Monday 20th August 2018

£2.75m Aston Martin DB5 'Goldfinger' launched

Aston's latest continuation project is a doozy - and limited to 25 cars

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Are you a James Bond fan? Got a spare £2.75 million lying around? Because you’ll love this. Aston Martin has teamed up with EON Productions - the company that makes the 007 films - to create a short run of 'Goldfinger' DB5s that mimic the iconic 1964 film model.

Just 25 examples of these Bond-spec DB5 will be produced, each at Aston’s Newport Pagnell site where the original DB5s were made back in the 1960s. They won't be road legal so can come with “authentic reproductions” of the gadgets that featured on Q's customised Aston, including those revolving number plates. (Which are there for show, of course, not to evade speed cameras…)

Chris Corbould, special effects supervisor from the James Bond films, is responsible for co-developing the car so expect the gadgets to be as accurate as possible – although sadly there's no mention of an ejector seat. The rest of each car will be built as true to form as possible, with just one colour offered: Silver Birch - the same shade used on Sean Connery’s drop-dead gorgeous grand tourer.

Picking up from the 898 examples of DB5s produced between 1963 and 1965, the new continuation cars will use a 4.0-litre straight six engine offering 286hp and 280lb ft of torque. Enough grunt to send you and your tuxedo to 60mph in 7.1sec and onto a top speed of 148mph. Drive is sent to the rear wheels via a five-speed manual gearbox, in case you were wondering.

Beyond the 25 customers cars, an additional 3 will be built; one apiece for Aston, EON and charity auction. Aston boss, Andy Palmer, said: "To own an Aston Martin has long been an aspiration for James Bond fans, but to own a Silver Birch DB5, complete with gadgets and built to the highest standards in the very same factory as the original James Bond cars? Well, that is surely the ultimate collectors' fantasy. The skilled craftspeople at Aston Martin Works and the expert special effects team from the James Bond films are about to make this fantasy real for 25 very lucky customers."

Can you think of a better way for a Bond fanatic to enact out their spy fantasies than with the very car 007 used? Yep, the Lotus Espirit submarine from the Spy Who Loved Me. But we don't think Elon Musk is likely to let 'Wet Nellie' go - so this is the next best thing. Deliveries start next year.

[sidesauce]

Surely these are sold already?