Harry Yeaggy of Ohio paid $4.6 million for this beauty of a car.
Before the auction, RM Auctions said they expected the auto to sell for $3.5 million. They were only off by about a million.
This particular Aston Martin DB5 was the first DB5 ever built. It was customized with all the hi-tech goodies that Q decided 007 needed to survive.
The Aston Martin made its debut in Goldfinger with Sean Connery driving the car as James Bond. The following year it was used in Thunderball.
The car was previously owned by Jerry Lee of Philadelphia and the proceeds of the sale will go toward his charity.
Auto Blog comments: Somehow, we imagine Yeaggy won't have nearly as much use for those Q-special features as Bond did...
RM Auctions tells us that the person buying the car gets some special presents in addition to the car:
- A stay for you and 10 friends at the GoldenEye Hotel & Resort in Jamaica, the original Caribbean estate of Ian Fleming and the birthplace of James Bond where all 14 novels were created!
- Estimated value: £40,000
- Commemorative Dormeiul ‘Vanquish II’ fabric to be utilized in the creation of a custom-tailored suit by famous British tailoring house Gieves & Hawkes of No.1 Savile Row, London, who assisted in dressing Sean Connery with bespoke tailoring for all six of his appearances as James Bond, including in the classics Goldfinger and Thunderball. Sartorially regarded as one of the world’s finest fabrics, it has been woven with solid gold thread in keeping with the Goldfinger theme.
- Estimated value: £30,000
Klast gives us some history of the second DB5. Bond’s car was stolen in 1997 from a hanger in Boca Raton Florida. “Under cover of darkness, someone entered a locked hangar in a secured area and made off with a priceless automobile. It was a feat worthy of James Bond. But Bond hasn't driven this particular Aston Martin since 1965.”
There were originally two Aston Martin DB5 automobiles used in Goldfinger and Thunderball.
One was stolen in 1997 and has disappeared. No one has seen it.
It has been thought to have been destroyed. Maybe it is in someone’s very private collection.
Max Girardo of RM Auctions points out that many of the gadgets are functional. Alas, the four machine guns do not fire real bullets.
Probably the most wanted gadget, the ejection seat, has been decommissioned, so the best Harry, the new owner, can do is press the red ejection seat button and just imagine his unruly passenger flying out the roof.
A complete history of the James Bond Aston Martin is available on the RM Auctions site.
See the accompanying slideshow and video.
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