To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION at RM Sothebys' Monterey event, 15 - 17
August 2019.
Estimate:
$4,000,000 - $6,000,000
- Extremely rare and pristine example of "The Most Famous Car in
the World"
- One of two examples directly purchased by Eon Productions for
the launch of Thunderball
- The third of four examples built per Q Branch specifications as
featured in Goldfinger
- Benefits from just three private caretakers, including noted
collector Lord Bamford
- Restoration completed in 2012, including refurbishment of all
13 original special-effects modifications
- Fabulous example of the special-effects wizardry of two-time
Oscar winner John Stears, as designed by Ken Adam
- Documented with factory build sheet, prior British
registration, and restoration photos and invoices
- Subject of numerous magazine articles and books
- The most iconic and recognizable Aston Martin ever built
- Aston Martin Assured Provenance on file
No one could have predicted back in 1965 the fabulously successful
multi-decade synergy that would develop when two men from the movie
business visited Aston Martin's Newport-Pagnell plant in late 1963.
Ken Adam and John Stears, respectively a production designer and a
special effects man, were on a mission from producers Albert
"Cubby" Broccoli and Harry Saltzman. They were to source a pair of
the latest Aston Martins for use in Eon Productions' third
adaptation of an Ian Fleming novel, again about the virile MI6
superspy with a license to kill, James Bond. It was called
Goldfinger.
In typical moviemaking fashion, the producers wanted two
near-identical cars to fulfill various roles during filming. One
would be required for stunt driving and chase sequences and
therefore needed to be lightweight and fast. The other, to be used
for interior shots and close-ups, was to undergo several functional
modifications created by Stears, the kind that would furnish James
Bond with an unprecedented amount of gadgetry.
Despite the filmmakers' expectation that Aston Martin would happily
give them two cars for promotional benefits, marque president David
Brown insisted that the production company buy the cars outright.
Eventually a compromise was reached in which two cars were loaned
to Eon Productions for the duration of filming, after which they
would be returned to Aston Martin.
Though John Stears' revolutionary Oscar-winning work on the
original Star Wars movie of 1977 was yet more than a decade away,
his ingenuity was already evident in the modifications that he made
for the special-effects Aston Martin. The first James Bond car was
also the DB5 prototype and bore a special chassis number prefix
denoting it as a development project, DP/216/1. As Desmond
Llewelyn's legendary weapons-master Q would go on to explain to
Sean Connery's 007, the Snow Shadow Gray-painted DB5 was equipped
with front and rear hydraulic over-rider rams on the bumpers, a
Browning .30-caliber machine gun in each fender, wheel-hub-mounted
tire slashers, a retractable rear bulletproof screen, an in-dash
radar-tracking scope, oil-slick, caltrop, and smoke-screen
dispensers, revolving license plates, and a passenger-seat ejection
system. Also equipped, although never used during the film, was a
telephone in the driver's door to communicate with MI6
headquarters, as well as a hidden compartment under the driver's
seat containing several weapons.
"Ejector seat?" Bond exclaimed with a smile. "You're joking!"
"I never joke about my work, 007," retorted Q, deadly serious.
The smash success of Goldfinger was also a success for Aston
Martin, which received free promotion around the world and saw DB5
sales surge to fuel an unprecedented level of production. The
producers at Eon took notice of the enormous appeal and potential
marketing opportunities. In preparation for Thunderball's release,
the company ordered two more DB5 saloons, receiving chassis nos.
DB5/2008/R (the featured example) and DB5/2017/R. The two cars were
shipped to the United States for media duties for Thunderball. One
was dispatched to the East Coast, and the other to the West. The
latter DB5 even appeared at Laguna Seca as a pace car driven by
Jackie Stewart.
Both cars were fitted with all of Adam's Goldfinger modifications,
but this time the gadgets were installed by Aston Martin and
intended to be more durable than those on DP/216, whose gadgetry
was comparatively very primitive, as they were never designed to
function for more than one take, thanks to careful editing! This
car's gadgets, on the other hand, were designed and built to
function repeatedly on command, as they do today.
After completion of Thunderball, the two cars were largely
mothballed as yet two more Bond films followed with different
automobiles in the hero roles. Accordingly, the production
company's parent financier, the Swiss-based Danjac S.A., quietly
offered the two cars for sale in 1969, and they were soon bought as
a pair by the well-known British collector Anthony (now Lord)
Bamford. He quickly sold 2017/R but retained possession of 2008/R
until 1970, and the British registration for the car in his name
remains on file. The Aston Martin build record lists Eon
Productions as the original purchaser along with the important
designation of this being a "Bond Car." Under Bamford's ownership
the saloon returned to the factory for service, and it received a
host of freshening and mechanical measures, all of which are
documented on the build record.
Bamford then sold DB5/2008/R to B.H. Atchley, the owner of the
Smokey Mountain Car Museum in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. The unique
Aston Martin was soon featured as the museum's centerpiece in a
rather unusual display, as the car was encased in a large wire-mesh
cage that was bolted to the floor, ensuring it would never be idly
touched or pawed by starstruck visitors. The DB5 remained in this
pristine state of display for 35 years, receiving regular start-ups
for exercise during this time.
In 2006, RM Auctions was privileged to offer this Bond DB5 for
public sale. While some of the Bond contraptions were restored into
functioning order prior to the 2006 offering, a majority of the car
remained otherwise unrestored. Since that time a no-expense-spared
restoration by the esteemed Roos Engineering in Switzerland was
completed, as documented by numerous invoices and photographs. Roos
Engineering is also one of 13 facilities whom Aston Martin have
appointed as official Heritage Specialists, who have the highest
order of depth, expertise, and experience with the marque. Not only
were the chassis and body completely refinished to proper
standards, but all 13 of the Ken Adam-designed modifications were
properly refurbished to function as originally built. Following
completion of the four-year restoration, the Aston Martin was the
subject of a feature article on the Bond DB5 cars that was printed
in the October 2012 issue of Motor.
Being the third of just four Goldfinger-specification DB5 examples
built, this Aston Martin is automatically endowed with a high
degree of rarity. It should be noted that the first John
Stears-modified car has been lost since 1997, narrowing the number
of surviving examples to just three cars. Of these survivors, one
car (chassis no. 1486/R) was originally unmodified, as it was used
for driving sequences and only had gadgets added later. Most
important, this car was built with all gadgetry from new, elevating
its status and importance. In addition to this distinction,
DB5/2008/R has benefited from an extremely minimal chain of
ownership: just thr...for more information please contact the
seller.
