The name is Martin, Aston Martin. The DB5 luxury roadster that almost upstaged Sean Connery who played James Bond in the 1964 spy thriller Goldfinger recently received new life as a continuation model via a limited edition rollout. But Aston Martin's plans didn't stop at creating a replica of the famous car. Nope, the automaker commissioned designers to recreate 25 copies of the real thing, right down to the onboard weaponry and other gizmos 007 needed to complete each mission. It so happened that one of those Aston Martins, reportedly worth $3.6 million, made its way to Jay Leno's Garage and, in a video released Tuesday, the celebrity car buff was understandably gobsmacked.
Aston Martin's Original Gizmos Installed
"I think it's the most famous car in the world," retorted Leno when he saw the silver birch DB5. "I don't know whether I like it because it's an Aston Martin. I like it because it was such a part... I would wait for the next film to come out to see what the car did next."
Leno's adolescent fantasies became moot when he set his eyes on this continuation model, produced by the same machines that put together these models in the '60s. But Aston Martin took things to the next level. Even though this DB5 has the same specs as the original, it has a few more treats, namely the gadgets used in those action flicks. We're talking machine guns (with LED lights instead of ammo), oil slick siphons (that spray water instead), smoke machine, battering-ram bumpers, and more, although Leno noticed that the automaker didn't include the ejection seat.
DB5 Featured A V6 Engine
However, this version includes the same four-liter V6 that powered the Bond Aston Martin, enabling Bond to foil Goldfinger's plans to bomb the United States bullion supply. The only difference is that manufacturers recreated a higher-quality engine after engineers used a CT scanner on the original motor to identify and eliminate any imperfections. They made everything else on the powertrain to be as genuine as possible.
"Everything is exactly where it should be," noted Leno while praising Aston Martin over the measures they took to maintain the tradition of the engine. Designers pored over blueprints, staff scouted for parts from the original DB5, and the company even approached suppliers that created components for the vehicle, such as the ZF Group that came up with the first car's gearbox.
This Aston Martin's Promoting The New Bond Flick
It's no coincidence that Aston Martin trotted out this new DB5 to promote the latest Bond flick No Time To Die, but Leno wanted to use his time with the car to get a feel for it. Taking it on the road, Leno never shifted beyond second gear, since this Aston Martin was already bought and paid for. But he couldn't resist playing around with the control panel saddled between the two front seats, having a blast with the machine guns, smoke machine, and the spinning license plates.
"Well, how cool is this?" retorted Leno.
Source: Jay Leno's Garage