Last year, Aston Martin announced its DB5 Goldfinger Continuation car program, built to celebrate the brand's decades-long association with the James Bond franchise. Today, the first such DB5 Goldfinger Continuation car has been completed.
What you're looking at is the actual 'Job 1' customer car, one of just 25 planned examples. All told, it required 4,500 hours of construction and it rolled off the production line only last week. James Bond drove a heavily modified DB5 in the 1964 movie Goldfinger and has gone on to become one of the most famous movie cars of all time. In fact, less than 900 examples of road-going DB5s were built between 1963 and 1965. But unlike those original examples, the Continuation series features an awesome list of Bond-inspired gadgets inside and out. And yes, some of them are functional, created under the supervision of a movie special effects specialist.
Exterior gadgets include rotating license plates, rear smoke and simulated oil slick delivery systems, bullet resistant rear shield, front and rear battering arms, a fake tire slasher, and, of course, twin front "machine guns." There's even an optional removable roof panel that simulates the original movie car's ejector seat.
Step inside and you'll find an identical interior to that of the original movie car. The details are extraordinary. For starters, there's an armrest that hides the gadget switchgear, a simulated radar screen tracker map, a telephone located in the driver's door, gear knob button, an under-the-seat weapons storage tray, and even a remote control to activate the gadgets.
All DB5 Goldfinger Continuation cars are painted Silver Birch, just like the original, and are composed of original DB5 style aluminum body panels. There's even an "authentic" steel chassis structure. Under the hood lies a 4.0-liter naturally aspirated six-cylinder producing a total of 290 horsepower. A ZF-sourced five-speed manual transmission directs power to the rear wheels. Despite the rear axle having a limited-slip differential, these continuation cars are not street legal. Other mechanical features include steel disc brakes, rack and pinion steering, and a coil-over spring and damper suspension setup with a front anti-roll bar and a live rear axle.
"The DB5 is, without question, the most famous car in the world by virtue of its 50-plus year association with James Bond," said Marek Reichman, Chief Creative Officer of Aston Martin Lagonda. "To see, the first customer car finished, and realize that this is the first new DB5 we have built in more than half a century, really is quite a moment. It is a genuine privilege, and significant responsibility, to have been involved in the shaping of this new DB5 and to be helping to lead the creation of new versions of this automotive icon. I'm absolutely certain that the 25 lucky owners who are beginning to take delivery of these cars will be thrilled with them."
Aston Martin added the first customer deliveries are currently underway and will continue through the rest of the year. The price? Around $3.5 million each, or roughly 10 times the base price of the Aston Martin DBS Superleggera.