Aston Martin DB5: The Grand Tourer That Defined an Era

Long before it became cinema's most famous car, this was already one of the finest grand tourers money could buy — a reputation it's never really lost.

Illustration for editorial purposes

More Than a Famous Supporting Role

It's tempting to start any story about this car with a certain British spy, and we'll get there — but doing so first would sell the engineering short. What rolled out of Newport Pagnell in 1963 was already a formidable machine in its own right: a hand-built body over a tubular steel chassis, a straight-six engine borrowed and refined from the DB4, and a level of finish that put it firmly among Europe's best grand tourers before it ever appeared on a cinema screen.

Generations at a Glance

A Genuinely Excellent Grand Tourer Before Bond Ever Touched It

Production ran from 1963 to 1965, with roughly 1,021 examples built across saloon, convertible and shooting brake body styles. It replaced the DB4 as Aston Martin's flagship, refining rather than reinventing the formula — a slightly longer wheelbase, better brakes, and a 4.0-litre straight-six producing close to 282 horsepower in its most common triple-carburettor form. Touring of Milan penned the bodywork, and it shows: the proportions are long and low without ever tipping into excess, a restraint that's aged better than almost anything else built in the same period.

The Four Real Gadget Cars — and the One That's Still Missing

1964's Goldfinger changed everything for the DB5's public image. Four cars were specially prepared for the film and its promotional tour, fitted to varying degrees with revolving number plates, .30-calibre Browning machine guns in the front wings, an oil-slick dispenser, a smokescreen and a rear bulletproof shield — none of which had anything to do with the actual road-going production car, but became permanently attached to it in the public imagination regardless. One of those four, sold by RM Sotheby's in 2019 for $6.4 million, had never even appeared on screen, having only been used for Thunderball promotional duty. Another, stolen from a hangar at Boca Raton Airport in Florida in 1997, has never been recovered — a genuine unsolved case that, appropriately enough, still has no answer.

Why Aston Martin Sells a $3.5 Million Car That Isn't Road Legal

Demand for the on-screen gadgetry proved strong enough that Aston Martin, working directly with EON Productions, built 25 brand-new "Goldfinger" continuation DB5s to the exact film specification, complete with working smokescreen, simulated oil slick, deployable bulletproof shield and revolving plates. Priced at £2.75 million plus taxes when first offered in 2018, they're deliberately not certified for road use — a formality that hasn't stopped them selling out, and a genuinely unusual case of a 55-year-old car design going back into limited production purely to satisfy collector demand for cinema history rather than transportation.

How Much Does a Genuine Aston Martin DB5 Cost?

Ordinary, non-film-associated DB5s in good condition now regularly sell in the high six to low seven figures at major auction houses, reflecting both the car's own genuine engineering merit and the halo effect of six decades of Bond association. Cars with a direct, documented film connection command dramatically more — the $6.4 million Thunderball promotional car remains one of the highest prices ever paid for any Aston Martin. Values have climbed steadily for two decades with little sign of softening, driven by a shrinking pool of original, unmodified cars and a buyer base that spans serious classic-car collectors, Bond memorabilia specialists and ordinary enthusiasts alike.

Watch & Explore

More Aston Martin Icons

• Aston Martin DB4 Overview — Classic Icon
• Aston Martin Vantage Overview — Modern Icon
• Aston Martin DB12 Overview — Modern Icon

Sources: Aston Martin Heritage Trust, RM Sotheby's auction archives, Wikipedia.