James Bond - Aston Martin DB5
Discussion
Within the last couple of weeks I read in a daily newspaper that the Aston Martin DB5 utilised in Goldfinger is coming up for auction. I believe the article suggested that there was only ever one such vehicle produced. Is this correct?
I understood that for the original film production there was one adapted vehicle, but then due to the global interest created for the DB5, following the release of the film, two further vehicles were adapted. Hence in essence that made a total of three James Bond DB5 Astons.
What happened to them? To the best of my knowledge one of them was sent to South Africa for a PR exercise in the 60s. The vehicle was returned from South Africa very badly damaged (having been dropped at the docks), but was repaired back at Newport Pagnell. Another was returned back to normal spec by the factory. May be this was the repaired vehicle? Another found its way to the US, and I believe within the last couple of years this vehicle came up for auction.
May be we are now left with two adapted vehicles; one of which was used in the film itself with the third adapted vehicle having been returned back to normal road spec.
Does anybody out there have some definitive answers?
I understood that for the original film production there was one adapted vehicle, but then due to the global interest created for the DB5, following the release of the film, two further vehicles were adapted. Hence in essence that made a total of three James Bond DB5 Astons.
What happened to them? To the best of my knowledge one of them was sent to South Africa for a PR exercise in the 60s. The vehicle was returned from South Africa very badly damaged (having been dropped at the docks), but was repaired back at Newport Pagnell. Another was returned back to normal spec by the factory. May be this was the repaired vehicle? Another found its way to the US, and I believe within the last couple of years this vehicle came up for auction.
May be we are now left with two adapted vehicles; one of which was used in the film itself with the third adapted vehicle having been returned back to normal road spec.
Does anybody out there have some definitive answers?
From page 2 of this very forum:
http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/gassing/topic.asp?h=0...
Not sure if anyone will have cast iron, definitive answers, but this seems to give some decent info.
If you want me to pop round and make your tea, just shout
http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/gassing/topic.asp?h=0...
Not sure if anyone will have cast iron, definitive answers, but this seems to give some decent info.
If you want me to pop round and make your tea, just shout
Thanks for that reference. Does answer a lot of questions. I have always had a soft spot for Astons, and hence my interest. Sadly, the one coming up for auction is not in my league. Perhaps something for Chris Evans, but there again he has just made a substantial investment in his recently acquired 250 GTO.
Its a confusing story, but I'm pretty sure I know what happened:
in the film 2 were used. The one for sale, which was used for the close-ups, and BMT216A, which had the gadgets fitted. Interetsingly, they had different interiors, which you can see in the film if you watch carefully,.
After the film Aston got the 2 cars back. They then took all the equipment off the cars and sold them on as normal cars.
then the film was released. Suddenly, Aston had the most famous car in the world, and they could'nt build enough of them. To maximise the promotion, 2 were picked from the production run and had gadgets fitted to them for display purposes.
Eventually, the owners of the original cars realised what theirs was, and got the gadgets fitted to these as well.
So there were now 4 cars with gadgets. Two which were used in the film, two which have never seen the film. Three of these cars are well known, however the original gadget car, BMT216A was stolen and never seen again. Just after it was re-assessed for insurance purposes.
Its possible it survives in someones car collection (stolen to order) but then again, it might have had a Lord brocket effect and been cut up. We'll likely never know.
Now, with the two DB5 used in the Brosnan films (BMT214A) and the ones used in Casino Royale, there are even more james Bond Aston DB5's out there. But only one car used in Goldfinger is known to survive. And this is the car in the auction.
in the film 2 were used. The one for sale, which was used for the close-ups, and BMT216A, which had the gadgets fitted. Interetsingly, they had different interiors, which you can see in the film if you watch carefully,.
After the film Aston got the 2 cars back. They then took all the equipment off the cars and sold them on as normal cars.
then the film was released. Suddenly, Aston had the most famous car in the world, and they could'nt build enough of them. To maximise the promotion, 2 were picked from the production run and had gadgets fitted to them for display purposes.
Eventually, the owners of the original cars realised what theirs was, and got the gadgets fitted to these as well.
So there were now 4 cars with gadgets. Two which were used in the film, two which have never seen the film. Three of these cars are well known, however the original gadget car, BMT216A was stolen and never seen again. Just after it was re-assessed for insurance purposes.
Its possible it survives in someones car collection (stolen to order) but then again, it might have had a Lord brocket effect and been cut up. We'll likely never know.
Now, with the two DB5 used in the Brosnan films (BMT214A) and the ones used in Casino Royale, there are even more james Bond Aston DB5's out there. But only one car used in Goldfinger is known to survive. And this is the car in the auction.
williamp said:
... But only one car used in Goldfinger is known to survive. And this is the car in the auction.
That's not quite the story Mike tells us on the AMOC forum but almost. Not saying your version is wrong but he speaks of two cars being used in filming, this one which has always remained intact and one stripped of its effects and subsequently lost forever. There were two other show cars built which exist in the Netherlands and Switzerland so three survive - not counting the one used in Casino Royale.Edited by RichB on Tuesday 8th June 12:15
Bjerke said:
...I have always had a soft spot for Astons...
Me too.I very, very nearly bought this 5 or 6 years ago...
It blew off an oil pipe while it was being demo'd. That, and the fact I was really looking for a Daytona at the time meant I passed. Might give one a go if values soften in a few years.
Thanks for all this very interesting information. My information came from a book written by a former Director of Engineering at Aston Martin. (I will dig out his name when I next have a chance to look at the book). He spoke of there being an original Aston built for the film, and then due to the subsequent success of the film two further PR cars were built. He recounted within the book that he later saw one in the US, another was returned to normal road spec, and a further one came back from South Africa damaged.
As I say I have a soft spot for Astons. I enjoyed the picture posted. My interest began when as a child in the late 1960's I accompanied my father to try out a DB5 Vantage. I shall never forget that experience as the owner demonstrated the vehicle's performance. It was incredible. On offer at £1100.00 my father very sadly decided to reject the vehicle for a reason I just cannot remember.
Many years later I had a 50% share in a DB4 Series V Vantage. My 50% share equated to the value of my then Lotus Elan Sprint. From memory I acquired the vehicle with my father in approx 1982, and we owned it for a couple of years. I learnt a lesson from that car which I adopt to the present day. Never buy a car without having a really good look underneath.
My Aston went for an MOT, and the news came back that the chassis was in a very poor state. At the time I was approx 22 years old, and I shall never forget the cost of repair. Finally, we sold the car in about 1984 for £5,650. What a financial disaster, but at least I had owned my dream car. I shudder to think what that car is worth now.
To this day I feel there is very little, if anything, to match the design of the DB5.
As I say I have a soft spot for Astons. I enjoyed the picture posted. My interest began when as a child in the late 1960's I accompanied my father to try out a DB5 Vantage. I shall never forget that experience as the owner demonstrated the vehicle's performance. It was incredible. On offer at £1100.00 my father very sadly decided to reject the vehicle for a reason I just cannot remember.
Many years later I had a 50% share in a DB4 Series V Vantage. My 50% share equated to the value of my then Lotus Elan Sprint. From memory I acquired the vehicle with my father in approx 1982, and we owned it for a couple of years. I learnt a lesson from that car which I adopt to the present day. Never buy a car without having a really good look underneath.
My Aston went for an MOT, and the news came back that the chassis was in a very poor state. At the time I was approx 22 years old, and I shall never forget the cost of repair. Finally, we sold the car in about 1984 for £5,650. What a financial disaster, but at least I had owned my dream car. I shudder to think what that car is worth now.
To this day I feel there is very little, if anything, to match the design of the DB5.
just as a side issue to the Bond movie cars.....Liverpool ships most of the countries scrap metal to China and Spain and the main player in the scrap business a few years ago told me that they scraped 3 damaged DB9's supervised by Aston Martin following there use and damage in a Bond film......makes you weep dont it 
nickco201 said:
I think it will be really neat to see which cars of the current era become the DB5s and such of the past. My bet would be on the Vanq S, then the DB9. I think the DBS might look dated, but not so much the DB9. I honestly think the DB9 is the nicest looking car currently being built.
In terms of potential value, only the VanqS stands a chance IMO. The rest have been/are being made in too great a number.
It took many years for the Aston DBs to start esculating in price. It was always a complete mystery to me why the prices stayed low for so many years. I watched the Ferrari & Jaguar prices climb, but the Aston DB was always the poor relation. Finally, the penny dropped, and now the prices are in a different league. In my view the modern Astons will not have any great collector's value. Agree that the Vanquish might be an exception, but the production figures of the rest are far too great. The production figures for the DB4,5 & 6 were I believe in total around 4,000 vehicles. Just think how many DB7s, Vantages & DB9s are out there. Although, the latter are all attractive designs we are talking about a mass produced car when compared against the DBs. In the 1960s the production figures were always kept low, and not least of all by virtue of the fact that existing DB owners had their vehicles served at the factory. Outside of the factory dealer service facilities I believe were minimal.
How many DBS Volantes are there out there?
PS From previous thread on Bond Astons
'I was told by a reliable source that there were two cars used in the films, BMT 216A and this one. Two further cars were built for post film publicity. Other cars seem to have been used as well, so there are a few James Bond cars about. Various magazines have had a go at sorting all this out. Anybody care to offer enlightenment?
I was also told that all the hydraulic kit in the boot had a detrimental effect on handling.
[Ed. - mainly from Wikipedia
1. Red DB4 used to measure up and test gadgets belonged to member of film crew, up for sale recently following 'barn find'.
2. BMT 216A DB4 Series 5 Vantage, aka DP/216/1, Factory DB5 prototype, silver birch with red interior, the 'Effects Car', with the gadgets, used for Goldfinger, stolen from its owner in Florida in 1997 and never recovered.
3. FMP 7B DB5, silver birch / grey, the 'Road Car' also used for driving scenes in Goldfinger and the principal car used in Thunderball, dressed up as BMT 216A, subsequently with gadgets installed for publicity purposes, and now up for sale.
4. Two further DB5's, silver birch / black made for publicity use, both sold by the factory to Sir Anthony Bamford in 1969 for £1500. (Where was I when those were offered for sale, but I guess he had special conections) One subsequently sold by RM Auctions in Arizona for $2m in 2006, the other in the Louwman Collection Museum in Holland.
5. Further DB5 registered BMT 214A used in Goldeneye, along with two further DB5's.
6. Yet another DB5, silver birch and LHD, used in Casino Royale.
7. Metro 27.05.10 Mark Perkins, a property dealer from Ascot Berkshire owns 'James Bond's Aston Martin DB5 from the film Goldfinger'.
FMP 7B sounds like the real deal, in fact what I would regard as the definitive Bond DB5, BMT 216A having been a factory 'mule' tooled up with gadgets for special effects purposes however are there any DB5's that Bond has NOT used? I am interested in this because in Spring 1967 I went to see 'The James Bond DB5' on display in Callanders Garage in Great Western Road in Glasgow. I stood in a queue and got to sit in it, and it looked awfully like the pictures of FMP 7B, though it wasn't carrying that reg as I remember. That struck me because I expected it to be carrying BMT 216A, but I think it had JB 007 or something of the like. Externally it looked fabulous, internally I was surprised how old fashioned it seemed, particularly the perspex sunshades. I pressed the red button on the gear stick, but nothing happened.]
I think the book you are referring to was 'The Power behind Aston Martin' by Dudley Gershon I think , and there is another very good one by Roger Stowers, who told me the above over lunch at the Swan Revived one really lovely day. In addition to the Bond DB5's they built a child-size DB5 Volante for Prince Andrew with working gadgets. The rest of us had to make do with Corgi models.
PS From previous thread on Bond Astons
'I was told by a reliable source that there were two cars used in the films, BMT 216A and this one. Two further cars were built for post film publicity. Other cars seem to have been used as well, so there are a few James Bond cars about. Various magazines have had a go at sorting all this out. Anybody care to offer enlightenment?
I was also told that all the hydraulic kit in the boot had a detrimental effect on handling.
[Ed. - mainly from Wikipedia
1. Red DB4 used to measure up and test gadgets belonged to member of film crew, up for sale recently following 'barn find'.
2. BMT 216A DB4 Series 5 Vantage, aka DP/216/1, Factory DB5 prototype, silver birch with red interior, the 'Effects Car', with the gadgets, used for Goldfinger, stolen from its owner in Florida in 1997 and never recovered.
3. FMP 7B DB5, silver birch / grey, the 'Road Car' also used for driving scenes in Goldfinger and the principal car used in Thunderball, dressed up as BMT 216A, subsequently with gadgets installed for publicity purposes, and now up for sale.
4. Two further DB5's, silver birch / black made for publicity use, both sold by the factory to Sir Anthony Bamford in 1969 for £1500. (Where was I when those were offered for sale, but I guess he had special conections) One subsequently sold by RM Auctions in Arizona for $2m in 2006, the other in the Louwman Collection Museum in Holland.
5. Further DB5 registered BMT 214A used in Goldeneye, along with two further DB5's.
6. Yet another DB5, silver birch and LHD, used in Casino Royale.
7. Metro 27.05.10 Mark Perkins, a property dealer from Ascot Berkshire owns 'James Bond's Aston Martin DB5 from the film Goldfinger'.
FMP 7B sounds like the real deal, in fact what I would regard as the definitive Bond DB5, BMT 216A having been a factory 'mule' tooled up with gadgets for special effects purposes however are there any DB5's that Bond has NOT used? I am interested in this because in Spring 1967 I went to see 'The James Bond DB5' on display in Callanders Garage in Great Western Road in Glasgow. I stood in a queue and got to sit in it, and it looked awfully like the pictures of FMP 7B, though it wasn't carrying that reg as I remember. That struck me because I expected it to be carrying BMT 216A, but I think it had JB 007 or something of the like. Externally it looked fabulous, internally I was surprised how old fashioned it seemed, particularly the perspex sunshades. I pressed the red button on the gear stick, but nothing happened.]
I think the book you are referring to was 'The Power behind Aston Martin' by Dudley Gershon I think , and there is another very good one by Roger Stowers, who told me the above over lunch at the Swan Revived one really lovely day. In addition to the Bond DB5's they built a child-size DB5 Volante for Prince Andrew with working gadgets. The rest of us had to make do with Corgi models.
RichB said:
Indeed, that's why I said forget the DB5 - as in people go on about the DB5 being the best looking of the DB cars - because to me that DB4 is perfect. 
It was indeed a stunner. And very nearly deflected me from my chosen path. I believe it had subtly flared arches. The seats were a bit wrong, but originals were part of the package and the ones in it much more supportive. It really was very, very lovely, even if originality wallahs would have come out in a rash.
I wonder where it is now...
The DB4, to me, is truly beautiful, especially sans bumpers. Early DB5s too. The plot started to get lost later in the DB5 evolution, and the DB6 really lost it for me. The DBS couldn't have come along soon enough.
Edited to add, for vague interest only, but think the car was 60k-70k around 5yrs ago...
Edited by Murph7355 on Tuesday 8th June 23:50
RichB said:
Indeed, that's why I said forget the DB5 - as in people go on about the DB5 being the best looking of the DB cars - because to me that DB4 is perfect.
My mistake Rich! And although I agree the DB5 is not the best looking of the DB cars, a DB4 GT Zagato would be my personal preference 
Gassing Station | Aston Martin | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff