Happy Anniversary, 007: 1988 Aston Martin V8 Zagato

James Bond is celebrating 50 years of cinematic existence since his 1962 debut in Dr. No and COTC is marking the occasion by spotlighting this unusual and rare Aston Martin Zagato.

Zagato has a long history with Aston Martin and Aston Martin has a long history with James Bond. But Aston was in trouble by the 1980s, as was Bond. Timothy Dalton did a great job in The Living Daylights, but by License to Kill and the fall of the U.S.S.R. the series was running out of steam. Aston Martin meanwhile, was struggling to provide a reliable and respectable supercar (or sedan for that matter, after the Lagonda debacle) to compete with the best.

So in 1986, they asked Zagato to re-body their aging V8 Vantage to reinvigorate the lineup and drum up some press coverage. The Italian coachbuilder had always been at the forefront of automotive design, celebrating and influencing trends of the moment throughout their decades of design experience.

Zagato delivered the goods, erasing the existing sheet metal in favor of a radical redesign that seems to be auditioning for the set of Blade Runner. Zagato immerses themselves in themes of the 1980s while still retaining a core Aston Martin identity. Especially brilliant is the 8-bit Tetris front end arrangement, where the rectangular headlights, turn indicators and fog lamps neatly abutt a reduced, simpliflied and modern interpretation of the Aston grille. The glass-to-glass canopy and side windows-within-a-window doubtless inspired Giugiaro's Subaru SVX.

This particular example looks perfect in Javelin Grey metallic over black leather interior. The seller says it has low miles and all service records. Although it made a splash at the 1986 Geneva motor show, with a flood of orders immediately taken, only 52 were built, and so they remain highly collectible and desirable today.

James Bond might never have driven this particular model, but it would have suited him just fine.

Available here on Car and Classic UK.

Rolling Cigar: 21k-mile 1980 Aston Martin Lagonda

This Aston Martin Lagonda looks like it came right out of an old episode of Lifestyle of the Rich and Famous. There is an instant air of pomp and circumstance about it. Maybe because it's a British car. And maybe because of the rather astounding styling. Can you imagine pulling up to Studio 54 in this thing?

The Lagonda was front-engine, rear-wheel drive four-door executive sedan. It was powered by a 5.3-litre V8 engine and came with either a manual or automatic transmission.

Only 645 cars were made from 1974-1990. US sales commenced in 1982.

They were styled by William Towns, a noted British car designer from the '70s and '80s. It's really something to behold. Wide, low, long and sleek, it's decadent but extremely well done. It was ahead of its time then and still looks cool today. You have to give a stodgy company like Aston Martin some credit for going out on a limb with this one.

These were known for their space agey interiors with digital instrumentation that was glitchy and failed often.

Fortunately, the seller has replaced the old system with a new digital readout that is in keeping with the futuristic trappings but actually works.

The seller also says the interior was redone in black leather with tan ostrich inserts.

In addition, the entire engine and transmission has been replaced with a late '90s Ford 4.6-litre V8, for improved reliability and performance. These were such fussy, oddball cars that the different engine isn't much of a detractor, and would help make this a fun, hassle-free cruiser.

With only 21,500 original miles, the rest of the car looks to be in great shape. This is a unique chance to grab an extremely rare car without the headaches they originally came with.

Find it here on ebay in Downey, California with bidding over $10k but reserve not met.