In Quantum of Solace (2008), James Bond, played by Daniel Craig, makes his first appearance behind the wheel of an Aston Martin DBS in a breathtaking chase along the winding roads of Lake Garda.
The choice was no accident. Aston Martin has been tied to 007 ever since the DB5 in Goldfinger (1964), but the DBS represented a new era: tougher, more realistic, and grounded.
Unlike in earlier films, the DBS in Quantum of Solace comes without outlandish gadgets. The filmmakers deliberately wanted to emphasize the gritty realism of the new Bond era — where the car is not a toy, but a true tool of survival.
© EON Productions / Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
One DBS Sank in Lake GardaFor filming, Aston Martin officially supplied 10 DBS cars:
- 6 “hero cars” used for close-ups, promotional shots, and press stills. These remained intact.
- 4 cars were specially prepared for stunts — with reinforced safety cages, lightweight panels, and technical modifications for extreme maneuvers.
The most dramatic incident occurred in April 2008, when a stunt driver lost control and one DBS plunged off the lakeside road straight into Lake Garda.
The driver escaped unharmed, but the car was completely destroyed.
The accident, widely reported in the media, highlighted the fact that these scenes were filmed for real, without CGI.
Interestingly, some unofficial sources mention that seven cars were used in the opening chase sequence specifically, which explains the varying numbers often quoted about how many DBS cars were “wrecked” during production.
Why the DBS Was Built for Bond
When Aston Martin unveiled the DBS in 2007, it wasn’t just another luxury grand tourer — it was a weapon dressed in hand-stitched leather.
Under its sculpted bonnet lurked a 6.0-liter V12, roaring with 510 horsepower and capable of catapulting the car from 0 to 100 km/h in just over four seconds.
Flat out, it could storm past 307 km/h (191 mph), a figure more often associated with racetracks than winding Italian roads.
Drivers could choose between a traditional six-speed manual gearbox — pure, old-school Bond — or Aston’s Touchtronic automatic, blending comfort with ferocity.
Back in 2008, this rolling piece of British engineering carried a price tag of around £150,000, but in the hands of 007, it was priceless.
Even the stunt versions, stripped down and reinforced for the camera, never lost their bite.
On screen, their sheer power and agility meant the action didn’t need digital fakery — just real cars, real danger, and the unmistakable growl of a V12 echoing off the cliffs of Lake Garda.
Still from the film Quantum of Solace (2008),
© EON Productions / Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
For Aston Martin, this collaboration was a massive marketing win.
Following the film’s release, DBS sales received a boost, and the car became cemented as one of the most battle-hardened models in the brand’s history.
The Lake Garda chase remains one of the most intense and memorable sequences in the franchise, and the real story of the sunken DBS only added to its legendary status.
