Some say it’s the most famous car in the world.
The Aston Martin of suave agent 007, James Bond — including the passenger ejector seat — is going up for auction in Monterey, California.
And auction officials believe the car could bring in a record fee, anywhere from US$4 million to US$6 million.
A fully restored version of the Aston Martin DB5, made famous by Bond in the 1964 film “Goldfinger,” goes under the hammer on Aug. 15, CNN reported.
The DB5, with full Bond modifications, including a Browning .30 caliber machine gun in each fender and wheel-hub mounted tire-slashers, will be auctioned along with 30 other Aston Martin vehicles worth about US$30 million, according to a press release from RM Sotheby’s.
Officials estimate the car, one of only three surviving examples of the Bond-modified DB5, could fetch a price even Auric Goldfinger himself would flinch at.
A 1964 DB5 used in the filming of “Goldfinger” and the next Bond film, “Thunderball,” sold for $4.6 million in 2010.
This particular vehicle is one of two built in 1965 for a US tour to promote “Thunderball,” and has had just three owners in over 50 years.
“No other car in history has played a more important leading role on film and in pop culture than the Aston Martin DB5,” Barney Ruprecht, a car specialist at RM Sotheby’s, said in a press release.
“This is an unbelievably rare chance to play secret agent in a car that offers incredible performance and style in its own right and we’re honored to offer the Bond DB5 alongside our partners at Aston Martin.”
All of the Bond modifications are fully functioning following a full restoration, so the winning bidder will be able to make use of smoke screen dispensers, revolving license plates, and a passenger-seat ejection system, the CNN report said.
The car will be displayed in North America this summer, with dates and locations to be announced.
In 2018 Aston Martin announced a limited run of 25 replica DB5s, kitted out with some of the same features as the Bond-modified model.
With a list price of £2.75 million (US$3.5 million), the replicas are aimed at wannabe secret agents with cash to burn.
Meanwhile, the Telegraph reported in June, 2018, that the case of the remaining Goldfinger Aston Martin stolen from a Florida airport hangar and dragged into a waiting cargo plane in 1997, has been solved.
Its location, according to those supplying the information, is classic espionage territory — the Middle East.
Art Recovery International, which was hired by an unspecified insurance firm to help track down the stolen Aston Martin, have been told it is being held at a specific location in the region.
A six figure sum is being offered for information leading to its safe return, the Telegraph report said.
Officials at ARI say it is estimated by some auction houses that the missing DB5 could now be worth between £7 and £10 million, given its iconic status as a 007 vehicle.
Sources: CNN, Yahoo, The Telegraph
