elantra; they increase the numbers accordingly in, say, a Porsche. Like dangling a little something-something just in front of your nose. Or better yet, daring you to test it out. This Estonian gentleman was simply doing what we all yearn to do in our hearts: seeing if his car could go as fast as advertised. Let anyone here who hasn’t considered it throw the first wrench. But – there’s always a but – he ran into a few problems, of course, as Carscoops reports. Like how it’s not enough to simply tell your friends, Hey, dudes, I got the Lexus all the way up to 260 km/h! because someone will always say, Sure you did, Jakob. I’ve heard Estonians can be a tough room. The upside is we no longer have to strap our best friend into the death seat to film our antics; we have dash-mounted cams that can record our stupidity up close, though they are admittedly mostly used to capture the dumbass-ery of others. Thankfully, our video star passed up the passenger-cameraman option (or all his friends did); unfortunately, he also passed up the dashcam method. He chose instead to hold his phone to record himself, because when you’ve announced you are going to hit 260 km/h, you only need one hand and a little bit of focus. This video should be more horrifying, actually, than it is. Estonia must produce some pretty cool customers, because according to the story, shortly after hitting that speed, however, he lost control of the car and can be seen applying opposite-lock to help correct a slide. It doesn’t work and, for approximately eight seconds, the Lexus can be heard sliding down the road before it slides into an area of grass and rolls onto its roof. As the Lexus skids to a stop on its roof, all our Speed Racer does is hunt around for his phone. If he pooped his pants, he doesn’t mention it. Take Our
Origin: Put on Your Judgy-Pants: Big on speed, short on brains, caught on film
Got a Need for Speed? This camera car from the film is for sale
If you’ve ever wanted to own a piece of movie history, now’s your chance. A company in Nebraska is offering a 2013 Mustang GT that was converted into a camera car for the 2014 film Need for Speed. The movie, starring Aaron Paul, was inspired by the video game series. Don’t expect the car to come with a matching Oscar award, of course; many critics only gave the film a one-star review when it was released. Currently for sale on eBay, the black car was upgraded by Saleen with a supercharger that boosts it to 625 horsepower, along with a 3.73 rear end, 14-inch brakes, and a custom-made roll cage. It’s got a 5.0-litre V8 and six-speed manual transmission. Modifications for its duty as a camera car include a glass compartment in place of the rear hatch, and a variety of camera mounts around the exterior. To make room for equipment, the front passenger-side airbag is missing, so you’ll have to put up with the warning light when you’re driving—along with the tire and open-door sensor warning lights, thanks to the rear hatch modification. It’s got only 7,791 miles (12,538 km) on the odometer, and for US$34,900, it can be
Origin: Got a Need for Speed? This camera car from the film is for sale
Aston Martin celebrates 50-year anniversary of Bond film
There’s a lot of hype going around these days when it comes to the world’s favourite super-spy: 007. Bond 25 is currently in production, and Aston Martin themselves are building replicas of the DB5 featured in Goldfinger, machine guns and all. Now Aston has decided to add another special model to the lineup to commemorate a lesser-known Bond car. 1969 was the year that saw Sean Connery take a break from being Bond, and male model George Lazenby step in, and lucky for Lazenby, he got one of the coolest Bond cars ever: a 1969 Aston Martin DBS. Aston Martin is celebrating 50 years of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service by creating the OHMSS special edition of its current DBS Superleggera. Andy Palmer, Aston Martin Lagonda President and Group Chief Executive Officer, said: “Aston Martin is synonymous with James Bond and the DBS from On Her Majesty’s Secret Service has provided great inspiration to the team tasked with creating this very special edition. This new DBS Superleggera will be an extremely distinguished ‘brute in a suit’, designed to capture the essence of the iconic DBS from the 1969 film but with a 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12, 715-bhp engine!” The OHMSS edition features more carbon fibre, along with a new front splitter, aeroblade, and diamond turned and forged wheels. The exterior colour has been matched to the same olive green of the original 1969 DBS, and the horizontal lines in the grill have been accentuated to mimic the original as well. Deliveries of the 2019 Aston Martin DBS Superleggera OHMSS will take place in the fourth quarter of 2019. Only 50 will be built, at a price of 300,007 pounds. Really. If you plan on getting married soon, we recommend that you leave the DBS in Q
Origin: Aston Martin celebrates 50-year anniversary of Bond film
Collection of perfect ’90s-era Chevrolets destroyed by fire on film set
Some 27 pristine Chevrolet vehicles from the late ’80s and early 1990s were destroyed in a fire May 9, while parked together on a film set in New York. According to The Poughkeepsie Journal, the vehicles were in, or out front of, a mock Chevrolet dealership, constructed for an upcoming HBO series set in the 1990s. The stand-in structure, the 613 Automotive Group dealership building located in Ellenville, New York, caught fire in the middle of the night at almost 1:00am on Thursday morning; the flames weren’t put out until 10:00am. Nobody was injured during the blaze, but the vehicles were all destroyed. The collection included mint-condition Corvettes, Camaros, a pristine C1500 pickup, a 454 SS pickup and a replica of a 1990 Beretta Indy pace car. All of the vehicles were provided by a company owned by Automobile New York bureau chief Jamie Kitman, who wrote about the incident for Automobile. Fortunately, everyone is insured by the production and they will be made whole, financially. And no one was injured—or worse, Kitman said. Still, there is no amount of money and nothing you can say about a total loss of a motor vehicle that makes it right, although everyone I called took comfort in the fact that no people were injured. While fire inspectors, police, and insurance claims adjusters poke through the ashes, the cars that can still move leave the site, while others sit, charred and grim as could be. Obviously, filming for the TV series has been suspended, but Kitman says once it’s back on, he will recreate the 1990s dealership once
Origin: Collection of perfect ’90s-era Chevrolets destroyed by fire on film set
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