What is possibly the most desired car of all time is officially on the market: 007's Aston Martin DB5 is going under the hammer at RM Sotheby's in Monterey, California on August 15 with an estimate of $4-6 million.
The car is an extremely rare and pristine example of ‘The Most Famous Car in the World’. Although this Aston Martin DB5/2008/R is virtually identical to that used on the set of Goldfinger and Thunderball, it is not the car that appears in the film. Rather, it is one of two examples directly purchased by Eon Productions for the launch of Thunderball and is the third of four examples built per Q Branch specifications as featured in Goldfinger.
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After Thunderball, the filmmakers wanted to see Agent Bond driving other cars, and it wasn’t until 1995 that James Bond (portrayed by Pierce Brosnan) drove an Aston Martin on screen again. The two models edited for the promotional tour of 1965 have been patiently restored for several years and were acquired by the collector Lord Anthony Bamford in 1969. The car that appears today on the market has passed into the hands of two additional owners and its last sale was in 2006 (also at RM Sotheby's) for $2 million.
In 2012, this DB5 was fully restored with 007 gadgets. In a Sotheby’s press release, the company stated: “As Desmond Llewelyn’s legendary weapons-master Q would go on to explain to Sean Connery’s 007, the Snow Shadow Gray-painted DB5 was equipped with front and rear hydraulic over-rider rams on the bumpers, a Browning .30 caliber machine gun in each fender, wheel-hub mounted tire-slashers, a raising rear bullet-proof screen, an in-dash radar tracking scope, oil, caltrop and smoke screen dispensers, revolving license plates, and a passenger-seat ejection system. Although never used during the film, the car was also equipped with a telephone in the driver’s door to communicate with MI6 headquarters and a hidden compartment under the driver’s seat containing several weapons.”
The car would no doubt crown any important collection and presents a very rare opportunity for any 007 enthusiast, or secret agent to channel their inner Bond...
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Cover image: Aston Martin DB5. Photo: Simon Clay © 2019 via RM Sotheby's