Pierce Brosnan Received an Aston Martin for Die Another Day, but Only Build Plaques Remain
Pierce Brosnan’s personal Aston Martin Vanquish, the car he requested after filming Die Another Day, was destroyed in a house fire at his Malibu home on February 11, 2015. Brosnan had arranged to receive a build slot during production, visited the factory while it was being assembled, and took delivery about three months after filming ended. Though the car did not survive, two engraved kick-plate plaques remain, reading “Hand built in England for Pierce Brosnan.”
The story highlights how the original Vanquish became one of Aston Martin’s defining modern cars. Introduced during the brand’s Ford-backed resurgence, the coupe built on the styling direction of the DB7 and used a 5.9-liter V12. Early versions produced 460 horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque, enabling a 0-60 mph time of 5.0 seconds and a top speed of 190 mph. A later Vanquish S, launched in 2005, increased output to 520 horsepower and 426 pound-feet. While the car’s early paddle-shift gearbox was widely seen as imperfect, the Vanquish remained highly desirable.
Its fame grew further when it appeared in Die Another Day, Brosnan’s final outing as James Bond. Unlike his previous Bond films, where he drove BMWs, the Vanquish fit the character’s image far better, pairing Aston Martin’s luxury and performance with a suite of fictional spy gadgets. The movie version featured machine guns hidden in the hood vents, rockets in the grille, adaptive camouflage, and remote-control capability, leading to an exaggerated action sequence on a glacier with the villain’s Jaguar XKR. Much of that chase was filmed with specially modified four-wheel-drive shells, while genuine Vanquish cars were reserved for close-ups and promotional use.
One of those real movie-used Vanquishes was later offered for sale in 2024 with a price tag of $129,000. That is still less than the cost of a new Aston Martin Vanquish, which continues the V12 tradition and is now also offered in Volante convertible form. The article closes by suggesting that the latest Vanquish would be a fitting choice for the next actor to take on the role of James Bond.
