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One of the eight Aston Martin DB5 stunt cars built for the 2021 James Bond film No Time to Die sold on September 28 for more than $3 million. The sale headlined a Christie’s charity auction held in honor of 60 years of James Bond films.The proceeds of the DB5 sale go to the Prince’s Trust and the Prince of Wales Charitable Fund’s support of charities in the U.K.It may have taken the bank account of a Bond villain, but every penny of the the $3,209,773.17 spent on this Aston Martin DB5 prop car is going to charity. Aston Martin built eight prop versions of the DB5 for the 2021 Bond film No Time to Die, with each serving a specific purpose in bringing the film to life. Each prop car is uniquely modified, with this particular car featuring rotating license plates, retractable headlights, pop-out machine guns, and firing prop bomblets. Aston MartinWe had the chance to drive some of the No Time to Die stunt cars around Britain’s famous Silverstone Circuit before the movie was released. The conclusion? Like most illegal things, non-regulated movie prop cars are joyous fun as well as being fantastic to drive—even if they aren’t street legal. All proceeds from the DB5 sale were donated to the Prince’s Trust charity, which helps young people in Britain between the ages of 11 and 30, as well as the Prince of Wales Charitable Fund to support of former employees of British Intelligence Agencies and Special Forces.The DB5 may have fetched the highest bid of the evening, but it was not the only Bond car sold. A total of three Astons were sold at auction, all having been used in No Time to Die. Also sold was Timothy Dalton’s 007 car of choice: a 1981 Aston Martin V8 Vantage much like the car used in the 1987 Bond film The Living Daylights was brought back in Vantage form in the newest film and brought $692,046 at auction. The money generated from the V8;s auction was donated to the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees). Aston MartinThe third Aston sold was one of 25 DBS Superleggera 007 Editions, created by Aston to celebrate the inclusion of the Superleggera into the iconic franchise. The DBS features a plaque complete with etched signatures from actress Lashana Lynch who drove the car in the film, as well as from producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli. The DBS Superleggera 007 edition sold for $442,909 with all proceeds going to the Royal Foundation of the Prince and Princess of Wales.This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.This content is imported from OpenWeb. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. More

After revealing the Urus Performante earlier this year, Lamborghini has now shown the new S model.While the S is the entry-level Urus, it still makes 657 hp from its 4.0-liter V-8, the same amount as the track-focused Performante.The S also rides on an air suspension, instead of the steel springs fitted to the Performante.Lamborghini is turning the Urus SUV up to eleven for 2023 with the new Performante model, which debuted last month sporting aggressive styling and packing a more powerful V-8 engine and revised suspension. Now Lamborghini has revealed the 2023 Urus S, which replaces the standard Urus but arrives with the same 657 horsepower as the more dialed-in Performante.That represents a 16 horsepower boost over the outgoing base Urus, and the twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V-8 also spits out 627 pound-feet of torque. Lamborghini says the Urus S will hit 62 mph in 3.5 seconds, 0.2 second behind its claim for the lighter Performante. 124 mph is said to arrive in 12.5 seconds, one second adrift of the Performante but still blisteringly quick for a vehicle weighing nearly 5000 pounds. Top speed is a claimed 190 mph, and Lamborghini says the Urus S can brake from 62 mph down to a stop in around 110 feet. While the Performante rides on steel springs, the Urus S uses an air suspension, which can be set to street, track, and off-road modes. The Urus S gets a revised front bumper with horizontal grille elements replacing the hexagonal design of the outgoing model, and a new matte-black stainless steel skidplate protects the underside of the car. The hood is made from carbon fiber and features the same thin air vents as the Performante, which can be optioned in gloss black, body color, or carbon fiber. The Urus can also be specced with a carbon fiber roof, and the rear bumper adopts the sharper styling seen on the Performante, although the S lacks the small rear spoiler. More Lamborghini NewsLamborghini says the exhaust has been retuned, and the standard 21-inch wheels are joined by 22-inch and 23-inch options. The cabin also gets new color and trim options. While pricing for the U.S. market has yet to be announced, we expect the updated 2023 Urus to be a bit more expensive than the outgoing model, which starts at $229,495, when it goes on sale stateside.This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.This content is imported from OpenWeb. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. More

A redesigned 7-series flagship sails forth with larger dimensions and gas or electric powertrains. In other large-BMW news, the iX electric SUV gains a 610-hp M60 variant, which has an EPA range of up to 288 miles and a base price of $109,895. The i4 adds an eDrive35 entry-level model with a single motor making 281 horsepower and a smaller 66.0-kWh battery good for 260 miles. At $52,395, it’s $4500 less than the eDrive40.2023 BMW i7BMW2023 BMW 7-seriesBMWChanges to the 2-series coupe are limited to updated infotainment. However, a redesigned M2 arrives in the spring, with its chassis and drivetrain borrowing heavily from the M3/M4. Details are limited, but a twin-turbo inline-six with around 450 horses drives the rear wheels via either an eight-speed automatic or a six-speed manual.New BMW CarsThe 3-series lineup (330i, 330e, and M340i) receives a light freshening, with crisper exterior styling and BMW’s curved infotainment display coming to all variants, including the largely carried-over M3. Prices open at$43,295. Updates to the 4-series center on the top M4 Competition model, which adds a track-focused CSL variant with 40 more horsepower (now 543), a 240-pound weight reduction, and a $140,895 price. Production is capped at 1000 worldwide.The 8-series, the M8 Competition, and the 612-hp Alpina B8 receive a modest refresh, notably an illuminated front grille and a larger touchscreen. Carbon bucket seats are available in the 617-hp M8. Art collectors can empty their pockets chasing one of the 99 special-edition Jeff Koons–designed M850i Gran Coupes that went for $350,995.The updated Z4 roadster has minor styling tweaks but unfortunately it does not follow its Toyota Supra platform-mate in offering the option of a manual transmission.BMW M goes big with the new XM SUV, which adopts the polarizing design of the similarly named concept. It squares off against the Bentley Bentayga and the Lamborghini Urus early next year with a twin-turbo 4.4-liter V-8 plug-in-hybrid powertrain producing 644 horsepower, or up to 735 hp in the forthcoming Label Red version. Close in size to the three-row X7, the two-row XM will feature a spacious back seat and a ride-and-handling balance geared more toward grand touring than track days. We’ve sampled a prototype, and despite its roughly 6000-pound weight, we found it more entertaining to drive than a few of BMW’s smaller, sportier cars. And if there’s an M on the bumper, you can bet your sweet roundel there will be a Competition version too.New BMW SUVsThe big X7 also gets a refresh with an i7-inspired front end and the curved infotainment display. The xDrive40i’s turbo inline-six is up 40 horses to 375, while the M50i model becomes the M60i, with its 523-hp twin-turbo 4.4-liter V-8 gaining 48-volt hybrid assistance. Prices kick off at $78,845 and range up to around $145,000 for the updated Alpina XB7, which has 630 ponies.At the opposite end of the lineup, a redesigned X1 offers a more spacious cabin. At launch, there’s only an xDrive28i, motivated by a Miller-cycle 2.0-liter inline-four good for 241 horsepower, a gain of 13. A seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox replaces the previous eight-speed automatic. Prices start at $39,595. A redesigned X2 with a sleeker hatchback shape should follow in a year or so. But for now, only the 228-hp s- and xDrive28i models continue, as the 302-hp M35i variant is on hiatus.The X3, X4, X5, and X6 SUVs, along with the 5-series sedan, see only minor changes.This content is imported from OpenWeb. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. More