But Will We Love the New James Bond?

Just in from Ford Motors—
Fans of the legendary 007 attending Friday’s premiere of the highly anticipated “Casino Royale” will surely be both shaken and stirred. “Casino Royale” will give audiences their first glimpse of the new Aston Martin DBS and the 2007 Ford Mondeo.

The Mondeo, which cuts a distinctive profile as the first car that character James Bond is seen in during the film, is distinguished by Ford’s trademark kinetic design. The new Mondeo looks striking against the film’s Caribbean landscape as it delivers Bond to a hotel in the Bahamas, hot on the trail of a nefarious terrorist cell.

After a team of craftsmen at Ford’s Merkenich Design Studio near Cologne, Germany, worked night and day for several weeks to take the Mondeo from the drawing board to the road, the specially built five-door property was shipped to the shooting location with a degree of stealth worthy of 007 himself. Hidden in a purpose-built crate, the still-secret new Mondeo arrived on location in February and promptly aced its initial screen test. Full details of the new Mondeo will remain under wraps until the car is officially launched early in 2007.

Of course, the Ford brand most closely identified with the British superspy remains the Aston Martin, and the design team at Aston Martin has crafted a new model, the Aston Martin DBS, to assist Bond in his ongoing efforts to save the world. Full details of the Aston Martin DBS remain secret as well, though the company confirms that the model will enable 007 to accomplish his missions with his trademark elegance and sophistication.

– Christine Suppes