A difficult one.....How about Bond's remote car key for his Aston DBS.

bondfan

I have been looking for a remote control key for an Aston Martin DBS like the one Bond has in CR. Wow, now that is a difficult prop to find.....those little buggers are VERY VERY expensive....if you can even manage to find one!

Anyone have any ideas?


http://img7.imageshack.us/i/astonn.jpg/

http://image.automobilemag.com/f/8111235+w750+st0/0801_03z+2008_aston_martin_DBS+key.jpg

http://image.automotive.com/f/reviews/driven/9645680/0805_11z+2009_aston_martin_v8_vantage+emotional_control_unit.jpg

toutbrun

Find an Aston Martin owner, ask him to buy one for you, give him a $1000 bribe.

Dmitri Mishkin

It looks like something you could make with enough skill and some stuff at radio shack. The thing that strikes me is that it looks similar to either a high-tech garage door opener or a remote for a fan/massage chair.

DBS

This is definitely a prop I've been wanting to tackle. If someone can get some good pics and accurate measurements of one, I'd be happy to put a replica together. This is the only photo I have of this item (which someone posted in the forum some time ago) -





Kind regards,
Craig

bondfan

Craig...take a look at these photos of the device:

http://img7.imageshack.us/i/astonn.jpg/

http://image.automobilemag.com/f/811123 … BS+key.jpg

http://image.automotive.com/f/reviews/d … l_unit.jpg

http://pipstore.com/info/wp-content/uploads/2007/12/aston_martin_emotion_control_unit.jpg

http://z.about.com/d/exoticcars/1/0/r/7/-/-/DBS-ECU.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3054/2586763953_444c04f94b.jpg

http://cdn.cbsi.com.au/story_media/339298151/aston-martin-dbs_6.jpg




Put me down for one!!!!

minigeff

bondfan wrote:

I have been looking for a remote control key for an Aston Martin DBS like the one Bond has in CR. Wow, now that is a difficult prop to find.....those little buggers are VERY VERY expensive....if you can even manage to find one!

Anyone have any ideas?

Ah, the Aston Martin Emotional Control Unit.

To cut a long story short, the best way of obtaining one is to get someone to make a copy. The original features crystal buttons etc, but the same look can be obtained in other materials.

Put simply, yes its more than possible to make a copy, but you'll need to be prepared to shell out on the professional materials etc to make a nice job.

(Plus a professional model makers rates would probably equal the cost of a genuine ECU, but without a car to put it in, I doubt AM would sell you one)

toutbrun

minigeff wrote:

bondfan wrote:

I have been looking for a remote control key for an Aston Martin DBS like the one Bond has in CR. Wow, now that is a difficult prop to find.....those little buggers are VERY VERY expensive....if you can even manage to find one!

Anyone have any ideas?

Ah, the Aston Martin Emotional Control Unit.

To cut a long story short, the best way of obtaining one is to get someone to make a copy. The original features crystal buttons etc, but the same look can be obtained in other materials.

Put simply, yes its more than possible to make a copy, but you'll need to be prepared to shell out on the professional materials etc to make a nice job.

(Plus a professional model makers rates would probably equal the cost of a genuine ECU, but without a car to put it in, I doubt AM would sell you one)

If someone has access to a price list, it would be interresting to see how much it is sold when lost (to an actual Aston Martin owner) to see if it's worth it to do a cheaper replica.

ttdriver

Saw this bit of info on an automotive site...a replica should certainly be less expensive!!!

The second piece of valuable advice for every new DBS owner: Never lose the ignition key. Why? A replacement will cost you a cool $2,000, because this chunk of stainless steel and crystal glass is nothing less than a piece of automotive jewelry. So much so that Aston doesn’t even call it a key – it’s an ECU, short for Emotion Control Unit

toutbrun

2,000... well at least that settles it...

agent 00

Just buy an Aston,the ECU is incl. )

camron007

those keys are 1500-2500 to replace..i kow they have 2 keys, 1 made of crystal and 1 made of whatever..the salesman at San Diego Aston Martin said, use they crystal key on special nights. otherwise put it in the safe lol

bondfan

Members,

A prop prop of the ECU device is in the works. I have enlisted a builder who is versed in making accurate pieces and we seem to be ahead of the game in the pre-manufacturing process.

We will be making 11 props. The 1st will be a pre-production model to work off of and 9 will follow for sale to the Board Members who are so interested. I am fronting the cash to have the pieces made and we do NOT know what the final cost to the Members will be for the prop. If the prop shows signs of success, we would certainly be able to make more than 10 at a later date....

So far, I have gathered a bare ELEVEN (11) photos of the ECU to date.....I could sure use many more to get a better and more accurate prop. I could use your help in this regard. Please PM/Email me with any pics. you might have or come across!!!

I look forward to honoring this Board with a new and accurate prop as used by Bond and one certainly worthy of ones 007 collection!

I will keep the Board abreast of the props progress....Hopefully photos of the prototype will soon follow.

Cheers.

minigeff

I did think about making one of these, but it turned out to be a non starter.......

cheers, i'm here all week....

bondfan

Help.... I need pics. of the device. Please post ASAP any and all photos of the remote you find !!!! We are a "go" on the prop but need pics., deminsions, weight...anything!!! Thanks.

ttdriver

Here's a few to check out...

CJ007Goldeneye

I have the dimensions as i rang up aston martin park lane and enquired about it, but thats not something people just put on the forum though is it..If more people will give out dimensions of things so will I!

minigeff

lol, i'd just ring up park lane AM, if i could be arsed.

La Groue

Why wouldn't Bond use this? (Omega better step it up)... http://www.jaeger-lecoultre.com/af/en/watches/amvox/amvox-2-dbs-transponder

bondfan

We are in the process of gathering "intelligence" on the device.....I have amassed about 50 photos of the ECU at all angles and several members here have been very helpful. Thank You.


" I have the dimensions as i rang up aston martin park lane and enquired about it, but thats not something people just put on the forum though is it..If more people will give out dimensions of things so will I! "

....Not sure what all the "secrecy is about? The device is basically a computer chip that is nearly (lets just say it is!) impossible to replicate where someone could just make one in their basement and use it on a neighbors AM on the curb. I have already been offerred 3 original ECU's but they are pricey as we discussed....even with an original, you have to jump through major hoops to encode it to work on your AM. I think I will just sit tight and see what kind of replica we can make...

BlowFelled

I own a non-functioning one of these keys and would be prepared to part with it for the right price.
It is a genuine AM key, but without the circuitry and battery.

If you would like pictures or further details, let me know.

minigeff

BlowFelled wrote:

I own a non-functioning one of these keys and would be prepared to part with it for the right price.
It is a genuine AM key, but without the circuitry and battery.

If you would like pictures or further details, let me know.

ok, so lets see some pics and an asking price

ke02eww

These are like gold dust as they can be re-programmed and therefore are of immense value to DBS owners (ie versus then normal $2k replacement cost...)

Then again this has no circuitry so would be worth less...

As the equivalent copy come up on eBay regularly and commands circa $200 I would have Tgt this AM version would be worth $400-500.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&_trksid=p4340.l2557&rt=nc&nma=true&item=150571046950&si=5%252FKJVM9jVgfEE70HEwJs4%252FDV5W4%=#ht_500wt_922

minigeff

tbh, after seeing that 'replica' i'm gobsmacked it made $200. its bloody terrible!

as i've said before, the only way to get one of these is either buy a real one or get someone to make it properly.

its gonna be costly either way.

BlowFelled

Here's a photo of the Emotion Control Unit, against my laptop screen to prove it's not a downloaded picture.

The unit is the optical glass version, not the sapphire (wrongly reported as crystal).

The lack of circuitry and battery make this one slightly lighter than a working model, however it's still has a nice heavy feel to it.

I agree with the comments being made on the replicas being offered on ebay, they are nice tries, but it is almost impossible to replicate the complex geometry without incurring considerable expense.

To reiterate, this is the genuine article, without the guts!

I will consider offers for it.

minigeff

sod it, i'll put it on the list of 'things to make when i get time/money to do it'.

expect to see it done by april, 2028

BlowFelled

My Emotion Control Unit now on its way to a good home. Thanks for the interest!