Hollywood star ordered Vanquish after being enchanted by the vehicle on the set of "007"; model was consumed by flames in California
The Aston Martin Vanquish commissioned by Pierce Brosnan after “007 – A New Day to Die” (2002) did not survive to see another day. A fire at the actor’s home in Malibu, California, consumed the sports car completely. Only the small metal plates of the door sills with the inscription “Hand built in England for Pierce Brosnan” remained.
The fatality occurred on February 11, 2015. The sports car marked the return of the British brand to the James Bond saga, replacing the BMW models used in previous films. Brosnan was so impressed during the recordings that he demanded a copy for himself. With an exclusive place on the production line, he followed the assembly at the factory and received the car three months after the end of filming.
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A symbol of Aston Martin’s rebirth under Ford, the original Vanquish housed a 5.9-liter V12 engine with 460 hp and 55.3 kgfm. The set, coupled with a six-speed automated transmission, allowed the sports car to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 5 seconds and reach a top speed of 306 km/h.
On the movie screens, the car was immortalized by the miraculous paraphernalia designed by “Q”: machine guns built into the hood, rockets in the grille and an unprecedented camouflage system that made it invisible. The most iconic scene involved a long chase on the ice against a Jaguar XKR convertible — recorded, in fact, with replicas of the Vanquish mounted on Ford Explorer V8 mechanics.
The genuine models used in the production only for close-ups and promotional material survived, being traded on the collectors’ market. One of these copies was even advertised in 2024 for US$ 129 thousand. The actor’s real Vanquish turned to ashes, ending the story of this “hero car” in a melancholic way.
