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The real-life Q is quite different to the one you see on the big screen. He seems less absent-minded and eccentric, for a start. And, as far as we can tell, his pens don't contain any explosive devices. Yet Simon Lane, in his role as head ofAston Martin's Q bespoke division , is in charge of developing cars as creative, bold and deceiving as anything MI6's Quartermaster might produce.
Having long offered a customisation service through the Works Tailored arm run from its Newport Pagnell plant, See: Launch car diagnostic. Aston launched the expanded Q division at its Gaydon base in 2012 with a licence to produce highly modified and bespoke models as demanded by its most loyal customers.
Most premium car makers have similar operations, but what Lane believes sets Q apart is a more fun approach, as its name hints. "I like to think we push the boundaries more than our competitors in terms of what's possible," he says. "And that goes right up to building bespoke one-off cars."
Q has three main offerings. Q Collection offers special parts and options for standard Aston models. Q Commission gives customers more freedom in terms of customising their cars, with a focus on colour and trim. The pinnacle, and you suspect the service that James Bond would head straight for, is Q Advanced Operations.
Lane says this is for customers "who don't want anything on the menu and want to do something completely different". That can range from non-standard powertrains and bodywork to fully customised cars.
To demonstrate what Q is capable of, we staged a top-secret mission to bring together five of its finest creations and asked Lane to showcase their highlights.
A tribute to the 1999Aston Vantage V600(one of world's most powerful production cars at the time), this 2018 special edition based on the previous-generation Vantage was the result of a commission from a single customer.
"He wanted a machine based on the V600," says Lane. "We have to put every part on a bespoke car through the same testing we would any part on a series-production model, which can be expensive. He said he would underwrite the development and help find other buyers, which means we could split the development, testing and engineering costs across seven coupés and seven convertibles."
The result was also a run-out special, with the 14 examples the final cars to use the VH platform – which also made them the final Vantages to have a naturally aspirated V12. And the body was extensively reworked in the style of the 1999 V600, which Lane describes as "a bruiser".
Lane says: "The customer wanted a bespoke exterior using carbonfibre; the only surviving panels are the doors and roof. There are clear design links and some really nice details. We kept the original side sill shape, so it has a real Coke-bottle shape, and the bonnet bulge is a very clear nod to the original V600."
So is the darkened grille, while the heavily reworked interior features a carbonfibre centre console and lightweight seats.
Lane admits that the V600 was "an expensive exercise because we had to do a lot of the testing we originally did on the car again". He adds: "It would be very difficult to do that for a single bespoke car, but doing it on a run of cars meant we could do it for the customer at a sensible price point and find some other customers as well."
One of two special cars developed as a tie-in with themuch-delayed No Time to Die , theVantage 007 Editionis a homage to the Vantage V8 that appears in the film, having first been seen in 1987's The Living Daylights.
While based on the Vantage, the 007 Edition is packed with subtle details that reference the original car, starting with the matching Cumberland Grey paint. The most notable detail is the new mesh grille, which required a lot of engineering.
"It's a direct nod to the original, with the same laser-cut square grille effect," says Lane. "Just that part alone required substantial engineering, because the airflow that goes through the Vantage grille is close to the limits of what's needed, and we had to calculate it all in litres per second to make sure th...

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