Aston Martin has long been a favorite of James Bond and 007 moviegoers alike and that love affair began with the DB5 in Goldfinger. When you think of Bond, you think of Aston… or maybe those Lotuses he drove for a while, but generally speaking, it’s an Aston that everyone immediately thinks of when the topic is brought up. The Aston Martin DB5 is such a fan favorite that it’s been brought back to star in 6 other 007 films since its silver screen debut in 1964 with the most recent being Spectre in 2015.
The silver Aston Martin DB5 with all of Q’s gadgets is a movie icon that’s been out of production for over 50 years, but that’s about to change. You know how Aston Martin loves doing hand-built, limited-run continuation cars now?
They’re doing that.
With Bond’s DB5.
And it has gadgets.
28 of James Bond’s Aston Martin DB5s will be faithfully reproduced in a collaboration between Aston and EON Productions, the ones who hold the rights to produce 007 films. Of those, 25 are being offered up for sale to anyone who doesn’t mind dropping £2.75m ($3.51m) on a car that isn’t road legal.
And yes, it really will have working gadgets co-developed by Oscar-winner Chris Corbould, special effects supervisor from the James Bond films. Now… I know what you’re thinking, and no, it’s extremely unlikely that the working .30 calibre machine guns will make the cut. The only gadget they’ve specifically listed is the revolving number plates which may explain why it can’t wear real ones.
Each DB5 “Goldfinger” Continuation will be hand-built at Aston Martin Works at Newport Pagnell, the original home of the DB5. As with Aston’s previous DB4 GT continuation project, the specifications of the new cars will be as close as possible to the originals but with some “sympathetic modifications” as needed. Between the guys who built the car (in its original factory, no less) and the ones who make it shoot things in the movies, it’s guaranteed that these cars will be the most faithful recreations possible.
All cars will be built to the same specification with Silver Birch paint, a 4.0-liter DOHC straight-six with 282 horsepower, a 148 mph-top speed, and a 7.1-second 0-60mph time.
Aston Martin expects to start deliveries in 2020. As for the astronomical pricing, it’s worth noting that real DB5s tend to go for significantly less than £2.75m and a DB5 as featured in Goldeneye went for £1,961,500 (US$ 2,494,384) at auction recently. But for those who want a “new” DB5 with all (or most) of the gadgets that it’s so famously carried over the years, this is a golden opportunity.
[Sources: Aston Martin, Bonhams]
Aston Martin Announces "Goldfinger" DB5 Continuation Cars
By Greg Kachadurian
Aug 19, 2018
By Greg Kachadurian
I'm the guy that spoiled the site with all the new car stuff. Hooniverse News Editor since 2011, amateur motorsport photographer, sim racer, and mountain road enthusiast.
Ross Ballot
Aston Martin Announces…. Blatant Cash Grab
Continuation of what exactly? The other cars like this have had a quasi-legit story of how they didn’t build all the cars they’d originally intended, but was there a proposed run of “James Bond specials” nobody was aware of? At some point they are going to nuke the fridge with these. (but I bet not yet!)
Might as well. There apparently exists some subset of car buyers out there that aren’t aware of the secondary market for used and restored vehicles, and they have gobs of cash.
Took me a second to figure out what you were talking about, but having eventually gotten there, I like “nuke the fridge” as an update to “jump the shark”.
Yes it is a bit obscure, I came across the phrase again just recently.
I nearly walked out of the cinema when I saw it. 10 years ago now can you believe it?
Something I’ve always wondered with these continuation cars.. how does it work with road legality? Even if the chassis numbers are old, surely the build date is 2018 at the earliest and there’s no way one of these meets any modern standards even for single vehicle approval surely?
I’d be more impressed if AM finessed a modern drivetrain and suspension under the original (gorgeous) DB-5 bodywork.
I’m sure they’d do it if you threw enough money at them, like how they shoehorned a Vantage V8 into a Cygnet for a customer. https://www.pistonheads.com/road-tests/astonmartin/aston-martin-cygnet-v8-driven/38535
They definitely would…
It would depend on local laws. Here in Victoria Australia I’m confident you could put it on a club permit as a replica historic vehicle.
Mind you Cobra replicas for example are registered (fully, not a permit) as Individually Constructed Vehicles and have current engines for emissions etc. Theoretically you could use all period parts eg 289 on quad Webers and put it on a permit too, I’m not sure if that has happened.
Yeah, I’m not sure how it works emissionswise. The SVA in Astons native country is getting stricter (in Ireland there isn’t even an SVA and the reaction of The Man would be DOES NOT COMPUTE *headsplode*). Most faithful continuations have been race cars (e.g. e-type lightweight) so it hasn’t mattered so much.
Continuation cars: cool.
Incorporating film details: not cool.
Exorbitant price tag: extremely not cool.
I think the folks that buy these types of things actually like the exorbitant price tag.
Even if I had the money I couldn’t justify this, but it’s a missed opportunity if they don’t work in sat-nav (with period correct appearance).
http://www.mysinchew.com/files/jb2_0.jpg
As long as it has functioning cuisineart hubs, oil squirter, rocket morals and the ejection seat, I’m in.
The ejection function appears limited to your wallet.