One of the Aston Martin DBS cars used for filming "Quantum of Solace" has been written-off after an accident plunged it to the bottom of Lake Garda...

Production Diary (25)
20th April 2008

Aston Martini - Shaken & Stirred
Car lovers look away now. James Bond's Aston Martin DBS resembled a black olive in a large cocktail of trouble at Lake Garda yesterday as 007's vehicle took a plunge. The driver was shaken and stirred, but thankfully not injured.

The accident happened shortly after 6:30am when professional tester Fraser Dunn was transporting the car to the filming in the village of Torbole, on the shores of Lake Garda in Italy. Near the straight shortly after the Conca d'Ora and on the road to Gardesana (immediately after Torbole), local reports state that he lost control of the vehicle in heavy rain and crashed through the road barrier plummeting in to the lake. 20 meters of protective railings were smashed, and the car traveled approximately 8 meters in the air before hitting the water.

Firefighters spotted the accident immediately and were straight to the scene. Dunn managed to get out of the car whilst it was only partly submerged; it later sank 55 meters to the lake bed. He swam ashore and was admitted to the hospital in Bolzano where he was monitored for hypothermia and a suspected fractured sternum.

Last night executive producer Anthony Waye said: "Around 6.30am under a heavy shower the car came off the road and ended up in the lake. The driver was slightly hurt and is expected to be released from hospital shortly." Mr Dunn's girlfriend Rachel Andrews said: "He is OK. But he is certainly not a stuntman - he is an engineer."

A rescue crane dragged the DBS from the water after being called in by police. Teacher Ben Appleby, who lives near the scene, said: "The car was traveling very fast on an extremely narrow and bendy road. It's a dangerous stretch so it's not surprising something happened." Ironically, the DBS was due to take part in filming by the lake today in a scene where 007 roars away from the scene of a fireball crash - and a truck ends up in the water.

Filming in the region is scheduled for a total of eight weeks, including Tuscany, Veneto and Trentino for a chase sequence that will last approximately 15 minutes on screen. In recent days, shots have been delayed due to the wet weather in the region. Locals have seen roads closed to traffic and diversions around the area. The £130,000 car was one of five Aston Martin DBS vehicles used by the production: two were sprayed with fake bullet holes, the third was the one driven into the water by accident yesterday.

Daniel Craig was not present for this driving sequence, which is being filmed with stuntmen. The crew have based themselves at the Gard Hotel du Lac and du Parc.

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Briefing
Produced by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli (Eon Productions), QUANTUM OF SOLACE was released in the UK on October 31st 2008 and is directed by Marc Forster. Principal photography started on January 3rd 2008 at Pinewood Studios and around the UK, and foreign locations including Italy, Panama, Chile, Peru and Austria. Paul Haggis completed the script based on a first draft screenplay developed by regular scribes Neal Purvis & Robert Wade, with later polish by Joshua Zetumer. The story is a direct continuation of the events of Casino Royale. 007 faces off against villains Mathieu Amalric (Dominic Greene), Anatole Taubman (Elvis) and Joaquin Cosío (General Medrano). Olga Kurylenko (Camille) and Gemma Arterton (MI6 Agent Fields) play the Bond Girls. Dame Judi Dench (M), Jeffrey Wright (Felix Leiter) and Giancarlo Giannini (Mathis) reprise their roles as Bond's allies. It is British actor Daniel Craig’s second outing as James Bond, following his debut film Casino Royale released November 16th 2006.