VIN: the Goldfinger / Thunderball James Bond 007 Aston Martin DB5 chassis DB5/1486/R
History of chassis DB5/1486/R
Soon after Aston Martin had unveiled the DB5 at the London Motor Show in October 1963, movie producers Harry Saltzman and Albert ‘Cubby’ Broccoli approached the company about the loan of two cars for the upcoming James Bond movie Goldfinger starring Sean Connery as secret agent 007.
Aston Martin went on to supply Eon Productions (Danjaq SA) with a brand new Silver Birch DB5 (this car: chassis DB5/1486/R) and the firm’s original prototype which was re-liveried from its original colour of Fiesta Red to match (chassis DP/2161/1).
The brand new and thus immaculate DB5/1486/R was generally used for close up, static and low speed sequences while DP/2161/1 was fitted with a host of special Q-branch equipment and served mostly as the high speed, stunt and special effects car.
The two DB5s were easily identifiable from one another on account of DP/2161/1’s non-standard side-mounted indicator lenses located ahead of the front fender engine cooling vent.
Having used DP/2151/1 for the scene at Q-branch headquarters where Bond was introduced to his new steed, DB5/1486/R was then seen on 007’s visit to Goldfinger’s country club in Kent where the two men play a round of golf together.
It was then depicted at Southend Airport where Bond was awaiting a transport flight to Switzerland in pursuit of Goldfinger who had departed with his gold-laden Rolls-Royce a short time earlier.
Both DB5s were then used for the various scenes where Tilly Masterson (Tania Mallet) attempted to assassinate Goldfinger during a brief stop in the Swiss Furka Pass.
DB5/1486/R was also used for much of the night-time woodland chase scene around the Auric Enterprises refinery where 007 had broken in and encountered Masterson trying to make another assassination attempt on Goldfinger.
Once filming was completed (on July 11th 1964 in Andermatt, Switzerland), the two DB5s returned to Aston Martin where they were freshened up. Soon afterwards, DB5/1486/R was fitted with the full complement of Q-branch equipment for publicity reasons. This included:
a Browning machine gun concealed behind each front indicator
a retractable bullet-proof screen behind the rear window
hydraulic tyre slashing extendable wheel spinners
hydraulic bumper over-riders that projected for use as battering rams
an oil spray device housed in the left-hand side rear light cluster
a caltrops nail ejector housed in the right-hand side rear light cluster
smoke-emitting exhaust pipes
a radar scanner in the exterior mirror
revolving British, French and Swiss licence plates
a concealed button underneath the gear lever which (theoretically) would jettison the roof panel before firing a Martin-Baker ejector seat (not actually fitted)
an illuminated radar tracking display screen
a telephone in the driver’s armrest
a centre console-mounted weapons switchboard
an armaments draw under the driver's seat
In February 1965, the Q-branch DB5s were taken to France for the Goldfinger sequel: Thunderball. As DB5/1586/R had been kitted out with all the Q-branch extras and DP/2151/1 had now lost its distinctive side-mounted indicators, telling the two cars apart became impossible.
The film’s early scenes saw Bond use his Aston Martin to escape from the Chateau d’Anet after he killed a terrorist operative connected with the murders of two MI6 agents. Having first used a jet-pack to escape the grounds of the Chateau, Bond landed by his waiting DB5, raised the bullet proof shield to protect himself from the fast approaching gunmen and then drenched them with newly installed water cannons.
Upon his return to England, Bond travelled to the Shrublands sanatorium in his DB5 where he got wind of a plot to steal an RAF Avro Vulcan bomber loaded with two atomic bombs. While driving the DB5 on the motorway back to London he was attacked by a gunman in a black Ford Fairline. The Fairline driver was then mysteriously killed by a masked motorcyclist who fired a rocket-propelled grenade and promptly disappeared.
Having been used extensively for promotional purposes, Aston Martin finally decided to sell both their movie star DB5s in 1968.
DB5/1486/R was stripped of its Q-branch equipment and sold as a standard road car for $12,000 to Philadelphia radio executive, Jerry Lee.
Lee subsequently went on to display the DB5 several times until it was damaged at a show in Memphis. At this point, the furious owner vowed never to display it publicly again.
However, in 1977 the Chairman of Aston Martin’s North American division came calling as he wanted the car for the firm’s stand at the New York Motor Show. All the original Q-branch equipment was re-instated and Jerry Lee went on to retain the car until 2010 when it was sold by RM Sotheby’s in London for £2.6m.
Text copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
Photo copyright: Aston Martin - https://www.astonmartin.com, MGM Studios - https://www.mgm.com & RM Sotheby’s - https://rmsothebys.com/
