VIN: the Eon Productions / James Bond 007 Aston Martin DB5 chassis DB5/2008/R
History of chassis DB5/2008/R
Chassis DB5/2008/R was one of four DB5s built in period to Q-branch specification for Eon Productions.
The first two examples (DP/2161/1 and DB5/1486/R) were used in the making of the 1964 smash hit, Goldfinger.
The second two (DB5/2008/R and DB5/2017/R) were commissioned by Eon ahead of the release of Thunderball in which James Bond’s tricked out Aston Martin would also star.
Whereas the original Goldfinger special effects car (DP/2161/1) had its array of Q-branch extras installed by the team at Pinewood Studios, this work was carried out by Aston Martin for the pair of 1965 promotional vehicles. At a reputed $62,500 each, they cost Eon around five times the price of a standard DB5.
Both were painted Silver Birch and trimmed with a Black interior.
The Q-branch extras fitted by Aston Martin included:
a Browning machine gun concealed behind each front indicator
a retractable bullet-proof screen behind the rear window
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
Upon completion, chassis DB5/2008/R and DB5/2017/R were shipped out to the USA for promotional duty.
They later returned to Europe and in 1969 were sold by Eon’s Swiss-based holding company, Danjaq SA.
The buyer of both cars was Anthony Bamford of Ashbourne, Derbyshire, whose father was the founder of JC Bamford Excavators (JCB).
Bamford paid Danjaq just £1500 apiece for the pair of cars and promptly traded chassis DB5/2017/R to his friend, Sandy Luscombe-Whyte, for a Ferrari 250 GTO (chassis 4399 GT).
Bamford retained chassis DB5/2008/R until 1970 when he sold it for £5000 to Bruce Atchley who owned the Smokey Mountain Car Museum in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.
The DB5 became the centrepiece of Atchley’s museum. He retained it until 2006, at which point it was sold by RM Auctions in Arizona for $2.09m.
Chassis DB5/2008/R was subsequently restored by official Aston Martin Heritage agent, Roos Engineering in Switzerland.
It was then sold again (by RM Sotheby’s, this time in in Monterey during 2019) at which point the price was $6.38m.
Text copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
Photo copyright: RM Sotheby’s - https://rmsothebys.com/
