Aston Martin DB5 "Bond Car" 1965, Inglaterra
Fotografia
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 three private
owners over 50 years, including a 35-year period of museum exhibition.
Reached though his son, Stephane Connery,
ahead of the sale, Sean Connery said, “These DB5s are amazing. I remember the
Furka Pass tire shredding, as well as the promotional events with these
cars—they have become increasingly iconic since Goldfinger and Thunderball.
In fact, I bought a very fine DB5 myself relatively recently.”
Built for Eon Productions, fitted with
gadgetry from new, documented with the “Bond Car” designation on the Aston
Martin build record, and accompanied by Anthony Bamford’s 1969 registration and
restoration invoices and photos, this James Bond Aston Martin is a fabulously
rare example of what author Dave Worrall termed “The Most Famous Car in the
World,” as he titled his 1993 book on the subject.
Noted historian Stephen Archer, who rode in
one of the cars in 1965, commented: “The DB5 is a special Aston, but this one
has an aura all of its own. Just to be in its presence is exciting. The
standard of Roos’ restoration is extremely impressive, and the Swiss Furka Pass
awaits…”
Quite simply the most iconic car of all time,
DB5/2008/R is the most legendary Aston Martin ever built, as one of the
cornerstones of a marketing relationship that exists to this day. It would
crown any important collection and offers a highly desirable acquisition for
the serious marque collector…or secret agent.
Fonte: https://rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/mo19/monterey/lots/r0050-1965-aston-martin-db5-bond-car/778818
