James Bond is returning to his first love. No, not Ursula Andress — Aston Martin. After five years of putting 007 behind the wheel of BMWs, Los Angeles-based MGM in August inked a deal with Detroit-based Ford Motor Co. to reunite Bond with Aston Martin. Terms were not disclosed.

The still-untitled 20th film in the Bond series, which will hit theatres November 2002, will feature star Pierce Brosnan driving Aston Martin’s new V12 Vanquish. The U.K.-based auto maker is working on “a host of activities” to complement the product placement, says chief program engineer Ian Minards. A media-supported sweepstakes and dealership activity are part of the plan, says MGM senior vp-worldwide promotions Mary Goss Robino.

Aston Martin was first featured in 1964’s Goldfinger. “We’re a small organization. We want to grow the brand in order to increase volume,” says Minards. (The V12, which retails for $228,000, is actually sold out through 2003.)

Neither MGM nor BMW would comment on the brand’s departure after tie-ins to three straight films. Woodcliff Lake, NJ-based BMW reportedly still holds first-refusal rights. VP-marketing Jim McDowell called the relationship “extremely successful” in a July interview with promo.

MGM will announce other partners next year for a program that will celebrate the series’ 40th anniversary, says Goss Robino.

Online auction house eBay, San Jose, CA, struck a deal with Culver City, CA-based Columbia TriStar Television Distribution to develop a daily syndicated TV show that will examine the stories behind products traded on the site. The show will be developed by eBay and LMNO Productions, the latter creators of Guinness World Records: Primetime and Boot Camp. The series is scheduled to debut in fall 2002.

New York City-based Scholastic Entertainment and Milford, CT-based Subway this month team on a kids’ meal promotion starring Scholastic’s classic Schoolhouse Rock property. One of four retro “Schoolhouse” characters, including Bill Stamper from “I’m Just a Bill,” the conductor from “Conjunction Junction,” and “Figure 8 Skater” will be included in Subway Kids’ Pak meals Oct. 8 through Nov. 18. P-O-P collateral and print ads will support. Johnson-Grossfield, Minneapolis, handles for Subway.

Toyota Motor Sales, Torrance, CA, is blowing out a $160 million ad and promo campaign to launch the 2002 Camry, with an unusual CD offer supporting its heavy TV, print, and online ad schedule. A multimedia enhanced CD featuring music and interviews with Lyle Lovett, Earth, Wind & Fire, The Go-Go’s, and Kina boasts a virtual Camry test drive. Toyota will distribute an estimated 500,000 CDs via Wherehouse Music and Macy’s stores; consumers are asked to “donate” $1, which goes to the new Camry Music Education Fund to help fund school music programs. Seven Condé Nast magazines will carry the CD in October issues. Disc Marketing, Pasadena, CA, handles the CD. Saatchi & Saatchi, Torrance, handles ads. As part of the Making Tracks campaign, Camry also will sponsor the VH My Music Awards and TNT concert special Come Together: A Night for John Lennon.

New York City-based AOL Time Warner’s Entertainment Weekly and Loews Cineplex Entertainment, also New York City, are wrapping a contest offering amateurs a seat in a director’s chair and a sweeps dangling a year of free movie tickets. Through Oct. 15, contestants submit 30-second “policy trailers” urging proper theater etiquette (no smoking, no talking). The winning entry will be screened at the 5th Annual Shorts International Film Festival in New York City next month and on 1,400 Loews’ screens nationwide. The winner gets the publicity boost plus a year-long pass to any Loews theater in the U.S. Contestants enter at enjoytheshow.com, but are routed to ew.com for the rules. National print ads, concession counter-cards, and radio spots support.

McDonald’s and Walt Disney World Resort have spent the last month spicing things up for their co-sponsorship of a Best of Latin Music concert taking place Oct. 13. The pair executed a sweeps, a collector’s cup giveaways, and a cause-related component to back the event, which is headlined by Grammy Award-winner Elvis Crespo, Luis Fonsi, and others. Oak Brook, IL-based McD is also giving away 32-ounce cups featuring Crespo, Fonsi, and others with any super-size order. Contestants enter at any McDonald’s location or at Waltham, MA-based search engine Lycos’s terra.com, the official Internet partner for the concert. McDonald’s handles in house.