Back in 1964, audiences stared longingly at James Bond’s car: a 1964 Aston Martin DB5, decked out with all sorts of gadgets and cloaked in sleek grey paint. It seems audiences weren’t alone: Sir Sean Connery himself searched far and wide to find the perfect Bond-styled Aston for his own collection. Now, that exact car could be yours — provided you’ve got seven figures’ worth of cash or gold bullion to spend on it.
The work of Q-Branch doesn’t come cheap, and neither do cars owned by celebrities. Connery’s own DB5, which will head to auction in August, is expected to pull in between $US1.4 ($1.9) and $US1.8 ($2.5) million, with “a significant portion” of the proceeds going to charity.
Beyond the good feeling of helping charities, the DB5 includes another perk for the lucky bidder: A ride in the Aston Martin with Sir Jackie Stewart driving. The car has had a “mechanical refreshing” to prepare it for sale, so it should be more than ready for the former F1 champion to take a turn in the driver’s seat.
When Connery bought it, this DB5 was painted black, but the star had it repainted in Aston Martin’s historically accurate Snow Shadow Grey — the same colour as the legendary Bond car that drew the attention of audiences the world over, so many years ago.
According to Broad Arrow Auctions, the firm selling this historic machine, this is the only DB5 in the world that was ever owned by Connery himself. It was not, however, used in any Bond films — in fact, as CNN reports, Connery purchased the car in 2018. It seems the star always wanted a DB5, but he was reluctant to buy one, fearing it would come off a little too obvious. Finally, his children convinced him to buy this car he’d wanted for so long.
Will its pedigree as Sean Connery’s personal Aston Martin DB5 justify the seven-figure value estimate? Or will its status as a repainted non-original car drop its value in the eyes of collectors? There’s only one way to find out: A Jalopnik reader needs to buy this, and take us for a ride.