Hard case: James Bond is back in a Bentley

The gadget-laden Aston Martins favoured by James Bond have been consigned to mothballs, as the suave British superspy is set to pilot a Bentley Continental GT in his next adventure, titled Carte Blanche.

Written by Jeffrey Deaver and set for the most part in that bastion of bling -- Dubai -- the latest novel is effectively a reboot of the 007 theme, with the new-age Bond said to have been born in the early 1980s and backed by tours of duty in Afghanistan and Iraq (unlike Ian Fleming’s original character, who was a WWII veteran and Cold War secret agent).

However, the fact the new Bond drives a Bentley is in keeping with the original novels as Ian Fleming was a devotee of the  marque and, as a result, his fictional superhero-esque spy owned three Bentleys over the course of the 14 original novels.

The publishers of Carte Blanche, which releases on May 26, are now taking the opportunity to cash in via 500 limited-edition copies of the book that are available for pre-order. 

The special edition is said to be crafted to Bentley's exacting standards and is even packaged in a metal case profiled like a Continental GT and allegedly inspired by the deserts of Dubai. Mimicking the exterior of the GT, the case is made from polished aluminium, "giving it a seamless and aerodynamic shape".

In deference to the Carte Blanche title, the book itself is bound in white Nappa leather, said to be of the same grade used in Bentley's interior, and the trim of the Conti GT is replicated with its contrast of white leather trim and Pillar Box red edging.

Meanwhile, the title, author's name and the Bentley winged logo are embossed into the front cover and foil-blocked onto the spine. The text is printed in two colours, black and red, on sumptuous ivory paper, with endpapers of a matching red leather.

The pages are claimed to have been expertly cut and trimmed to reflect the handcrafted techniques of the Bentley construction process. The book sits on a base of black anodised aluminium, chosen not to mark the white leather.

In one last twist, playing on the idea of an agent being given carte blanche, is one of the most dramatic features of the design: a die-cut bullet hole that pierces pages of the book. Hidden within the pages is a single polished 9mm bullet, individually marked with a number distinct to each copy.

Naturally, all this doesn't come cheap as each of the 500 limited-edition copies of Carte Blanche will be sold for £1000 ($1520) and they'll be delivered to their new owners after the publication date. In case you fancy having one for your mahogany bookcase, you can place your order on www.007carteblanchebentley.com.

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