Aston Martin's next Bond car hints at future design

Limited run DB10

Aston Martin says that James Bond's next car also previews the brand's new look.

The DB10 two-door coupe, built exclusively for the next installment in the Bond film franchise, Spectre, overhauls a design language first used by the V12 Vanquish in 2001.

"The DB10 gives a glimpse to the future design direction for the next generation of Aston Martins," the company said in a statement.

Aston Martin chose not to sit the DB10 on the new platform it is developing for future generations of cars. Instead it sits on the same VH (vertical/horizontal) platform first introduced on the 2001 Vanquish, a company spokeswoman told Automotive News Europe, adding that the DB10 is powered by a Ford-supplied 4.7-liter V-8 engine used in the V8 Vantage.

All 10 units of the DB10 will be used in filming the movie, Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer tweeted Thursday.

The DB10 is fully drivable, according to Aston, and has already been tested by actor Daniel Craig, who plays James Bond.

Aston Martin announced earlier this year it is developing a new architecture to update the range but hasn't said when it will appear on a new car. IHS Automotive recently told Automotive News Europe that it didn't expect to see cars built on the platform until 2016 at the earliest. In addition, Aston Martin has an agreement with Daimler's performance arm, AMG, to buy 4.0-liter turbocharged V-8s for its new models.

Aston is struggling financially as it announced a pre-tax loss of 25.4 million pounds ($40 million) for 2013, according to a Reuters report. Investment firm Invest Industrial bought a 37.5 percent stake in Aston Martin in 2012.

The reveal of the James Bond DB10 is the first big event at the firm since Palmer, a former top executive at Nissan, joined as CEO in September. Palmer tweeted a picture of himself unveiling the car at a UK event on Thursday to announce the film title, saying, "I challenge anyone to tell me I don't have the best job in the car industry."

Spectre will be in theaters starting Nov. 6, 2015.

Aston Martin's involvement in the James Bond film franchise started in 1964 when Bond actor Sean Connery drove a DB5 in “Goldfinger." Cars from the British supercar brand have appeared in 11 Bond films.