James Bond’s Aston Martin, in all its myriad forms, is as essential to the character as his suppressed Walther PPK handgun and Vesper martini (shaken, not stirred). Once Q Branch has outfitted the Aston Martin full of offensive and defensive gadgets, Bond is ready for his next mission.
While the cars themselves are well within the reach of a certain caliber of enthusiast, the gadgets remain an object of big-screen fantasy. That is, until now. Although onboard machine guns, missile launchers, and tire-slashing wheel center caps are still off the table, Germany’s Trasco Bremen has you covered when it comes to armor and protection.
Starting with an Aston Martin DB11, Trasco Bremen adds just 330 pounds of weight in all the right places to protect the car’s occupants. A large proportion of that weight is in thick bulletproof glass, which impressively manages to preserve the frameless door windows’ shape.
The rest of the armor, in the form of composites and ballistic steel plating, is hidden underneath the skin in sensitive areas like the doors. Trasco Bremen rates the car as having Level 4 protection, enough to protect the occupants from armed carjackers—an especially useful feature for Mr. Bond.
The armor and bulletproof glass can withstand direct hits from handguns up to and including a .44 Magnum, which means you’re safe unless you’re facing down Paul Kersey’s .475 Wildey Magnum or Deadpool’s Desert Eagles.
If this sounds like the sort of protection you need, it’d be prudent to budget an additional $150,000 on top of the cost of a DB11. Safety doesn’t come cheap, after all.