Ever since the first James Bond movie came out in 1962, the fictional action hero’s luxury accessories and fancy cars have exerted an enduring influence on the world of fashion and culture. The most long-lasting of these associations has been the one between James Bond and Aston Martin. In fact, the partnership is nearly six decades old, starting with the Aston Martin DB5 debuting as the super spy’s car of choice in the 1964 film Goldfinger. The DB5 went on to star in eight Bond films, the last appearance being in 2021’s No Time To Die. Now one of the eight DB5s exclusively built and engineered by Aston Martin for this movie has raised a whopping £2.9million at the ‘Sixty Years of James Bond’ auction by Christie’s in London.
In No Time To Die, the DB5 features in an exhilarating sequence, driven by Daniel Craig as James Bond through Matera, Italy. The sequence demonstrates the Aston Martin’s incredible dynamic capabilities as Bond outpaces his pursuers in what is one of the most intense car chase scenes in recent movies.
The auctioned stunt car, uniquely modified for its on-screen role, features operational gadgets including a rotating digital numberplate, retractable headlights, pop-out machine guns and firing prop bomblets!
The cabin of the auctioned car has also been heavily modified to include various gadgetry and switchgear featured in the movie. Bought by a telephone bidder for a price that beat the auctioneer’s estimate, the proceeds will be donated to The Prince’s Trust and The Prince of Wales’s Charitable Fund in support of charities assisting serving and former members of the UK Intelligence Agencies, and three charities supporting serving and former members of the UK Special Forces.
The auction also saw the sale of an Aston Martin DBS Superleggera 007 Edition, one of 25 examples created by Aston Martin to celebrate the car’s inclusion in No Time To Die, and a 1981 Aston Martin V8 which was driven by Daniel Craig in the latest movie.
The live auction featured 25 lots comprising vehicles, watches, costumes and props, many of which were featured in No Time To Die, which was the 25th Bond film.
Marek Reichman, Executive Vice President and Chief Creative Officer of Aston Martin said: “Aston Martin is incredibly proud to be part of James Bond’s DNA and we are delighted to celebrate this 60th anniversary with the sale of a truly unique Aston Martin model that we created for No Time To Die. It is fantastic that the sale of this special car will now hugely benefit several good causes which are close to our heart, playing our own part in the long-standing tradition of the James Bond franchise supporting charitable causes.”
