Regardless of your generation, we can all agree that perhaps no movie car has ever had quite the same impact as the DB5 driven by Sean Connery in the beloved third bond film, Goldfinger, which hit silver screens in 1964. In fact, it may come as a surprise that Aston Martin were initially reluctant to provide a car for filming, but eventually gave in to Oscar-winning production design wizard Ken Adam’s wishes and provided two cars (with the actual movie car being a DB4 equipped with DB5 prototype parts). With the cars acquired, it was down to Peter Lamont to create the technical drawings and special effects legend John Stears to fit everything from the smoke screen, to ejector seat, and even machine guns. And as they say, the rest is movie history.
Fast forward to 2020 and Aston Martin’s own Q Department honoured the work of Adams, Lamont, and Stears with a run of 25 continuation ‘Goldfinger’ DB5s, equipped with all the bells and whistles 007 himself deployed in the eponymous blockbuster, bar the ejector seat because that would just be ludicrous. However, unlike the movie’s production team, who had the luxury of splitting the gadgets across multiple cars, Aston Martin had to make all the gadgets work on each of the 25 Goldfinger DB5s. That meant enlisting the help of Chris Corbould, the special effects hall-of-famer who has worked on every Bond film since 1977’s The Spy Who Loved Me.
As we mentioned earlier, though, they weren’t simply retrofitting existing DB5s with a bunch of gadgets. Instead, the team at Aston began by CT scanning every millimetre of a pristine original DB5, including the engine. Thanks to over half a decade’s worth of advancements in metallurgy, the Goldfinger DB5’s 4.0-litre, naturally aspirated straight-six engine boasts higher quality aluminium and improved structural integrity, while the gearbox was sourced from ZF, who restarted their original production line to help get these amazing movie tributes rolling. Don’t think they cut corners with the bodywork either, because the team used the same English wheel tool that helped form the original cars, while new polyurethane bucks were used to perfect the shape. All in, each DB5 Goldfinger is a result of over 5,000 man hours of meticulous craftsmanship.
Then there’s the DB5 Goldfinger’s real party piece: the gadgets. Should you be pursued by a bunch of henchmen, you’ll have the choice of either the smoke screen or oil slick delivery system, which is simulated with dyed water rather than actual fossil fuels. Once the baddies are out of sight, the rotating number plates at the front and rear will provide some plausible deniability that another Silver Birch DB5 is roaming the streets.
On the other hand, if your fight or flight instincts default to the former, the twin front-mounted .30-calibre Browning machine guns (also simulated) will come in handy. Should the gunfight escalate, you might want to make use of the deployable bullet-proof rear screen, while any blockades in your way will be swiftly dealt with by the front and rear battering rams, helping you escape the goons for good. It’s truly a mind-boggling array of gadgets that makes you wonder how on earth they managed to fit a car as petite as a DB5 with all the necessary parts, and we haven’t even discussed the interior yet.
Hop inside the DB5 Goldfinger’s cockpit and at first glance there are very few giveaways that this isn’t a standard Aston. However, flip up the arm rest and you’ll find a litany of switches used to control everything we listed above, including the rotating number plate, guns, bullet shield, and front and rear rams, and oil slick and smoke screen deployment. Behind the metal grille on the centre console you’ll discover a simulated radar map screen, while the driver has access to a telephone in the door and a weapons tray located under the seat. We mentioned that the ejector seat was unfortunately omitted, but the passenger portion of the roof is detachable. Our absolute favourite part? The top of the gear knob lifts up to reveal a big red button to deploy all the gadgets at once for maximum showboating.
Granted, due to the vast array of gadgets on board, and the fact that these are brand new continuation cars, the DB5 Goldfinger isn’t strictly road legal, but with a sticker price of over 2.7 million pounds before tax, we doubt many of the 25 lucky custodians were planning on road tripping their 007-spec Astons. Speaking of which, you could have the chance to join this ultra-exclusive owners circle as the Dörr Group now have one of these ultra-rare DB5 Goldfingers available in the Classic Driver Market. So, if you’re a huge Bond fan with a world-class secret lair, this would undoubtedly be the ultimate centrepiece to your collection!
