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Double Oh My! James Bond Aston Martin sells for $4.6 million

Wed, 27 Oct 2010

Perhaps the single most breathtaking car of the fall auction season, a 1964 Aston Martin DB5--better known as the James Bond car--sold for $4.61 million to Ohio collector Harry Yeaggy on Wednesday at the RM Auctions Automobiles of London sale.

The Aston was expected to sell for more than $5 million, and the sale fell a bit short of that, registering a final bid of 2.6 million British pounds, or $4,114,760. Buyer's premiums raise the total sale price to $4.61 million.

The car received just two bids, starting at 2.5 million pounds ($3.9 million). The moment was one of the most anticipated in recent auctions, though it opened in a rather flat manner as one “bidder” shouted out 10 million (pounds) for the opening salvo, and it was not taken seriously by the auctioneer.

The bidding was then drawn out as auction officials appeared to try to drive the price up, to no avail. An RM official declined to comment on a rumor that an offer was made before the sale to buy the car for $5.5 million, or 3.5 million pounds.

This car is one of just two DB5s used in the iconic 1960s Bond films Goldfinger and Thunderball, with Sean Connery driving. The car is wearing its original British registration number to reinforce authenticity and is the only survivor of the cinematic pair. The other one was reported stolen in 1997 and is believed to have been destroyed.

This DB5 has been dubbed “The Most Famous Car in the World,” after a book of that title published in 1993 that showcased its illustrious life.

This is the first time this piece of silver-screen history has been available for public sale. The Aston was being sold by Philadelphia broadcaster Jerry Lee, who has owned it since 1969. He bought it for $12,000 after persuading Aston Martin to sell it. He said he will use the money from the sale for his charitable foundation.

After the auction, Lee told reporters he was sad to see it go but that the money can be used for a better cause.

The DB5 is no regular movie prop and it still has its 007 enhancements. They include Browning machine guns, a bulletproof shield, an oil-slick sprayer, a nail spreader and a smoke screen. They're controlled by switches in the center armrest. The Aston was in its conventional state in Goldfinger and had the special features in the Thunderball sequel.

“It's all there, and no special effects--this is how they were actually doing it,” said Max Girardo, managing director of RM Europe.

The car is near its original condition and was restored by RM. The DB5 has a 4.0-liter, 282-hp, inline six-cylinder and a five-speed manual gearbox.




By Julian Rendell and Greg Migliore