Cars

"No, Mr Bond, I expect you to drive"

Aston Martin DB10
Aston Martin DB10 Aston Martin DB10

ABSOLUTELY no excuse is needed to print a picture of the Aston Martin DB10 in Drive, much less two or three, but if you happen to have more than £1 million burning a hole in the pocket of your Savile Row suit you could soon be parking the real thing on your driveway, writes William Scholes.

The DB10, in case you have forgotten, was designed and built exclusively for Spectre, the most recent James Bond movie.

Aston Martin hand-built just 10 examples, most of which were heavily modified to cope with the rigours of a spectacular chase scene across Rome and the Vatican.

Two of the 10 were left in their original state to help promote the film, and it is one of these exceptionally valuable show cars which is being made available for private ownership.

It is being auctioned in London on February 18, with the proceeds going to the charity Médecins Sans Frontières; £1 million would be considered a conservative value for a vehicle with such a unique provenance.

To underline that this is no ordinary car, consider that the examination and authentication process it has undergone in preparation for the sale included making a digital scan of the whole car, with the file held in a secure archive for future reference.

The DB10's specification sheet includes a 4.7-litre V8 petrol engine, six-speed manual gearbox, a top speed of around 190mph, an all-carbon fibre exterior and an interior trimmed in a blend of the finest leathers, carbon fibre and aluminium.

A note in the sales literature draws bidders' attention to the fact that the car is being sold as "a collector's item".

"It is an original Aston Martin DB10, and was built to be capable of specific uses by trained drivers in a controlled environment for filming," it says.

"The car is not homologated, certified or approved for use on any public roads and has not undergone the testing processes used for production cars, including but not limited to occupant safety, crash testing, durability and/or emissions of aftersales maintenance regimes."

If that hasn't put you off, and you would still like to register for what is described as - without any exaggeration, for once - as a "once in a lifetime opportunity", visit www.christies.com/bond or email spectrelive@christies.com.