Which Aston Martin Did Sean Connery Drive as James Bond?
Carlos Kirby
· 4 min read
There are so many popular ‘60s cars that we still appreciate today, some of which feature in iconic movies. Chances are at least one James Bond vehicle popped into your head, like the BMW Z3 from . These vehicles were often equipped with actual weapons and other unique features, like the Lotus Esprit that doubled as a submarine.
Bond has been played by several great actors, but
Robb Report
favors the stylings of the distinguished Sean Connery the most. The actor also had the privilege of operating some of the most distinctive spy mobiles, including the 1964 Aston Martin
DB5.
What makes this Aston Martin so special?
Even without all the extra gadgets, the Aston Martin DB5 is still an impressive luxury grand tourer. It was equipped with a 4.0-liter inline-six engine, capable of 280 horsepower and a max speed of 148 mph. This powertrain made it the quickest car of the era, reaching 60 mph between 7-8 seconds.
Because it was manufactured before the strict emissions laws arose, the Aston Martin DB5 drew some of its considerable power from three carburetors. Some models were even equipped with a shooting brake body, an exceptionally rare feature on luxury vehicles. Other stylish elements included a full-leather interior with wool carpeting, chrome wire wheel covers, and electric windows.
Car and Driver
goes into detail about the special features included on the Bond-spec DB5 models. Although the movies highlighted the ejector seats and machine guns, their functionality was only achieved through special effects. The rotating license plates and bulletproof glass were real, as well as evasive strategies like the smokescreen and oil-trailing system.Let Jerry find your price in only 45 seconds
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Which Bond movies featured the 1964 Aston Martin DB5?
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The Aston Martin DB5 made its first appearance in Goldfinger, which debuted in 1964. Only four of the prototypes for the Bond franchise were produced: two for filming and two for promotional purposes. It was the automaker's first car to appear in the franchise, which subsequently caused its sales to skyrocket.
One year later, the Bond-specced Aston Martin DB5 would appear again in Thunderball. You get to see an exciting chase scene against a BSA Lightning motorcycle (also equipped with missiles).
A different DB5 was featured in the 1995 entry GoldenEye, but it was relatively bare-bones because it was Bond's vehicle. While never again showcased in its full glory, it continues to make small cameos in modern Bond films.
The Aston Martin DB5 lives on in 2021
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Car and Driver also report that a special run of Bond-specced DB5s has been produced by the Aston Martin Works division. Only 20 examples of the Aston Martin DB5 Goldfinger Continuation were made, each one costing over three million dollars. That's a big discount from the original model, which was last sold for $4.6 million at auction.
Chris Corbould, a special-effects designer with years of experience in Bond films, led the new car's design team. The Continuation doesn't have real machine guns, but you can press a button to make the barrels recoil as if freshly shot. The sound it produces upon "firing" is also the very same sound clip from the movie.
It substitutes water for the oil-slick feature, and there's a red shifter button (albeit non-functional) that would activate the ejector seat. While the gadgets look great, the DB5's performance just doesn't hold up to today's standards. Still, its faithful redesign inside and out would delight any diehard Bond fan.
Sean Connery may have passed away last year, but we'll always remember his portrayal as the ineffably brilliant Agent 007. You too can feel like a spy inside the new Aston Martin DB5, if you've got an extra $3.5 million.
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