The Aston Martin DB5 needs little introduction. It is one of the most recognizable of all classic Astons and it owes at least a fair portion of its enduring popularity to the starring roles it played in a number of James Bond films over the years. The car you see here is one of the two examples fitted with the John Stears-designed Bond gadgets as seen in Goldfinger and Thunderball and was used on the North American promotional tour of the latter film.
In total four Bond-spec DB5s were built, two with the Stears modifications installed from new. One of these modified cars disappeared in 1997 leaving this car, chassis no. 2008/R, as the sole surviving DB5 equipped with all the original gadgets. Having undergone a recent no-expenses-spared restoration by noted Aston Martin heritage specialists Roos Engineering, this Snow Shadow Gray-painted 1965 DB5 is 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, passenger-seat ejection system and integrated telephone.
Eon Productions sold the car on to well-known collector Anthony Bamford in 1969 who then sold it on to B.H. Atchley, the owner of the Smokey Mountain Car Museum in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. There it remained for 35-years as a display car until being put up for auction in 2006 by RM Sotheby’s whereafter its new owner carried out the aforementioned restoration.
Barney Ruprecht, car specialist at RM Sotheby’s comments: “No other car in history has played a more important leading role on film and in pop culture than the Aston Martin DB5. The DB5 is the iconic cornerstone of a marketing relationship that still exists to this day—with the model’s collectible status rooted largely in its 007 fame—and we look forward to exciting car and film enthusiasts alike in the lead up to the auction. This is an unbelievably rare chance to play secret agent in a car that offers incredible performance and style in its own right and we’re honored to offer the Bond DB5 alongside our partners at Aston Martin.”
This irreplaceable piece of motoring and movie history will lead ‘An Evening with Aston Martin’ event, which will showcase more than 30 of the world’s most sought-after road-going and track-ready Aston Martin sports cars at RM Sotheby’s Monterey auction, taking place from 15-17 August. It is estimated to fetch between $4,000,000 and $6,000,000 and will also be put on display during July in North America, with exact locations and dates still to be announced.
Images courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
