Those who are fans of the James Bond saga know that in all the films it is common to see agent 007 driving some spectacular car, usually a sports car. In each installment of the franchise a new vehicle is released, but if you ask anyone about James Bond’s car they will answer Aston Martin DB5. This coupé is one of the most iconic in the world and is celebrating its anniversary: turns 60.
Although it is approaching retirement age, the Aston Martin DB5 (this is its story) is more alive than ever and its legacy will never die. Presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1963, it was the model that consolidated the British brand as one of the most desired in the world, not only in the United Kingdom, and ended up becoming a ‘British’ icon.
Aston Martin DB5: 60 years of the sports car with a license to kill
It’s not every day a model turns 60 years old. So Aston Martin has prepared a series of events to celebrate such an anniversary. during the festival Goofwood Revival at Sunssex, held last weekend, the DB5 was present at the British brand’s stand, along with the recently arrived Aston Martin DB12 (test), thus showing the past and present of the firm.
In the early 1960s, Aston Martin enjoyed great popularity, thanks in part to the DB4, a beautiful sports car that had been on the market since 1958. But the rest of the brands were lurking and Aston Martin needed a new model to keep up. For this reason, the development of a new car began, which saw the light in the Frankfurt Motor Show 1963.
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The new model presented some aesthetic changes, in a body designed by Touring Superleggera bodywork, and had some technical and equipment innovations compared to its predecessor. The most significant were the changes to the engine that significantly increased power, which justified the use of a new name, going from DB4 to DB5.
A true four-seater GT
The engine was made up of a block of 4.0-liter inline six-cylinder that developed 282 CV, combined with a five-speed manual gearbox. was capable of reach 240 km/h, a fairly high speed by the standards of the time. For this reason, a brand advertisement from that time described it as “the fastest four-seater GT in the world”.
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In its first road test of the DB5, the British magazine The Autocar He concluded that “it is a car that cries out to be driven, to be driven well and to be driven far.” In addition to the forcefulness of the engine, the DB5 included a series of new features in terms of equipment, such as electric windows or the option of installing air conditioning.
James Bond’s car, but not only
The Aston Martin DB5 was only in production for a little over two years. At that time, from the Newport Pagnell plant in Buckinghamshire, 887 units of the coupe and 123 of the convertibleto which we must add 12 shooting brakes custom made. These are figures that, even by the standards of the time, were tiny, taking into account that car production in the United Kingdom exceeded 1.8 million in 1963.
And yet, the DB5 built a reputation and fame that, even today, is one of the most desired cars of all time. This was largely due to EON Productions’ decision to convert the DB5 into James Bond’s car. The first appearance was in ‘Goldfinger’with Sean Connery in the role of 007.
Although the British agent has driven many other cars, the DB5 continued to appear over more than half a century. But it would be unfair to say that the car’s fame is due exclusively to Bond. When he debuted in Frankfurt, the Swinging Sixties were about to take off and, years later, many of the most famous actors, pop stars and celebrities of the time became DB5 owners.
Among all of them, it is worth mentioning Sir Paul McCartney y George Harrisonby the Beatles, Mick Jaggerby Rolling Stone, the master of comedy Peter Sellers, Robert Plant, Jay Kay, Elle McPherson y Ralph Lauren. This success explains why Aston Martin became one of the most well-known and appreciated manufacturers in the world.
2023-09-17 19:39:23
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