The person behind the first James Bond, Sean Connery, was thought of by many to be definitive, has handed away at age 90. Like Bond, the BBC mentioned in its obituary as we speak, “He strode throughout the display . . . like a panther, hungry and searching for prey.” He additionally drove a memorable sequence of gadget-laden automobiles, from the Bentley Mark IV in From Russia with Like to the Ford Mustang Mach 1 in Diamonds Are Perpetually—however he’ll without end be remembered in tandem with the Aston Martin DB5 in Goldfinger, pictured right here, and which Aston Martin reproduced as a “continuation” sequence in 2018, because the story beneath relates. —Ed.
For James Bond followers, the will to personal an actual model of 007’s iconic Aston Martin DB5 is a dream that quickly will likely be realized—not less than for these prepared to spend $3.5 million. Following the “continuation” DB4 GTs that the corporate produced earlier this yr, Aston Martin Works is now set to supply a restricted run of DB5s constructed to the very same spec because of the well-known automotive from the James Bond {movies}. And, sure, these will embrace a full set of the usually deadly devices that agent 007 makes use of to flee from numerous scrapes and predicaments.
The brand new automobiles successfully will copy the unique Bond-spec DB5s, considered one of which was at this yr’s Villa d’Este Concours in Italy. That automotive was nonetheless packing the bulletproof display that rises behind the rear window, a smokescreen system, and the flexibility to put down an oil slick within the path of pursuers, to not point out the well-known rotating license plates. It additionally boasted .303 machine weapons behind its entrance flip alerts and an offset sunroof for its passenger ejector seat, though sadly neither of those capabilities really labored for actual.
The brand new replicas will characteristic a full suite of devices as properly. They’re being developed with the assistance of Chris Corbould, an Oscar-winning special-effects supervisor who has labored on Bond movies for the reason that 1980s. Mechanically, the automobiles will likely be similar to the unique DB5, with a 4.0-liter inline-six respiration via triple SU carburetors to supply around 280 horsepower. When new, that made the DB5 one of many quickest automobiles on this planet, with a 148-mph high velocity and a claimed 7.1-second zero-to-60-mph time. The continuation automobiles are being constructed with the consent of Eon Productions, which collectively owns rights to the Bond franchise with MGM Studios. There is only one small catch, although: The automobiles should not street authorized.
Being an efficient copy of a 1965-spec automotive implies that this as-new DB5s wouldn’t move any type of emissions or security testing. We’re certain that resourceful patrons will discover some method to drive their new autos on the general public freeway legally. If not, not less than they’ll be properly geared up for any chase state of affairs.
The primary of those Goldfinger DB5s will likely be delivered in 2020. The plan is to construct 25 for purchasers, plus one automotive for Aston Martin, one for Eon Productions, and one other that will likely be auctioned for charity. Now, how a few Lotus-built duplicate of the Esprit submarine from The Spy Who Liked Me?
