Perhaps the most iconic of all the James Bond cars is the stunningly beautiful Aston Martin DB5. First released in 1963, the Italian-designed DB5 is primarily a luxury grand tourer (GT) car. As the name denotes, the DB5 is the fifth model produced by the brand under the leadership of David Brown, the then-owner. The car is powered by a six-cylinder, 282-hp 4.0-liter engine taking the car from 0-60 mph in 8.1 seconds and on to a top speed of 145 mph.
The DB5 made its all-important James Bond debut in the 1964 movie Goldfinger and remains one of the greatest Bond vehicles. The car played such an important part in the success of the movie, many James Bond fans now view the DB5 more as a character than a vehicle. The DB5 has since made several reappearances, most recently in Skyfall and No Time To Die. Such is the ongoing demand for these vehicles, Aston Martin has commissioned 25 limited edition James Bond DB5s, with replica weapons and gadgets. These vehicles were not produced to be road-going, and they are only able to be driven on private land, as the ultimate plaything.
However, the DB5 was not the only notable car to be produced during the '60s. Here are 5 examples that could outrun the icon Aston and 5 that couldn't.
10 Lamborghini Miura P400
The first of the cars that would obliterate James Bond's DB5. The Lamborghini Miura P400 was the first version of Miura to be produced, in 1965. The car was powered by a 3.9-liter Lamborghini V12 producing 345 hp, 0-60 mph took 5.2 seconds.
Like the DB5, the Miura is something of a movie star itself. During the original Italian Job (1969), an orange Miura is featured driving through the Alps. The car retailed for $20,000 USD when new, which was fairly expensive at the time. In total, 275 models were produced.
9 Ferrari 365 GTB/ 4 Daytona
Released in 1968, this GT car from Ferrari was a powerful proposition. The car was capable of a top speed of approximately 175 mph. Under the hood is a 4.4-liter, V12 engine producing 353 hp and capable of going from 0-60 in a Bond-beating 5.4 seconds.
The car's stunning looks were down to legendary Italian car styling outfit Pininfarina. As with many traditional sports cars of the era, the 365 GTB was front-engined and rear-wheel drive.
8 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray L88
Chevrolet produced the L88 Corvette Stingray between 1968 and 1969 and just over 200 were produced. Under the hood was a vast, high displacement 7.0-liter engine. The unit put out 560 bhp, although Lamborghini officially claimed it was 435 hp, and this was mated to a 4-speed manual gearbox. The top speed was 170 mph and Bond would be well and truly burnt. The 0-60 mph run took just 4.3 seconds, which is roughly half the time taken by the DB5.
The car was produced in strictly limited numbers and is therefore rare these days. General Motor's performance division director Zora Arkus-Duntov, wished for as many as possible to be used to their full potential on tracks, and subsequently, those looking to buy for road use were discouraged.
7 Ferrari 250 GTO
The car was powered by a 300 hp, V12 engine that could power it on to a 175-mph top speed. The 0-60 mph run was completed in 5.4 seconds. The model is extremely sought after and prospective buyers will need very deep pockets. In 2018 a 250 GTO sold for a record-breaking £52 million and became the most expensive car on record to have ever been sold.
The 250 GTO is a truly iconic Ferrari and just 36 were produced during the years 1962-64. In 2017 Ferrari managed to gather 20 examples to celebrate the 250's 55th anniversary. The car's purpose was to enable homologation and entry into the FIA's Grand Touring (GT) category (Group 3).
6 Shelby GT500 Mustang
The 1969 Shelby GT500 Mustang acted as the final version of the original Shelby production series. The car was fitted with a "Shelby Jet" engine, this produced 335 hp and had a 0-60 mph time of around 6 seconds.
The styling was very impressive for the time, one distinguishing feature was the triangular arrangement of 3 air intakes on the car's hood. The interior was very appealing, utilizing Ford's Deluxe interior package.
5 Stood No Chance: BMC Mini
Now we come to the first of the cars that stood no chance against James Bond's DB5. Just like the DB5, the Mini is another great British icon. Produced during the sixties by British Motor Corporation (BMC) from 1959 to 1968 before being produced by British Leyland. The car features a transversely mounted engine and is front-wheel drive in order to maximize the space available to passengers and cargo.
The Mini's 997cc engine enabled a top speed of just 85 mph and a 0-60 mph time of 17.6 seconds.
4 Stood No Chance: Toyota 2000GT
The Toyota 2000 GT was Toyota's attempt at building a sports car. Traditionally associated with cheap, arguably sometimes boring, practical cars, Toyota produced the 2000 GT as Japan's first European style grand tourer. The engine was a 2.0-liter inline six-cylinder that produced 148 hp.
0-60 mph was completed in 10 seconds and the car's top speed was 130 mph.
3 Stood No Chance: MG Midget
MG produced the Midget, a small sports car designed to seat 2 people, between 1961 and 1979. The MK1 had a tiny 948cc engine that produced just 46 hp, which resulted in a glacial 0-60 mph time of 18.3 seconds. The top speed was also fairly low at just 87.9 mph, Bond would be laughing if his villain was riding around in a Midget.
Just over 16,000 examples were manufactured.
2 Stood No Chance: BMW 2002
BMW produced the 2002 between 1968 and 1975, during this time around 400,000 were built. The car was primarily designed as an entry-level BMW that would help hook people into the BMW brand. The name signified the car's 2.0-litre engine and 2 doors.
The BMW M10 engine found in the car had 4 cylinders, produced 100 hp, and was attached to a 4-speed manual gearbox. In the 1968 version, 0-60 mph could be achieved in 11.3 seconds.
1 Stood No Chance: MG MGB
The second MG on this list, the MGB was manufactured by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) from 1962 to 1980. During this time, almost 525,000 were produced making it the world's best-selling open-top sports car.
The car was powered by a 1.8-liter, four-cylinder engine producing 95 hp. The top speed was 105 mph and the 0-60 mph sprint took 12.0 seconds.