Aston Martin Opens Semi-Secret House of Q—for Just a Short Time

The classic James Bond film Goldfinger, which turns 60 this year, kicked off Aston Martin's relationship with Ian Fleming's franchise. And it created a cachet envied, and sometimes sought to be replicated, by a number of other automakers including Lotus, BMW, and most recently Land Rover through their associations with the film series.

But it's safe to say Aston Martin remains the original James Bond car brand, even if the films had often lost sight of the appeal of the original source material.

And until relatively recently, Aston Martin has not mined one other recurring character from the film series, creating the Q Division a decade ago as an in-house customization arm.

Now the brand's collaboration with the mysterious Q has received a real-life visitor experience, with the opening of a secret bar in London featuring Aston Martin items tied to the DB5 from the film Goldfinger.

Hidden away behind a secret door in what is designed to look like an unassuming magazine newsstand in London's Mayfair district, the House of Q is a speakeasy bar serving Champagne Bollinger, and featuring parts and technical drawings of the classic Aston Martin DB5, along with items from the current James Bond studio EON Productions.

"The House of Q by Aston Martin provides something very special for our community of Aston Martin customers, enthusiasts, and fans of 007 to enjoy," said Marco Mattiacci, Global Chief Brand and Commercial Officer of Aston Martin.

Aston Martin designed the somewhat disguised bar in keeping with the style of the James Bond mythology. But there's still a House of Q sign up top, so it's perhaps a matter of knowing just which Q is being referenced.

What's more, the items in the secret bar contain hints of a future Aston Martin model, for those who'll be able to find them.

The semi-secret location has an entry via Piccadilly and will feature daily events hosted by Aston Martin engineering and design teams, along with design workshops. An upstairs section will contain a Configurator Lab for customers to build and order their own Aston Martin models.

"We encourage everyone to join us on an immersive entry into the world of Bond and Aston Martin, celebrating our unique history with the films, spanning back to Goldfinger," Mattiacci added.

The House of Q will be open until August 4, and is located at House 12-13, Burlington Arcade, 51 Piccadilly in London.

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