Automotive

"The world's most famous car" to be auctioned

"The world's most famous car" to be auctioned
The world's most famous car?
The world's most famous car?
View 56 Images
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The tailpipes, and smoke screen pipe
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The tailpipes, and smoke screen pipe
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The groovy dashboard toggle switches
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The groovy dashboard toggle switches
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James Bond's pre-GPS tracking system
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James Bond's pre-GPS tracking system
A phone in a car? What will Q-Branch think of next?
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A phone in a car? What will Q-Branch think of next?
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The roof pops off, to allow for the ejector passenger seat
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The roof pops off, to allow for the ejector passenger seat
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The bullet-proof shield
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The bullet-proof shield
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The rear signal lights pop up when the oil sprayer is activated... or is it the nail spreader?
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The rear signal lights pop up when the oil sprayer is activated... or is it the nail spreader?
The front signal lights swing down to let the machine guns pop out
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The front signal lights swing down to let the machine guns pop out
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The flipping, number-changing license plate
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The flipping, number-changing license plate
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The world's most famous car?
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The world's most famous car?
The flipping, number-changing license plate
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The flipping, number-changing license plate
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The tailpipes, and smoke screen pipe
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The tailpipes, and smoke screen pipe
31/56
The groovy dashboard toggle switches
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The groovy dashboard toggle switches
33/56
James Bond's pre-GPS tracking system
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James Bond's pre-GPS tracking system
A phone in a car? What will Q-Branch think of next?
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A phone in a car? What will Q-Branch think of next?
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The roof pops off, to allow for the ejector passenger seat
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The roof pops off, to allow for the ejector passenger seat
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The bullet-proof shield
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The bullet-proof shield
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The rear signal lights pop up when the oil sprayer is activated... or is it the nail spreader?
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The rear signal lights pop up when the oil sprayer is activated... or is it the nail spreader?
The front signal lights swing down to let the machine guns pop out
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The front signal lights swing down to let the machine guns pop out
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49/56
The flipping, number-changing license plate
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The flipping, number-changing license plate
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The world's most famous car?
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The world's most famous car?
The flipping, number-changing license plate
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The flipping, number-changing license plate
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View gallery - 56 images

What would you say is the world's most famous individual car? KITT from Knight Rider? Mr. Bean's Mini? The General Lee? For anyone born prior to the mid 70's, the answer would probably be "The '64 James Bond Aston Martin DB5." Driven by Sean Connery in the classics Goldfinger and Thunderball, it featured a long list of spy gadgetry, and is considered by many to still be the quintessential Bond car. This fall, for the first time ever, the silver beauty will be put up for auction. Start saving now, because it is expected to fetch over US$5 million.

There were actually two cars used in the 007 films. A late-series DB4 was used for close-ups, while a DB5 was used for the fast-driving scenes. Aston Martin loaned both cars to EON Productions for the filming of the movies, after which they were returned to the factory. In 1969, American radio broadcaster Jerry Lee convinced Aston Martin to sell the DB5 to him for $12,000. It has remained in his possession ever since. He is selling it now to raise money for his multi-national crime-prevention charity, the Jerry Lee Foundation.

In the movies, the car featured Q-Branch "optional extras" such as machine guns, a bullet-proof shield, revolving license plates, an ejector passenger seat, oil slick sprayer, nail spreader, smoke screen, and totally awesome spur-like wheel hubs that extended outwards to shred the tires of other cars. They were all controlled by gloriously now-retro toggle switches hidden in the center arm rest. Although the stunt car didn't actually have any of these features when the movies were being filmed, they were added soon after for publicity tours. Two other DB5's also did the tour circuit, although they were never used in the filming of either movie.

The bullet-proof shield
The bullet-proof shield

FMP 7B, as it is known for its original UK registration number, will be put on the block by RM Auctions on October 27th at London's Stoke Park Club. In the movies, Stoke Park was the scene of the first confrontation between James Bond and Mr. Goldfinger.

Oh, and here's a tantalizing tidbit - the other Goldfinger/Thunderball car, the DB4, was stolen in 1997 and is still missing. So hey, if you miss out on the DB5, there's still a chance...

Sources: Motor Trend, RMSotheby's

View gallery - 56 images
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