The Bond Car during the Timothy Dalton years

The Bond car from The Living Daylights

Of course, this is the Bond Car as seen on The Living Daylights starring Timothy Dalton as James Bond himself. It's a 1977 Aston Martin V8 Vantage. Talk about being in your element! On that movie, Bond's V8 Vantage comes with gizmos developed specifically on this car such as tire spikes, jet engine at the back of the license plate, retractable outriggers, missles, lasers, bulletproof windows, fireproof exterior, and a feature that allows this car to self-destruct! Whoa! A car that can self-destruct! Amazing! I just wanna have that car but....what you're looking up here doesn't have those Bond gizmos on this car. What it is is just a normal classic Aston V8 Vantage on Forza 4.

Race before the avalanche

So, what is it then this classic Vantage? This car was dubbed as the first supercar made in Great Britain thanks to its top speed of 170mph. The titular V8 engine though, it was derived from the Lagonda but with added camshafts, compression ratio, big inlets, and huge carburettors on it. For starters, this 5.3L V8 engine generates about 394HP of power and it can do 0-60mph in 5.4 seconds. On the outside, it comes with a blanked bonnet vent and a separate rear spoiler. The Oscar India variant from 1978 comes with an integrated tea-tray spoiler and smoother bonnet bulge while the inside comes with the black leather-covered dash. Power of the engine was increased to 390HP of power. For the 1986 model year, engine power's upgraded to 405HP. Production began in 1977 and ended in 1989, with a total of 534 units built; 342 were the hardtop model while 192 were the Volante convertible. This was replaced by the Virage.

A classic grand tourer that is perfectly British

From the looks of it, it kinda reminds me of the first-generation Ford Mustang because, look at the outside. If you put both the classic Vantage and the classic Mustang side by side, it looks nearly identical but unlike the Mustang which is all about being redneck and being hotter than a Hickory Smoke Sausage, the classic 1977 Aston V8 Vantage will make you saying that it reminds them of the hunt. Sure, Brits love the skunk smell, the werewolves, well a bad case of diary-uh! (laughing) Anyway, with that metaphor's burning my head, this classic Vantage is all about being quintessentially British even though the outside kinda feels like an American muscle car.

Even though this car has some old-school features and the fact that this has no radio on it, I really don't care about what does this classic Aston got. Looking back at the roots of the Aston Vantage feels like I'm sitting for a history lesson, with a little bit boring on it. Because it looks like an American muscle car, it feels like an American muscle car and with that, I think the 1977 Aston Martin V8 Vantage possesses a dynamic driving feel so beginners might have a hard time regaining its grip. For a skilled driver, the classic Vantage looks more fun to gunning down the Alps, like a Bond flick.

It's quite a bonkers British sportscar this but I believe that's how V8 Vantages from different generations traced its roots to this. It maybe a Bond car minus the weapons and gizmos but I think I need to try harder to master the classic Vantage's dynamic driving feel because such mistake may cost me precious seconds or worse, I could get off-course. This car is not made for the timid but it's made for the coolest drivers in the Forza nation.