Designing for 007: Meet the man behind Bond's supercars

Marek Reichman has one of the coolest jobs in the automotive industry. Not only does he design cars for Aston Martin, but he's also licensed to thrill.


'I would describe DB10 as a hunter'
So far, 007 has been at the wheel of an Aston Martin in 12 of the 24 Bond movies.
In 2015's "Spectre," the latest Bond picture, the spy drove an Aston Martin DB10 developed for the movie.
Reichman, Aston Martin's Executive Vice President and Chief Creative Officer, feels the DB10 "epitomizes Bond."

Photos: 007's legendary rides
Lotus Esprit Turbo -- "For Your Eyes Only," 1981 – Eschewing the Citroen, Bond breaks out another awesome Lotus on the ski slopes of Cortina. Unfortunately he finds a dead body inside.
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Photos: 007's legendary rides
Alfa Romeo GTV6 -- "Octopussy," 1983 – The only Italian car on the list, Bond steals it from a woman in a phone booth for a high speed chase in Germany. A very affordable classic these days for anyone looking for a little 007 action.
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Photos: 007's legendary rides
Aston Martin V8 Vantage Volante -- "The Living Daylights," 1987 – Bond's return to Aston Martin in 1987 saw Timothy Dalton take the wheel of a gadget-laden V8 Volante. Another underrated favorite of ours.

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He says his team spent a lot of time with the DB10, making sure that its first on-screen impression was clean, pure and simple, "because the car doesn't have a lot of intakes and visible gadgets -- it's just the purity of line."
"I would describe DB10 as a hunter," Reichman told CNN Style show host Derek Blasberg. "It's like a shark: beautiful to look at, but I wouldn't want to go swimming with it."

Beyond Bond
2015 also saw the launch of the acclaimed DB11, which won the prestigious Car Design Award, presented at the Salone dell' Auto Torino, Italy.

Aston Martin DB11
A statement released by Aston Martin revealed that it is the first vehicle launched under the company's "Second Century" plan, explaining, "the DB11 showcases a distinctive design language and pioneering aerodynamics, powered by a potent new 5.2-litre twin-turbocharged V12 engine designed in house."
"Every part of DB11 is designed to create the world's most alluring DB to date," Reichman said.
Since 2006, when he joined the luxury car marker, Reichman has also overseen the launches V12 Vantage S, Vanquish Volante, Rapide S and Vulcan.

Aston Martin V12 Vantage S Roadster
"An Aston Martin is iconic because it has proportion and beauty at its core," he said.
"If I was to put a DB5 here in front of us or a DB11 and put a cover over them, you would see the proportion of those cars. You would see the elegance, the length of the hood versus the length of the cabin, the proportion of the side glass to the body side of the car, and you would read that proportion. It's like looking at a piece of sculpture."

A radical new road car
Aston Martin's latest collaboration is with the Red Bull Formula One team. The two brands have joined forces to create a radical road car, codenamed AM-RB 001.
"My personal challenge has been expressing the AM-RB 001's extraordinary performance and the unique way in which it delivers that performance... Its style reflects its revolutionary nature, while possessing the form and beauty that makes it unmistakably an Aston Martin."

Aston Martin & Red Bull unveil new hypercar AM-RB 001

For Reichman, the future is full of new challenges.
With so many advances, including new methods of propulsion, lighter materials, and autonomous technology, he believes the world of car design is at a tipping point.
"You have a very strong brief, a clear direction, and you generate the language of what that direction is going to be. If that is an electric car, that has a very different visual language to a car that runs on petrol, and the design job is to immediately have the association -- a visual communication of a story."