aston martin’s marek reichman on DB12 goldfinger and the designs of james bond’s 007 cars

Aston Martin’s DB12 Goldfinger Edition is reminiscent of DB5

Aston Martin reveals DB12 Goldfinger Edition. It’s a super tourer inspired by the DB5, the car that launched the beginning of a long-term partnership between the 111-year-old British manufacturer and James Bond film franchise. Sitting down with designboom weeks before the unveiling, Marek Reichman tells us that just like James Bond, the fine details of the DB12 Goldfinger Edition are meant to be discovered, an allure to the true fans of the DB5.

‘It’s a treasure trove of tiny details that only a connoisseur will know where they’re from. That’s the exciting part. Like James Bond, it’s not obvious. The car is subtle, elegant, but you’ll know there’s something different about it. The more you look, the more you’ll see,’ Aston Martin’s Chief Creative Officer shares with designboom. Like James Bond, the 50 owners of the limited-edition DB12 Goldfinger may need a keen sense of design and appreciation to detect the nuances that pivots back to the DB5. The launch of the edition also marks the 60th Anniversary of the 1964 film.

Aston Martin DB12 Goldfinger Edition (left) beside DB5 | all images courtesy of Aston Martin, unless stated

‘eight of hearts’ embroidery harks back to the Miami pool scene

The DB5 first appeared in Goldfinger (1964) as Sean Connery’s vehicle full of gadgets to help him escape from and beat his adversaries. Today, Aston Martin reintroduces it as the DB12 Goldfinger Edition. Marek Reichman explains to designboom that the gold elements found in the super tourer are taken from the model used in the 1964 movie, while some of them are replicated to fit modern needs. The iconic Silver Birch paint color synonymous with the DB5 is the first obvious one in line, followed by the ‘eight of hearts’ embroidered onto the driver’s sun visor. The latter is a direct reference to the playing card seen in the last draw during the Miami pool scene in Goldfinger.

The British car manufacturer also adds 21-inch multi-spoke wheels with a silver color and a diamond treatment finish, black brake calipers, gold side strakes, and an Aston Martin logo in silver with a black enamel. As soon as the owners step inside, they find leather Sports Plus seats finished in the DB5 fluted style with an intricate Prince of Wales check perforation pattern, a nod to a classic James Bond suit. Topping it all off is a polished sill plaque adorning the Goldfinger 60th anniversary logo, harking back to the recent celebration of Aston Martin’s long-standing association with the 007 film franchise.

Aston Martin reveals the DB12 Goldfinger Edition, a super tourer inspired by the DB5 model

Aston Martin’s DB12 Goldinger comes with V8 engine

The DB12 Goldfinger Edition has been created by the marque’s in-house design experts at Q by Aston Martin, a personalization service similar to the James Bond films’ ‘Q Branch.’ Along with Marek Reichman, they’re the ones who place a 4.0-litre V8 Twin-Turbo engine in the modern take on the DB5, as well as the individually numbered 2007 vintage Champagne Bollinger with four Bollinger 007 glasses, exclusive to the model and its owners. ‘But then there are more subtle areas as well, like inside the cabinets within the car. The dogtooth check from the suit, things that are not absolutely expected. The little hidden secrets, the gems hidden underneath the cubby box lids, and certain tiny details like the graphic language we use,’ Marek Reichman shares with designboom.

When we ask the Chief Creative Officer what makes the DB5 timeless enough for Aston Martin to pay tribute to it with the recent DB12 Goldfinger Edition, he says that while timeless is a wonderful word, it mainly comes out of beauty. ‘Part of its longevity and timelessness is in its performance,’ he explains to designboom. The way it operates, mixed with aggressive and muscular proportions, makes it able to stake its mark. The car reflects its capability, and in several ways, Marek Reichman and his team attempt to stick with this design ethos, manifesting it through the DB12 Goldfinger Edition. In our conversation with the Chief Creative Officer below, he brings us back to the cars that James Bond/Agent 007 has driven, how they were designed for their specific movies, and what it’s like constantly recharging his creative drive now that he’s been working with Aston Martin for decades.

the DB5 first appeared in Goldfinger (1964) as Sean Connery’s vehicle

Interview with aston martin’s Marek Reichman

designboom (DB): Before the unveiling of the limited-edition Goldfinger DB12, you celebrated 60 years of Aston Martin’s association with the 007 film franchise, even opening the pop-up House of Q in the heart of London. How does it feel to celebrate this kind of milestone?

Marek Reichman (MR): It’s an amazing relationship. One of the nice things is we feel like we’re part of the Bond family. Bond is Eon Productions, but I know the people involved personally. Daniel Craig was at our launch of Vanquish recently, and it was nice to catch up with him there. How does it feel? It feels like we’re part of the family, not part of the furniture, because furniture can be removed, but definitely part of the family. It’s been 60 years, which is the longest-running relationship in any film franchise.

Most importantly, it’s a milestone reaching 60. We’re a 111-year-old company, so for more than half our life, we’ve been associated with James Bond and the 007 franchise. A milestone for me was when we were in Spectre, and the DB10 was announced as a character in the movie, not just a car. The DB10 was on stage with all the cast and was introduced by Sam Mendes as the first cast member. That shows how deep and important the relationship is. We’re not backup, we’re a cast member. We feel like we’re part of the franchise, part of the entertainment that is James Bond and 007. Very special, and we’re very honored.

the gold elements found in the DB12 Goldfinger are taken from the model used in the 1964 movie

DB: Is there an important design takeaway during this time? It might have been a point of reflection for you as well as the Chief Creative Officer.

MR: I think the biggest design takeaway is that we’re a 111-year-old brand that in theory doesn’t need James Bond to exist. So, the nice thing is it’s a marriage or a partnership where both can coexist without, but together one and one is making three. The character of Bond, the nature of Bond throughout time, has had to change with the times. It fits to our makeup, it fits to our design DNA, to our language of design.  I’ve just shown a very eminent customer around who said, ‘There are two brands. There’s a brand that is red, and people buy that brand, and there is Aston Martin, always renowned for its suave sophistication, elegance.

And you’re recognized as a person who’s a connoisseur of taste if you drive an Aston Martin. That’s where that relationship with Bond, who has very, very similar things, and the makeup of the movies and the sets that are created and the spaces that are visited, the places that are visited, the countries, what is mentioned in terms of being the zeitgeist of style, design, and culture, comes through in the movie as well, and it’s a relevance. I think what it helps with from a design perspective is keeping us relevant to a different consumer, a different fan base.

I think the biggest one has to be elegance and restraint. And they’re the two that I always carry away and think, would this be right for Bond as a character, whoever that may be in the future. I’m so lucky and so privileged. I’ve been involved in the last five, the entirety of Daniel’s movies as Bond. We were a transition. We put James Bond back into an Aston Martin. The prior movie didn’t have an Aston Martin in there.

So, the DBS for Casino Royale was the first time we’d been back in the movie with a big bang or a big role, if you like, with the six-and-three-quarter-turn role. I’m a kid in a candy shop, you know, each time. Just before, I get asked so many questions. ‘Oh, you must know who the new Bond is. You must know this.’ The reality is, even if I did, I’m part of the family and respect the decision not to tell anyone. But it’s just nice to know that we’ll be introduced to have a studio tour, to bring the director around. That’s the really nice part of this relationship as well.

21-inch multi-spoke wheels of the Aston Martin DB12 Goldfinger

DB: And before the reveal of the new James Bond, we have the DB12 Goldfinger Edition which has come out. Can you walk us through the design elements, both exterior and interior, that you feel capture the film’s essence?

MR: There are the very obvious ones, like color in terms of the exterior, and a lot of the finer detailing. The gold elements were taken from the movie and the car in the movie, and some of them were replicated onto the modern platform. But then there are more subtle areas as well, like inside the cabinets within the car. The dogtooth check from the suit, things that are not absolutely expected. The little hidden secrets, the gems hidden underneath the cubby box lids, and certain tiny details like the graphic language we use. The way the car will be given to the owners, in terms of certification, like a top-secret file, etc.

There are some obvious cues through color and material. Our side strike has been embellished with the anniversary plaque, and the badging itself. Tiny stitch details, even down to the weave of the cloth used in Bond’s suits in the movie, appear on the seats and partly on the headliner. It’s a treasure trove of tiny details that only a connoisseur will know where they’re from. That’s the exciting part. Like Bond, it’s not obvious. The car is subtle, elegant, but you’ll know there’s something different about it. The more you look, the more you’ll see.

DB: Since we’re talking about James Bond and focusing on the design evolution of the cars featured in the franchise, of course it would do no justice if we didn’t talk about the DB5, which has been an iconic vehicle in the movies. It was first shown in the film Goldfinger (1964), and today, it is interpreted as the limited-edition Goldfinger DB12. But I’m wondering, what do you think makes this particular model a timeless classic and a recognizable one?

MR: Timeless is a wonderful word, but it comes out of beauty. If something is beautiful, it is timeless, because beauty is a mathematical relationship of proportion, which is why when we see a wave, a rose, or a nautilus shell, they all conform to the proportional beauty, the Golden Section, that proportional relationship. The DB5 has that inherently. The beauty of the DB5 having that perfect proportional relationship is that there were no designers creating the car in the same way we do today. There were no designers thinking about the car in the same way.

They were doing things intuitively that looked right, that felt beautiful. The length of the fender versus the cabin, the sculpting on the hood, how the cabin drops back — all this was just visual reflection, knowing that proportion is what makes the car timeless. That timeless nature was helped by the movies and the series of movies, because more people got to see the car in the right context, but inherently, it’s a beautiful proportion. It’s incredibly well-surfaced, simple, pure, elegant, but also visually very sporting.

The car reflects its capability. At the time, it was one of the best sports or grand touring cars you could buy. It had an amazing prowess, hand-finished, built of an aluminum lightweight body, with unique suspension systems. You could fit two people behind you as well, so it’s a 2+2 in terms of its layout. All of these aspects, along with the fact that the DB comes from David Brown — who was passionate about making beautiful cars with a long-lasting effect — contribute to its timelessness.

Looking back to our famous racing cars, like the DBR1 that won Le Mans in 1959, this car has both elegance and a sporting nature. It has beautiful proportion and performance, which is essential because if it looks that way, it must drive in a certain way, and that can’t disappoint. Part of its longevity and timelessness is in its performance, but the beauty lies in its proportion. When you add the detail elements, like the handmade grill, the refinement, the sharp lines, and simplicity, the car almost looks like it’s hewn from a solid piece of sculpture. That’s why it’s timeless.

Aston Martin has recently celebrated its 60-year partnership with the 007 film franchise

DB: You’ve mentioned these beautiful proportions and the sporting nature, and it reminded us of No Time to Die in 2021, where the Valhalla, which could be considered your first hybrid supercar, debutted. It was also inspired by F1, and then, as you look at it, we have these very striking, semi-aggressive proportions. Could these futuristic propotions become, let’s say, the future design of Aston Martin vehicles? Are you looking into this perspective?

MR: Yes, always. I’ve been doing this job now for 20 years, and each day feels like my first. Each day is an amazing challenge. I love the word challenge. People say, What are the challenges? Well, without a challenge, there’s no point in being a designer. I like to be challenged on a daily basis and to move things forward. Beauty and attaining perfect proportion are exactly what our cars will embody in the future. As we deploy more of the performance-related attributes through Formula One, through Valkyrie, and through Valhalla, they will inform many other cars. Valkyrie was our first mid-engine car, Valhalla will be our second mid-engine car in terms of production.

That influence now starts to spread across to the GT cars of the future, like the DB5 or DB14, or whatever comes next. Beauty is not just in the overall proportion, but in the proportionality of surfaces — how the car is sculpted and how it has a relationship with each line, with each intersection of surface. That is really our DNA. I call it internally ‘hypertension.’ There is a tension to the surface language, an immediate feeling of movement even when the car is static. That’s because there is tension.

The easiest way I describe that is to think of a sprinter just as they go down on the blocks and are told to set. They lean forward, and their body is in perfect motion to go forward. It’s not going to fall backward; it’s ready to pounce forward, but they’re still, stationary for that fraction of a second. There’s already movement, and you can almost anticipate the gun because of how poised the athlete is. That’s exactly what an Aston Martin should be.

gold accents for the center console fo the DB12 Goldfinger Edition

DB: So, do you work with the directors before and/or during filming for the cars’ colors?

MR: It’s always before, and then I will show them many things, show them opportunities and options. A movie is a fluid thing. Through the movie, they may change their mind. It may be a rainy day when they wanted a sunny day. A different scene may have to come first. They may want a different attitude to that scene, so I’ll initially work with them, providing options and solutions. If there’s a change, we immediately support it, whether that is color or product, so that we can really support what happens. The beauty of a movie is that there is always CGI now.

Eon and the production of Bond are traditional in the fact that the stunts are performed by stunt people with real objects, etc. In the advent of needing to change a color, it’s relatively simple to post-process a color change. They would advise me if someone said they wanted a bright red, and I would recommend going back to say we have this array of color. This would be good in the light, and this would be good in the darkness, etc. There’s always a consultation throughout the movie. My phone can ring anytime. I’ll wake up and answer it.

‘Eight of Hearts’ embroidery harks back to the Miami pool scene in Goldfinger movie

DB: Well, we hope you don’t answer it in the very early morning! It’s wonderful when you mentioned that a movie is a fluid thing because we think the same thought can be applied to design. For example, the Aston Martin DB10 was exclusively developed for Spectre in 2015. We feel like this design is also fluid because, while it’s reminiscent of the DB5 for its color, it looks different from it. It’s more of a modern car. When these design shifts happen, is it because you were following a brief from the directors or the script, or is it more tailored to James Bond and his scenes?

MR: DB10 was an interesting case because the car I wanted to be in the movie was the new DB11. It was just being launched. I had lots of models of the dB 11. We don’t design cars for the movie apart from DB10, and I’ll tell you why. We try to make sure that the cadence of product launches fits with the new timing of movies. I showed Sam, Daniel, Barbara, and Michael around the studio and showed them DB11. They were all blown away by it. It’s a continuation, the next generation of DB5, etc. Now we’re on 11 and the DB, which was based on a DB9.

As we were leaving the studio, there was a sketch on the wall. This is why it has a different face, a more modern face. There was a sketch of what is now the Vantage. It was a future Vantage, our 2.0 sports car model. I had the word ‘hunter’ next to it and the image of a shark. As Sam and Daniel were walking out of the studio, they looked at me and said, ‘What is that?’ I said, ‘That’s a future car, and we haven’t made it yet. I’ve got a base clay model I can show you, but it’s a next generation Vantage.’

MR (continued): They both said, ‘Oh, that’s amazing!’ I said, ‘Well, I’ll show you the model,’ not expecting them to say, ‘Could we have that?’ I showed them the model and took the cover off. They both said, ‘Unbelievable. That is unbelievable.’ Later in the conversation, they said, ‘What stage are you at?’ I said, ‘I’m just developing the surfaces, but no cars exist.’ They said, ‘What if we were to make that the car for James Bond? Could you do it?’ And of course, I said, ‘Yeah.’

So within 6 months, we turned a sketch and a model into 10 driving prototypes and agreed that they would only be in that guise before the movie. They were called DB10. It even took DB10 out of our nameplate, so we went from DB9 to DB11 without a 10 because DB10 belonged to James Bond. It was the first time in our history and the first time in the movie franchise’s history. It came out of that initial idea that this was the true hunter, and that’s the modernity, that aggressive nature that you see.

If you look back now at DB10, you see that shark face with a cutback feature to the front of the car. This very fluid, elegant design is how a shark moves through the water. My second favorite scene, after he stole the car in the movie, is when it’s seen on the streets of Rome from above. It literally looks like a predator moving through the streets. Wonderful filming, wonderful cinematography, and an amazing car and project to be involved in.

DB5 in Goldfinger, Thunderball, GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, Casino Royale, Skyfall, Spectre, No Time To Die

DB: In line with your story, you said you don’t design cars for the movies, but given the teams’ reception to the DB10, would you explore, or would you be open to exploring or producing cars for the entertainment industry? 

MR: I think it’s an incredibly valid area in terms of brand recognition. The brand would have to be the right character in the right movie. Curiously enough, there was a movie called The Infinites, and we had two Lagonda concept cars in there. That movie came out during COVID times. It was a Mark Wahlberg movie called Infinites, and we had two concept cars in there that were Lagondas. I do think, in terms of brand recognition, it’s an important thing to do, and I would open the doors to any franchise as long as it doesn’t compete with James Bond. I don’t want to do Bourne or anyone like that for a car, but if it’s something else, fantastic.

Aston Martin V8 in The Living Daylights, No Time To Die | image courtesy of 007 films

DB: And Marek, you said that you’ve been with Aston Martin for two decades, and maybe even more. How do you constantly invent and reinvent yourself and what you do and produce?

MR: Well, I think it’s an interesting and explorative question because I think, as a designer, your eyes, your mind, and your curiosity, are your best assets.  Your tenacity is the second one. But I think curiosity has to play a massive role. And it’s curiosity across all spectrums of design, across all mediums, across all disciplines.

I’m always focused on the creative, and creative is such a broad word. But that’s why, because creativity is everywhere. Creativity is in the way that a door opens and the light that you see on the other side of the door when you open it. Creativity for me is the music I listen to in the morning, randomly. It’s the coffee machine when the light comes on, and I’m ready to go. It’s going to a concert the night before. I’m very lucky.

Aston Martin Valhalla in No Time to Die (2021)

MR (continued): I was educated in Masters at the Royal College of Art, and that opened my mind to so many different areas of design, design discipline, and art as well. I think art again is so encompassing of everything. It’s conversation. It’s the people I meet, the people I see. It’s how they are. Creativity comes from everywhere.

Inspiration comes from everything that we’re lucky, and I’m fortunate enough to see, smell, and touch every single day, and I think if you consider that, then the world is such an incredible pot of influences for you, and I love travel. Covid times were the worst times of my life. Not being able to travel, not being able to see people, not being able to have a face-to-face conversation. And I think that’s my inspiration. 

project info:

name: DB12 Goldfinger Edition

chief creative officer: Marek Reichman

manufacturer: Aston Martin | @astonmartin