Aston Martin
DB5 James Bond car (Goldfinger/Thunderball promotional car)

Why it matters

One of two DB5 saloons that Eon Productions ordered for the promotion of Thunderball. Unlike the Goldfinger film car, it was fitted from new with the full set of Q-branch modifications, installed by Aston Martin and built to work repeatedly. The works build record names Eon as first purchaser and marks the car as a "Bond Car". Auction sources count it as the third of four Goldfinger-specification DB5s.

How rare is it?

Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.

Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.

Production

Every figure says what it counts.

Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.

History

After the success of Goldfinger, Eon ordered two more DB5 saloons for Thunderball publicity, chassis DB5/2008/R and DB5/2017/R. Both were shipped to the United States for media duties, one to the East Coast and one to the West. Aston Martin fitted the Goldfinger gadgets, this time engineered to operate on demand, whereas the original prototype's equipment only had to work for single film takes.

With later Bond films using other cars, the owning company offered the pair for sale in 1969 and a British collector bought both. Chassis 2008/R went to a museum in Tennessee, where it stood caged and exercised for about 35 years. It was offered at auction in 2006, then restored over four years by a Swiss Aston Martin heritage specialist, including all 13 special-effects modifications, before the 2019 Monterey sale.

Technical specifications

Engine

Transmission & drivetrain

Chassis, body & dimensions

Performance

“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.

Identification guide

How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.

The sister cars carry chassis numbers DB5/2008/R and DB5/2017/R; 2008/R has engine number 400/1995. The Aston Martin build record lists Eon Productions as original purchaser and carries the "Bond Car" designation, and the car has a British registration from the 1969 sale on file. The thirteen modifications are the front and rear hydraulic over-rider rams, a Browning .30-calibre machine gun in each front wing, wheel-hub tyre slashers, a retractable rear bulletproof screen, an in-dash radar scope, oil, caltrop and smoke dispensers, revolving number plates and a passenger-seat ejector. A telephone in the driver's door and a hidden weapons compartment under the driver's seat were also fitted. A third surviving car, chassis 1486/R, was originally unmodified and had its gadgets added later.

Sources

Each number links to the exact facts it supports.

1. 1
   RM Sotheby's press release – The Most Famous Car in the World: James Bond 007 Aston Martin DB5 Level B

   • 2 DB5s built from new with all Bond gadgetry for the Thunderball promotion; DB5/2008/R is 'one of only two built from new with all Bond gadgetry'

   Accessed 2026-11-12
2. 2
   Aston Martin DB5 & DB5 Convertible Level A Aston Martin Lagonda

   • DOHC Straight six, 3995 cc, 282 bhp @ 5500 rpm (Specifications)
   • engine capacity was enlarged to 4 litres by increasing the bore to 96mm
   • The car had three SU carburettors
   • 4570 x 1676 x 1320 mm (Saloon) (Specifications)
   • Top Speed: 142 mph (Specifications)
   • 0 – 60 mph: 7.1 sec (Specifications)

   Accessed 2026-11-12