The original James Bond Aston Martin DB5 commands $4.6 million at auction. It originally sold for $12,000.
We’re not sure if Harry Yeaggy has a serious case of road rage or just a fixation with films. He definitely does have plenty of money to spare…as he proved by snapping up the original 007 DB5, the Aston Martin coupe used by Bond, James Bond, in the long-running movie series’ first two films, Goldfinger and Thunderball.
Yeaggy, an Ohio car collector reportedly got a bargain, winning the bidding at an RM Auctions event, in London, for 2.9 million pounds, or $4.6 million, including fees. Some estimates predicted the tricked-out Aston would go for anywhere from 3.5 million to as much as 10 million pounds sterling.
Then again, it was all profit for the previous owner, Philadelphia radio broadcaster Jerry Lee, who snapped the modified Aston Martin DB5 for just $12,000, in 1969, after MGM, the Bond series studio, finished using the car for a promotional tour.
There have been a number of different automotive brands associated with James Bond, both in book and film form, over the years, notably including BMW, which briefly bought the franchise’s tie-in rights, in part to help launch the then-new Z3 roadster, with the film, GoldenEye. Even American Motors got a moment in the spotlight, when Agent 007 stole a Hornet from a dealership in Bangkok and made a getaway crashing through the showroom window.
Machine guns hidden behind the front indicator lamps could help clear traffic during a slow commute.
But no nameplate has been more frequently associated with the Bond series than Aston, which regained its status as the secret agent’s car of choice with Die Another Day, and has continued with the newly-recast Bond, played by Daniel Craig, starting in the re-made Casino Royale.
While fast cars – as well as boats, planes and, of course, fast women – have been the James Bond stock in trade, gadgetry is a hallmark of the series and essential to all his cars. So the original DB5 features what gadget-master Q refers to as some “rather interesting modifications,” such as machine guns that pop out from behind the front indicators, an oil slick sprayer, a bullet-resistant rear shield, and the legendary ejection seat which allows Bond to get rid of one of his adversaries with the flick of a switch hidden in the center armrest.
Bothered by a blathering passenger? Hit the switch for the ejection seat.
One of two DB5s eventually driven by actor Sean Connery in five Bond films, the model auctioned off was recently restored to working condition and is actually street-legal in the U.K.
The James Bond Aston was one of 107 cars run across the block as part of what RM billed as the Automobiles of London auction. The event was designed to raise funds for the Jerry Lee Foundation, a charity that works with poverty-related social issues.
Significantly, there were six cars that went for at least 1 million pounds. There were none drawing that number at the event in 2009. Specialists note that there has been significant activity in the high end of the collectible car world this last year, as often happens during a recession.