Bond star Daniel Craig lands lifetime deal with Aston Martin

Being James Bond has its perks, and one of them is getting an open invitation from Aston Martin's bosses to drive any car he pleases. Since part of the job description for Daniel Craig, the actor that plays Bond in the new film Quantum of Solace, includes deliberately crashing Astons into rock quarries, it's a gutsy move on the company's part.

Craig laments that driving an Aston daily where he lives in London is completely impractical, noting that he would have "nowhere to park it." The large and speedy DBS is an unlikely choice for an urban dweller, but as a weekend toy or luxurious track car, it is hard to beat.

Quantum of Solace is scheduled for release in mid-November, just in time for the holiday season, and it will feature the Aston Martin DBS in a central role as Bond's primary transport during the 15-minute pre-title opening chase scene.

Earlier this year an unscripted Aston crash on the movie's snagged a great deal of media attention as one of the cars used for filming plunged from a cliff into an Italian lake, injuring the occupants. The DBS was later fished from the lake, but the car was a total loss - that is until the demolished car was purchased by a fan at auction earlier this month for a whopping $350,000.