Aston Martin DB5

2023 08 21 Blog Post – Some of Our Favourite James Bond Cars

James Bond is one of the most well-known film franchises. The first Bond film was released in 1962, with the most recent in 2021. In the franchise’s history, there have been a total of 25 movies. In these films, James Bond always needs a vehicle filled with gadgets. Ever since 1965’s Goldfinger, Aston Martin has been the first car that comes to mind when one thinks of James Bond. Even today, Aston Martin has a presence in James Bond films and Aston uses the films to help promote its current and upcoming models.

DB5

The most Iconic car in the James Bond franchise is the Aston Martin DB5. This car wasn’t the first Bond car, but it is the one most associated with Bond. The DB5 first appeared in the 1965 Bond film Goldfinger. The DB5 used in the film wasn’t a production model – the cars used in the film were prototypes. The DB5 began production in 1963 and went through 1965. Over two years, a mere 1,059 DB5s were built. The DB5 was powered by a four litre straight-six engine. Almost six decades later the Aston Martin DB5 made a return. In 2020 Aston Martin produced 25 new DB5s that were based on the DB5 used in Goldfinger. The 25 cars produced were exact replicas of the Goldfinger DB5 complete with spy gadgets seen in the film. These 25 cars were sold for $3.5 million each.

Vantage

In James Bond’s history, the Aston Martin Vantage has only made 2 appearances. First in 1987’s The Living Daylights, and then in 2021’s No Time to Die. The Vantage used in The Living Daylights was a 1977 V8 Vantage Volante. The car used in the film was owned by Aston Martin’s Chairman. Although the car was a convertible, it was fitted with a hardtop and looks like a coupe. The Same V8 Vantage makes an appearance in the most recent Bond film No Time to Die. The Aston Martin Vantage is still being produced today and comes standard with a V8. The modern Vantage comes in a variety of trims and special editions but still possesses the same presence and class it did back in 1977. We currently have a 14K km 2019 Aston Martin Vantage up for auction, check it out here.

V12 Vanquish

The 2002 Bond film Die Another Day featured a 2002 Aston Martin V12 Vanquish. In the film, this Vanquish was tricked out with rockets, machine guns, spiked tires, and an ejection seat – NOT available at your local dealer.  The first generation Vanquish began production in 2001 and was produced through 2007. This generation was equipped with a 5.9 litre V12. The car that appeared in the 2002 film was the only Aston Martin with gadgets used in Pierce Brosnan’s time as James Bond. The car was also featured in a James Bond video game.

Aston Martin DBS and Valhalla

The most recent James Bond film was released in 2021 and Aston Martin did not miss this opportunity to promote its cars. The film featured four Aston Martins. The two classic Astons were the DB5 and V8 Vantage Volante – references to prior Bond films. The other two were modern Aston Martins. The film featured a DBS Superleggera and a Valhalla. The Superleggera has been in production since 2018 and recently received a facelifted front end and a name change to Aston Martin DBS. The DBS is Aston’s current V12 flagship model. The 5.2 litre V12 is twin-turbocharged and produces a very generous 715 horsepower. The second Aston Martin featured in No Time To Die was the Aston Martin Valhalla. The Valhalla is yet to be released and is planned to begin production later this year. The Valhalla takes inspiration from the Aston Martin Valkyrie which entered production in 2021. The Valhalla will be smaller and cheaper than its flagship counterpart but will still be capable enough to compete with competitors like Lamborghini and McLaren. The Production Valhalla will be powered by a 4 litre Twin Turbo V8 supported by two electric motors that will make a combined power output just shy of 1000 horsepower.