An Aston Martin DB5 that was bought for the James Bond film Thunderball and which comes fully equipped with the secret agent’s signature gadgets will be sold at auction later this year.
The 1965 DB5, chassis DB5/2008/R, is one of two models bought by Eon Productions for the launch of Thunderball and the third of four built to Q-branch-spec as in Goldfinger.
It’s therefore a very special, world-famous, highly sought-after example of an already desirable car – dubbed ‘The most famous car in the world’ in a 1993 book – and it comes with an appropriately high price tag.
In fact, it could well become the most expensive piece of Bond-related memorabilia ever when it is sold by RM Sotheby’s in Monterey in August: the auction house has slapped a $4-6m (£3.2-4.7m) estimate on it, and if it reaches that target it will surpass the £2.9m paid for a Bond DB5 in 2010.
The Bond DB5’s story started in 1963, when special effects guru John Stears and production designer Ken Adam went to Newport Pagnell anticipating that Aston Martin would give them two cars for Goldfinger, due to the promotional benefits.