Home it came, and the weeks since have allowed Steve to appreciate the finer points of Aston ownership (his back catalogue includes “many fine Jaguars, old British sports cars and even the odd Ferrari and Porsche”). “It grew wider still as I began to appreciate the feelsome steering, carbon brakes, sorted suspension and wonderful engine. “It became clear that there was a queue forming behind me – literally – and that if I didn't wish to take delivery, others would pay me a premium to secure the car.” However, considering David’s determination to find Steve the perfect car, it would surely be unsporting not to at least take it for a drive? “As soon I fired up DBS-007 and snicked first gear, I could feel the smile spread across my face,” Steve recalls. It then found its way back to Aston Martin Works, where Steve found himself in an unusual position. However, along with the final colour choice (later to be known as ‘Casino Royale Grey’), the fateful rendezvous also saw Aston Martin CEO Dr Ulrich Bez personally guarantee that when the DBS entered production, chassis 007 would be reserved for Barbara Broccoli – making it the only ‘real-life’ Bond DBS.īroccoli kept the car for more than four years. The car seen (and rolled spectacularly) in the film was also to be a mock-up, this time a fully operational DB9 with visual enhancements. Back then, of course, the DBS was still several months from launch and the car shown to the actors was in fact a clay model. The search proved fruitless – until the day of that phone call.ĭuly arriving at Aston Martin Works that weekend, Steve was greeted by the sight of a DBS – a similar scene to that met by Daniel Craig and producer Barbara Broccoli (daughter of ‘Cubby’) several years earlier, when they were shown the prospective film car for the first time. Dave promptly purchased a low-mileage Islay Blue example and, keen to share his positive experience of ownership, spent hours searching for an equally good example for Steve.

With the latter in particular narrowing down their options somewhat, the brothers test-drove the remaining candidates and decided the Aston Martin DBS was the most desirable. London-based oil consultant Steve Roberts and his twin brother David had long been debating the requirements of the ideal modern GT car, eventually arriving at the conclusion that a V12 was a must, as was a manual gearbox.

07 Casino Royale