Aston Martin has always been proudly linked with it’s association with the James Bond franchise. And the £160,000 Aston Martin V12 Vanquish, which Bond drove in his last adventure, Die Another Day, has sold nearly a 1,000 units since going into production in 2001. Apparently, demand is still so strong there is a waiting list of around a year.

Such is the desirability of the Aston Martin brand off the back of Die Another Day that more than 1,000 people in the UK have put their names on a waiting list for the new AMV8 Vantage – rumoured to be driven by Bond in Bond 21 - even though it won’t be produced until 2005.

The AMV8 Vantage is expected to go on sale for about £75,000, and will be the cheapest brand-new Aston Martin money can buy.

By 2005, the manufacturer expects to be producing around about 5,000 cars a year and hopes that the AMV8 Vantage will account for at least half that. “It’s a very important car for us. It’ll allow just a few more people to buy an Aston,” Tim Watson, public affairs director, said.

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