Aston Martin DB5 1966 News

Aston Martin has a rich and prestigious heritage and that the company is now 100 years old is one of the more remarkable feats of automotive longevity. Despite near death financial experiences on numerous occasions and more owners and investors than you and I have had hot dinners, Aston Martin is still there. Other UK marques, such as Austin, Morris, Riley, Hillman, Singer, Humber, Sunbeam, Alvis, Jensen, Armstrong Siddley, Standard and Triumph have all disappeared, but Aston Martin lives on. Founded in 1913 by Robert Bamford and Lionel Martin as ‘Bamford & Martin Ltd’, the company has developed into a global brand synonymous with speed, luxury and elegance. The name ‘Aston Martin’ came about when Lionel Martin successfully raced at the Aston Hill Climb in Buckinghamshire, England. Financial problems plagued the company over the next decade (nothing new there) with the business forced to close in 1925. It was rescued by a group of investors in 1926. The business was soon producing a range of sports cars and had an increasing reputation for engineering and design. Now remember, we are talking about a small niche player here, not some huge manufacturing conglomerate. A mere 140 cars were sold in 1937, the highest in the pre World War 2 era. In 1947 a new owner took over, Sir David Brown, and it was during his watch that the most iconic Aston of all time was produced. I speak, of course, of the car frequently acclaimed as the most beautiful car in the world, the Aston Martin DB5-the one James Bond drove in Goldfinger. Released in 1963, which means it's celebrating its 50 anniversary, the DB5 has come to personify everything that Aston Martin is today. Mind you, I think the most striking Aston Martin of all is the 1976 four door Lagonda. Designed by William Towns, it is an aggressively styled automobile. Long of hood and short of tail, with a cutting edge computerized digital instrument panel, the Lagonda created a huge wave of publicity for the company. Nothing worked properly, of course. All those complex electronics just refused to operate as intended. Some folk unkindly suggested that an essential part of the car's tool kit was a multi-meter, O scope and jumper leads. With an initial production rate of just one a week only 645 cars were built before the end of production in 1989. There are one or two still roaming this sunburnt country and about 80 in the UK. David Burrell is the editor of Retroautos.com.au  

When it comes to movie cars, few are more famous than the Aston Martin DB5 driven by James Bond in Goldfinger, Thunderball, GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, Casino Royale and Skyfall. In total, four cars were reportedly built for filming and promotion of the Bond movies. Two were constructed for the filming of Goldfinger, but Wikipedia advises that one of these DB5s was stolen from its owners in Florida in 1997. The surviving Goldfinger movie car was sold at an RM Auction event in 2010 for the rather impressive sum of $4.1 million. While it’s hard to price such an iconic car, its value was likely helped by the fact that it was driven by Sean Connery in both Goldfinger and Thunderball. The two cars remaining were used to promote the Bond franchise, but never appeared onscreen. One, a 1964 Aston Martin DB5, resides in the collection of the Louwman Museum in The Hague, Netherlands. The final remaining James Bond DB5, reportedly a 1965 model, is now being offered for sale by Aston Martin specialist Richard Stewart Williams, Limited. Equipped with the standard array of gadgets like a nail dispenser, oil spray nozzles, bulletproof shield and rotating number plates, it’s the perfect addition to anyone’s Aston Martin collection. The Deccan Herald reports that the car was also used to promote Thunderball, and that the asking price is set at 3 million pounds ($4.5 million AUD). That seems a bit ambitious to us, given the fact that the actual DB5 used in the filming of Goldfinger sold for over half a million dollars less. That said, the universal truth of collector cars is this: their value is ultimately set by a determined buyer. While we suppose RS Williams will entertain offers for the car, it knows that finding a buyer willing to pay that much is just a matter of time. www.motorauthority.com  

Both are up for auction at the Automobiles of London sale in London on October 27.  The most famous is the 1964 Aston Martin DB5 that starred in the James Bond epic Goldfinger in 1964, the third instalment from the 007 series. It was so popular it returned for Thunderball, GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies and Casino Royale. It featured revolving number plates, Browning machine guns, extending bumper overriders for ramming baddies, a smoke screen, an oil slick and nail spreaders, plus the infamous Martin-Baker fighter jet ejector seat, triggered by the little red button under the gear lever knob.  All these features remain on the car driven in the films by the first Bond, Sean Connery.  There is no estimate of its fetching price at auction.  The second Bond was Roger Moore who never drove an Aston Martin. Instead, he drove a Bentley, a Chevy Implala convertible and most famously an amphibious Lotus Esprit. In his Saint TV series, Moore as Simon Templar made the Volvo P1800 famous.  But the Moore car up for auction is a 1969 Lamborghini Islero GTS he drove in the obscure 1970 thriller, The Man Who Haunted Himself, Moore drives which will be auctioned The movie features Moore as a man who awakes from surgery after a car accident to find his life has been turned upside-down. He is frequently seen driving the rare Lamborghini Islero GTS in the movie, including a climatic chase scene.  Sir Roger Moore was recently reunited with the Islero in London where he autographed the sun visor, the original driver's handbook and a special plaque. Finished in silver and carrying the original movie registration number YRL 11G, this Islero is one of only five right-hand variants built.  The car is estimated to achieve between $154,000 and $220,000 at the auction.

The silver 1964 DB5 used in the Bond movies Goldfinger and Thunderball goes under the gavel in London in October. It is expected to fetch more than $5 million.  The Aston is one of only two cars left from the original 007 DB5s driven by Sean Connery in the two Bond movies. It even has its original UK registration number, FMP 7B. The DB5 has has travelled about 48,000km and has rarely been seen in public since it was bought in 1969 by American radio broadcaster and philanthropist Jerry Lee. Lee paid $US12,000 for the purpose-built movie car. "The James Bond car has brought me much enjoyment for some 40 years," Lee says. Lee will use the auction funds to help the Jerry Lee Foundation, a charity aimed at solving social problems associated with poverty. The Bond car comes with a full complement of accessories, including machine guns, bullet-proof shield, revolving number plates, tracking device, removable roof panel, oil slick sprayer, nail spreader and smoke screen, all controlled from factory installed toggles and switches hidden in the centre arm-rest. The DB5 was originally loaned to EON Productions for the Bond films and returned to the Aston Martin Lagonda factory after a promotional tour. It is described as being in original condition and has recently been overhauled to returning it to running condition. The managing director of RM Auctions in the UK, Max Girardo, says the Aston is one of the world's most significant collector cars.