The Aston Martin DB5 was a luxury grand tourer that was released in 1963 and was a bumped up iteration of the DB4, it replaced. But during the first year of its existence, no one batted an eye. But then it got cast in the James Bond movie, Goldfinger that released in 1964. Yes, we say "cast" because this classic Aston Martin is currently the most recognized Bond car in the world, and also the 2nd most recognized movie car in history, just after the Batmobile. Point this car out to anyone out there, and chances are very brim of them not recognizing this iconic actor, that has all types of tricks up its sleeves!
This Aston Martin has now become an integral part of the James Bond Fandom and has also shared screens with 3 different "James Bonds" - Sean Connery, Pierce Brosnan, and Danial Craig. (something more to be envious of!). A total of 8 James Bond installations saw this gorgeous Brit being a part of, including the upcoming 2020 movie - No Time To Die.
The main factors responsible for such fame are, first, of course, a lot of screen time with 3 iconic actors in 8 iconic movies, and secondly, the sheer amount of suspense, packed in this piece of automobile art, in the form of gadgets. Well, there were so many gadgets at hand that some even went unused in the movies. We give you a rundown of this iconic car and all its quirks.
The gorgeous Aston Martin DB5 from James Bond has a lot of tricks up its sleeves! We give you a closer look at what makes this iconic car, the perfect Secret agent companion.
Aston Martin DB5 Just Wanted To Be A Luxury Grand Tourer
Before stardom kicked it, Aston Martin produced the DB5 from 1964 and was an evolution of the final series of the Aston Martin DB4. It was designed by the Italian coachbuilder Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera, which explains those beautifully sculpted lines. It was a 2-door Grand Tourer that was powered by a 40.L Straight-6 engine that pumped out a humble 282 hp and 288 lb-ft.
It was coupled to a ZF 5-Speed manual transmission that helped it go from 0-60 mph in 8 seconds and have a top speed of 145 mph. Comfort and luxury were ample for a car that was slated for a lot of action! And it fared well as a touring machine which was more emphasized upon. Aston Martin had also offered a 3-Speed automatic gearbox to keep the drives as relaxed as possible.
Then James Bond Happened!
The 1964 Aston Martin DB5 made its first appearance in Goldfinger which was the third movie in the James Bond Series. It starred Sean Connery and this duo of spies just stole it with the seat-gripping action sequences and the sheer amount of gadgets on a roll. It was a new car from Aston Martin that was pitched in, to garner attention, and well, it sure got a lot of what was asked of!
Goldfinger was the striking point for the DB5 and most of us will also remember this iconic movie in reference to it as it was a very distinctive take on spy movies of the time. There were instances of crew members vouching in to make the car look even more striking with more and more gadgets! Later on, it starred in 'Thunderball' as well from 1965.
By the second movie, the DB5 became an indisposable icon that used to be the star attraction and the Bonds, a mere sidekick! The car lived on through Pierce Brosnan's Bondy legacy and continued into the modern era with Daniel Craig. It will be concluding Daniel's Era as well, by gracing the screen in the latest James Bond installation - No Time To Die, set to release in April 2021.
Tricks And Gadgets Hidden In Plain Sight
The insane number of gadgets packed into the Aston Martin DB5 is what still makes it the best spy car ever from the James Bond franchise. The list used to increase over time with every new movie, which was also a key reason for this car's long-standing attention.
The gadgets that this Aston Martin used to hide in plain sight in the movie Goldfinger included - machine guns, tire-shredding blade, bullet screen, tracking equipment (way before fighter gets made it look cool!), Ejector seat, oil sprayer, smoke screen, bullet-proof glass, and revolving number plates.
It got a new set of gadgets for 'Thunderball' that added water cannons and an Alpina 7817R radio that could communicate as well as print documents! In No Time To Die, it gets the wildest upgrades ever that includes M134 miniguns behind its plush headlights and a reinforced chassis to take all of the modern beatings.
Aston Martin Is Reproducing This Icon, Including The Gadgets!
A car of such stature and fanbase surely needs reincarnation. This is exactly why Aston Martin is crafting 25 of this iconic movie car, as the Aston Martin DB5 Goldfinger Edition. What makes this project even more exciting is that all 28 of them will include each and every gadget that was used in the 1964 James Bond movie - Goldfinger.
Of course, all of them will be dummy iterations of the original gadgets but will make you feel like the main man himself with realistic sounds for the machine guns and moving components for other non-harmful gadgets. They will also be using an era-specific powertrain layout with the 4.0L Inline-6 and 5-Speed ZF gearbox. The catch here is that it's priced at $3.4 million per unit and is not street-legal. Well, you won't want to scare fellow motorists with machine guns now, would you?!
This iconic car has already cemented a name for itself in history, and with these 25 units, the future as well!
Sources: Wikipedia.com, Imdb.com, Cbsnews.com, Hagerty.com, Topspeed.com, Jamesbond.fandom.com, Youtube.com, Motorshow.com