When the legendary British secret agent, James Bond, appears in his 20th film next year he will be back behind the wheel of a British motor, thanks to a £100m deal with Aston Martin.
Metro Goldwyn Mayer has dumped the German BMW as 007's choice of car in favour of Aston Martin's new V12 Vanquish model.
The tie up between MGM and the Aston Martin manufacturer, Ford, resurrects a relationship that began with Goldfinger in 1964, when the Bond's DB5 was fitted with "optional extras" such as ejector seats and rockets.
Ford was determined to wrest the endorsement back from BMW.
The choice of a German car for Pierce Brosnan's Bond dismayed many fans, who thought the quintessentially British agent should drive a British car.
BMW paid £80m to supply cars for three movies: Bond drove a BMW Z3 in Goldeneye, a seven series saloon in Tomorrow Never Dies and a Z8 sports car in The World is Not Enough.
Ford is hoping Brosnan will also drive one of the £158,000 cars in real life.
"When people think of James Bond, the first car they think of is an Aston Martin," said Dr Wolfgang Reitzle, the group vice-president of Ford Motor Company.
It is believed the plot of the new film will involve 007 searching for his father, who will be played by the original 007, Sean Connery.
The Bond deal is a chance for Aston Martin to cement its reputation as a world leading luxury car maker.
In 1992, Aston Martin made just 42 cars but the company is planning to step up production to 5,000 by 2005. The Vanquish will be the flagship marque.