During the making of James Bond: Spectre, carmaker Aston Martin made one hundred 2014 Vanquishes. One of them, body number 007, was gifted to Bond actor Daniel Craig. It’s blue and immaculate, and now it’s up for sale.
Craig is auctioning off his personal limited-edition car for charity through Christie’s auction house, as announced on Thursday, February 15th, 2018.
“It was an homage, really, to his career,” Becky MacGuire, a Christie’s director, said in an interview. “What he’s brought to the Bond character has been so appreciated by the company and, of course, zillions of fans.” Craig will be James Bond once more, in an as-of-yet unnamed movie to be released in November 2019.
The luxury vehicle was displayed in Christie’s showroom in Los Angeles from February 27th to March 3 before being moved to New York City. It will remain there until its auction on April 20th, as part of The Exceptional Sale 2018. The car is valued at $400,000 to $600,000 and is expected to sell for slightly more.
The winner of the auction will also win the chance to visit the Aston Martin HQ in Gaydon, Warwickshire for a behind-the-scenes tour of the production facility.
The recipient of the auction for charity will be New York-based The Opportunity Network, which helps low-income students reach for their colleges and careers of choice. Craig and his wife Rachel Weisz are both on the organization’s board of directors, and will be hosting their Night of Opportunity Gala on April 9th, less than two weeks before the car’s auction.
“This Aston Martin Vanquish is a tour-de-force of automobile engineering and a distinct pleasure to drive,” said Craig of his car. “While I will miss it, I am keen to further the very important work of The Opportunity Network with its sale.”
The Opportunity Network, founded by Jessica Pliska in 2003, addresses the small number of low-income college students graduating college and securing jobs in their field. “This is a crisis,” their website reads. “And it is leading to unrealized potential for an entire generation of talented, motivated young people.”