Bond auction marks 50 years of 007

To mark 50 years of the 007 movie franchise – and in the lead-up to the next one, Skyfall -- Christies is auctioning 50 pieces of rare Bond memorabilia, including a highly desirable Aston Martin DBS.

The car was driven by Daniel Craig in Quantum of Solace – one of the seven used in the movie. Since it survived the mayhem of the car chase, the winning bidder could drive it away from the auction.

Less driveable but equally interesting lots are the pre-production kit-car BMW Z8 (with a Chevrolet V8 engine) used in The World Is Not Enough, and a 3D-printed 1/3 scale model of the Aston Martin DB5 used in Skyfall.

Among the other Quantum of Solace props are Craig’s Speedos and sunglasses, and a dress worn by ‘Bond Girl' Olga Kurylenko.

Those looking to spruce their wardrobe up to Bond standards might also consider the leather jacket and RM Wiliams shirt worn by Pierce Brosnan in Die Another Day – or from the movie’s Bond Girl wardrobe, Halle Berry’s floral frock – or can tap into their dark side with the with gold bullet-buckle belt worn by Christopher Lee as Scaramanga in The Man With The Golden Gun.

Gadget fans will vie for the Snooper Dog robot model used by Q in A View To A Kill, the Solex Agitator from The Man With The Golden Gun – or perhaps the four suction pads worn by Sean Connery in You Only Live Twice.

The Lotus Esprit driven by Roger Moore in The Spy Who Loved Me isn’t on offer, but you can grab one of its number plates to grace or your wall, or perhaps some of the original movie posters and first editions of the Ian Fleming novels to spice up your library.

Christies has the BMW Z8 replica among the 40 items already open for online bidding at http://www.christies.com/sales/50-years-of-james-bond-september-2012/sale-info.aspx while the remaining 10 – including both the real and scale-model DBS – will go under the hammer on Friday evening at an invitation-only gala event in London, with all proceeds going to charity.