This is how important 'James Bond' is to Aston Martin

Henrik Fisker Thunderbolt Aston Martin

Aston Martin is suing Henrik Fisker. In case you need a memory refresh, he's the creator the Fisker Karma – a Tesla competitor that went bankrupt in 2013.

According to Jalopnik's Damon Lavrinc, the company believes Fisker's Thunderbolt concept blatantly copied elements of its design language and misrepresented the Aston Martin car that served as the prototype's base.

But what is most interesting is the language Aston Martin used to describe itself in the complaint filed in the United States District Court of California:

Plaintiffs manufacture Aston Martin automobiles the iconic automobile brand — featured in five decades of James Bond films —and sell them under the famous ASTON MARTIN trademark and wings logo.

That's right, in the very first sentence of its company description, Aston didn't mention all of the beautiful cars its built over the years, nor did it mention all of the races its sports cars have won. Instead, it described itself as the company most famous for providing the wheels for a fictional spy.

Aston's relationship with the "James Bond" films continues with the suave spy, now played by Daniel Craig, set to take the wheel of DB10 in this year's "Spectre."

Although, Fisker claimed the Thunderbolt is based on the Aston's newest Vanquish supercar, the automaker believes that the concept car is actually built on an older DB9 or DBS — designed when Fisker served as Aston's design director.

Aston also alleged that the designer used the company's badges, vents, and grille designs without its permission.

Aston Martin's full complaint can be found here.

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