ian fleming

Cars Owned by Ian Fleming and Duchess of York on Offer at Bonhams

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Auctions

A 1962 AC Aceca Coupe (above), once owned by James Bond's creator Ian Fleming, will be offered by Bonhams at its Goodwood Revival sale in Sussex, UK on Sept. 17. One of only six surviving Ford-powered Acecas in the world, the dashing sports car worthy of 007 has attracted a pre-sale estimate of $150,000 – $200,000. The two-seater, which is dark blue with a burgundy leather interior, was purchased by Fleming the year he wrote The Spy Who Loved Me. Also on offer at the auction is a 1988 Jaguar XJ-S V12 Convertible that belonged to Sarah, Duchess of York, estimated at $30,000 – $38,000, though the highlight is undoubtedly a 1953 Jaguar C-Type, the same make and model that won Le Mans 24-Hours race twice in 1951 and 1953, which could fetch up to $1.5 million. Extensively restored between 1985 and 1991 it's described as "outstandingly usable and potentially extremely competitive." See the gallery for pix.

Gallery: Bonhams Goodwood Revival 2010

Tags: AC, auctions, author, Bonhams, celebrity cars, classic cars, Duchess of York, Goodwood, Goodwood Revival, Ian Fleming, Jaguar, Jaguar C-Type, James Bond, Le Mans, royalty, UK

Retro Cool: Bentley Dynamo Concept

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Bentley, founded in the UK in 1919, is as British as they come, but it took a designer from Boston to come up with the coolest concept for the marque that we've seen in recent memory. Marc Senger's Bentley Dynamo concept is inspired by the famed 1929 4.5 liter Blower Bentley racecar. An alluring modern take on the original, the Bentley Dynamo features a 4.3 liter supercharged "blown" four-cylinder engine making for massive power. Back in the day the Blower Bentley – a vintage example of which just sold for $1 million at the UK's Historics at Brooklands auction as we recently reported – produced 175 hp and got about 2.3 mpg. With a wheelbase of 110" and killer neo-retro looks, Senger's Dynamo is a fitting legacy to the Blower, which Ian Fleming, who owned one, chose as James Bond's original vehicle (it's featured in three of the 007 novels, Casino Royale, Live and Let Die and Moonraker). Ralph Lauren owns one of the most famous Blower Bentleys still around today, painted with the number 8 like Senger's rendering.

Gallery: Bentley Dynamo Concept

Tags: Bentley, Blower Bentley, car design, concept dar, Ian Fleming, Marc Senger, Ralph Lauren, UK

James Bond Watch Exhibit to Showcase Ian Fleming's Rolex Explorer

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

James Bond creator Ian Fleming's personal 1954 black dial Rolex Oyster Perpetual Explorer I (right), the inspiration for Rolexes worn by the world's most famous secret agent, will go on display in the U.S. for the first time this summer at the National Watch & Clock Museum in Lancaster, PA.

The exhibit will also feature several watches worn by 007 in both Fleming's novels and the Bond movies, mainly Rolexes including several Submariners, from the one sported by Sean Connery in 1962's Dr. No to the most tricked-out model, the magnetized and built-in rotating saw blade-equipped number from Live And Let Die (1973).

The first and only Rolex Fleming owned, the Explorer I was locked away in a bank vault for 20 years following his death. The watch made its first appearance in Fleming's novel On Her Majesty's Secret Service, published in 1963. Fleming wrote that "[Bond] could not just wear a watch. It had to be a Rolex."

[via Duncan Quinn]

Tags: 007, Ian Fleming, IanFleming, James Bond, JamesBond, Rolex, Rolex Submariner, RolexSubmariner, Sean Connery, SeanConnery

The Ian Fleming Foundation: Bond For Good Causes

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Charity

Another James Bond movie is headed to the theaters and James Bond fans all around the world are lining up to see Daniel Craig in action as 007. Part of the lure is the long history of the movies and the books written by Ian Fleming which create a whole world of superspy adventures with beautiful women, fast cars, yachts and gadgets. I've seen Bond-related vehicles come up for auction before but I didn't know, until I saw a recent article in the Chicago Tribune, that there is actually an Ian Fleming Foundation, a group of owners of some of these vehicles. The foundation is a charity of seven board members who use their Bond vehicles to help non-profits raise money. The charity will loan out vehicles for a fee or a percentage of the money brought in and that money goes toward the foundation's operating budget. Their end goal is to have a museum of Bond vehicles that raises money that can be donated to a scholarship for a writer or filmmaker.

Some of the vehicles including the Lotus submarine car used in the 1977 film 'The Spy Who Loved Me,' the Aston Martin Volante used in the 1987 James Bond film 'The Living Daylights,' and the Ford Mondeo used in the 2006 film 'Casino Royale' are on display at the Beaulieu National Motor Museum in New Forest between Bournemouth and Southampton in England. The James Bond Experience also includes props and apparel from the movies. The exhibition was created with the Ian Fleming Foundation.

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Tags: 007, bond, ian fleming, IanFleming, james bond, JamesBond

Quantum of Solace Trailer Unveiled

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

You've read about the Aston Martin mishaps and the Tom Ford tailoring; now Sony has released the trailer for Quantum of Solace, the new James Bond flick premiering this fall. Daniel Craig stylishly reprises his role as 007 in what looks to be an action-packed installment of the classic series, with Olga Kurylenko and Gemma Arterton doing the Bond Girl honors.

In the flick based on a 1959 Ian Fleming short story, Bond sets out to seek revenge for the death of Vesper Lynd (Eva Green) from Casino Royale. Craig has said filming Quantum was much more physically demanding that Casino, and he has suffered some injuries along the way. See the trailer here and check out the gallery for production pix.

Gallery: Quantum of Solace

Craig and Gemma Arterton (Agent Fields).

Tags: 007, Aston Martin, AstonMartin, Casino Royale, CasinoRoyale, Daniel Craig, DanielCraig, Ian Fleming, IanFleming, James Bond, JamesBond, Quantum of Solace, QuantumOfSolace, Tom Ford, TomFord

Sunday Real Estate Round-Up

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

From the LA Times Hot Property:

--Thomas Ian Nicholas, who was in "American Pie" and is a star of National Lampoon's upcoming movie "Cattle Call" is selling his three bedroom home in North Hills for $650,000. The listing for the home, which has an attached sound studio can be found here.
--A listing in the Hollywood Hills has a spooky past, it was used in the filming of Halloween. It looks perfectly innocent with its Colonial Revival style and white picket fence. The listing, for just under $1.4 million, can be found here.
--Writer Bruce C. McKenna has listed his Hollywood Hills home, where he wrote much of the HBO miniseries "Band of Brothers" (2001), at $3.25 million. The home sits on three lots and has views of the Hollywood sign. The six-bedroom-home also has a library, media room and smart-house technology. The home was also previously home to actor Peter Scolari and musician Brian Setzer. The listing can be found here.

From the NY Post Gimme Shelter:

--Banker Jacqui Safra and Jean Doumanian have listed their 18,000-square-foot neo-French Renaissance mansion for $55 million. The 50-foot-wide townhouse was built in 1896 and was bought in 1987 for $6.9 million and though it's in rough shape, it will be getting a makeover since it's been chosen as this year's Kips Bay designer showhouse. The listing is here.
--Yahoo! Chairmen Terry Semel spent $43 million for $8.5 acres of land in East Hampton. The land has a five bedroom cottage but has plenty of room for a massive mansion if Semel is interested in expanding.

From Forbes Movers & Shakers:
The longtime retreat of late James Bond author Ian Fleming, Goat Island, has just come on the market for $8 million. The 10 acre island has a two-story main house. The listing is here.

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Tags: celebrity, ian fleming, james bond, los angeles real estate, luxury real estate, LuxuryRealEstate, new york real estate