Aston Martin DB5 back in production after 55 years!

Who wouldn’t want the Aston Martin DB5 - James Bond’s car from the classic 1964 movie 'Goldfinger'? It is one of the most famous vehicles in the world, and the actual one used in the film fetched more than $6 million at auction. Loaded with all kinds of gadgets including a machine gun, ejector seat and smoke screen, it is so popular that Aston Martin announced last year that it is putting it back into limited production. 25 will be built equipped with all of the gadgets used by Bond and construction of ‘Job 1’ has now started.

It will be built exactly 55 years after the last original DB5 rolled off the Newport Pagnell assembly line, Aston’s former global manufacturing base in Buckinghamshire and now the base for the company's Heritage division.

Less than 900 examples were made from 1963 to 1965 and the DB5 will be the second model in the brand’s Continuation car programme, which started with the DB4 GT in 2017.

“Seeing the first customer car move painstakingly through the intricate production process we have created really is quite a thrill," said Clive Wilson, Heritage Program Manager. "Obviously we have not, as a business, made a new DB5 for more than 50 years, so to be involved in the building of these cars, which will go on to form part of Aston Martin's history, is something I'm sure all of us will be telling our grandkids about!”

All 25 continuation DB5s will be constructed with the help from EON Productions, the producers of the Bond films. Driven by Sean Connery's Bond, the DB5 also featured an oil slick delivery system, revolving number plates, a tyre slasher, removable passenger seat roof panel, a door-mounted telephone, hidden weapons tray, gear knob actuator button, and a radar screen.

Functions can be operated from within the car or via a remote control to enable owners to better see them in action. The ‘Job 1’ continuation car will take 4,500 hours to complete.

All 25 examples will be painted in Silver Birch, like the original car, and will be powered by a 4.0-litre naturally-aspirated inline six-cylinder with three SU carburetors. This engine sends 290 horsepower to the rear wheels through a five-speed manual transmission with a limited-slip differential. The Girling-type steel disc brakes are hydraulically-assisted but the rack and pinion steering is completely unassisted.

Customer deliveries will begin in the second half of 2020 with each car priced at $3.4million and most are already sold.