You Can Own James Bond’s Iconic Aston Martin DB5

It could fetch over $2 million at auction.

James Bond’s gadget-laden Aston Martin DB5 is one of the most famous movie cars of all time, to the point the British automaker is synonymous with the movie franchise. And now an original example that was used during filming is heading to auction looking for a new owner. Sadly, this particular DB5 isn’t the one Sean Connery drove in Goldfinger. Instead, it’s the 1965 model Pierce Brosnan drove in the 1995 flick Goldeneye. After featuring in the movie, the car was used to promote the film and the Aston Martin DB7.

A few years later, it was sold at auction in 2001 and bought by entrepreneur Max Reid for ￡149,828 ($200,000). That may sound like a paltry amount for a classic Aston Martin, but at the time it “became the most valuable piece of Bond memorabilia ever sold” according to Bonhams. Clearly, the car’s value has significantly increased since then, because the auction house now estimates the car will sell for ￡1.2 – ￡1.6 ($1.6 -$2.1) million. “The DB5 is one of the most recognizable and desirable British classic cars in the world - it is also the ultimate Bond car,” said Sholto Gilbertson, Bonhams Motor Cars Department Director.

“Every fan remembers Pierce Brosnan tearing through the hills in this car, and it must be up there as one of the most thrilling Bond car chases in history. This Aston Martin is something very special indeed.” The vintage film-famous Aston Martin DB5 will be going under the hammer at the Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale on July 13. If you need a recap, the DB5 was driven in the thrilling opening chase scene of Goldeneye against a Ferrari F355 GTS through the hills above Monaco.

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James Bond’s Lost Aston Martin DB5 Allegedly Found In The Middle East

The iconic movie car has been missing since 1997 after being stolen from an aircraft hanger.

The 1964 Aston Martin DB5 driven by Sean Connery in Goldfinger is one of the most iconic movie cars of all time. Sadly, one of the two DB5s used in the movie has been missing for over 20 years – until now. The famous movie car was stolen from an airport hangar in the Florida Keys back in 1997 and hasn’t been seen since, but according to Auto Classics James Bond’s Aston Martin DB5 has been rediscovered in a secret location in the Middle East, so there’s hope yet that it could be recovered.

Art Recovery International was hired by an unspecified insurance firm to track down the lost DB5 and have been told the car was re-located to the Middle East after it was stolen from the airport hanger. The car is now reportedly worth $13 million, and a “six-figure sum” has apparently been offered for information leading to its safe return. “I have been given a specific tip, but we are working on it,”. Christopher A Marinello, the chief executive of Art Recovery International, told the media.

“We want to reach out to the collector car community and a vast array of mechanics to let them know we are very serious about recovering it. As there are many Aston Martins, it is very important that we get a shot of the chassis number, DP/216/1. This is what we are looking for, as it is very specific to the vehicle. It is quite possible the potential in the Middle East is a mere lookalike, which is why it is crucial we retain a close-up of the chassis number.”

After filming for Goldfinger was completed, car collector Richard D Losee bought the DB5 from Aston Martin for $12,000. He then sold it to businessman and car collector Anthony Pugliese III for $250,000 in 1986, who stored it at the Boca Raton Airport hangar. It was then stolen from the hanger by thieves in 1997. For the film, the DB5 was modified with an array of gadgets including machine guns, tire-shredding blades and oil, smoke and water emitters.

This made it heavy so the thieves had to drag the car out by the axles, which left incriminating tire marks providing a trail up to where the car was believed to be loaded onto a cargo plane. The other DB5 “road car” used in the film was sold to a collector in 2010 for $4.1 million.

Coincidentally, the Ford Mustang GT Fastback driven by Steve McQueen in Bullitt was also recently rediscovered after being presumed missing for more than 40 years.

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