Bond Car Auctioned

2023 Author: Eric Donovan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-11-27 05:39

It's shapely and iconic - and expensive. The silver-colored Aston Martin DB5, with which James Bond once hunted down the villain "Goldfinger", was up for auction. The new owner put £ 2.6 million plus commission on the table.

By Michael Donhauser

What the secret service hobbyist "Q" managed to make wrote film history. The Aston Martin DB5, the sleek company car of the legendary British screen agent James Bond, has become a cult thanks to its many extras. On Wednesday evening the original was auctioned in London - just a few hundred meters from the real headquarters of the «Her Majesty's Secret Service». The luxury toy went for 2.6 million pounds (2.93 million euros).

Huge interest

The successful bidder comes from the USA: Harry Yeaggy from Ohio. Although he says he already owns 20 expensive cars and runs a small car museum in Ohio, he doesn't want to just add the Bond car to his collection. He also wants to drive it on the road.

The auction house RM's estimate was £ 3.5 million (around four million euros). The interest of the bidders was huge. Above all, collectors of film devotional objects came to the auction hall in London's Battersea Park, »said auctioneer Peter Haynes from auction house RM.

Practical things for everyday life

Gert Frobe alias head villain «Mr. Goldfinger »had no chance against him in 1964. Thanks to his car, Bond, played by the Scotsman Sean Connery, was unbeatable. The car has machine guns under the indicators and an ejector seat. To the chagrin of pursuers, the stern emits smoke bombs, crow's feet or greasy oil. And of course, its sporty, comfortable leather seats did not only serve "007" well in the fight against bad guys.

And not just in the film. "In 1964 I was in Zurich with the car," recalls Mike Ashley from Aston Martin. "When the press photographers were after me, I switched on the fog cannon." Even when the Aston Martin manager in France was flashed by the police, the car had a solution: "I just switched the license plate from Great Britain to France," recalls the 70 year old.

Only four copies built

The Aston Martin DB5 became the model for the increasingly playful and sophisticated cars in later Bond films. The manufacturers of sporty luxury cars stood in line at the film producers to be able to place their company logo effectively. Lotus, BMW, Chevrolet and Alfa Romeo are just a few of the companies that were able to present their products. They all get the highest prices at auctions. The Aston Martin DB5 will likely remain the battleship of the Bond fleet forever.

The car was still a prototype when "Goldfinger" was filmed, only four specimens were built with the special equipment. Only later did the sports car manufacturer actually bring the DB5 - the letter combination stands for long-time company boss David Brown - onto the market. With a four-liter machine and a top speed of 235 kilometers per hour.

Fully functional

The film model, which was used again in "Fireball" in 1965, was bought in 1970 by an American radio DJ, Jerry Lee. He turned over $ 12,000 back then - a lot of money. "A huge investment," says Jerry Lee (74) today. The proceeds will benefit his foundation, which fights crime and promotes better education. "I've had a lot of fun over the past 40 years," says Lee. However, the car was mostly in his Philadelphia showroom, alongside other Bond memorabilia.

The car, so assures auctioneer Haynes, is still fully functional with all its gadgets. "You can even use the oil cannon," he says. The machine guns are of course not loaded - but all other special components, such as the knives on the tires, could be used. "Is that a joke?" One might ask. «I never joke about my work, 007», «Q» replied in a dialogue that became a movie classic. (dpa)