Aston Martin
DB5 prototype DP/2161/1 "BMT 216A" (Goldfinger / Thunderball film car)

Why it matters

The first Goldfinger hero car was also the DB5 prototype, carrying a development-project chassis prefix rather than a production number. It established the Q-branch DB5 that later Bond promotional cars copied, and its special equipment was fitted by the film's effects team rather than by the factory.

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

Production designer Ken Adam and effects man John Stears visited the Newport Pagnell works in late 1963 to find two new Aston Martins for Goldfinger. David Brown would not simply give them away: the producers instead received two cars on loan for the duration of filming, to be returned afterwards. One car was prepared for stunt and chase work, the other, this prototype, for interior shots and close-ups with Stears's gadgetry.

Its equipment was comparatively primitive because it never had to work for more than one take. A Bonhams lot notes that the steering wheel was removed by the factory after being damaged during filming. The same auction house later sold the works service record sheets for chassis DP/216/1, describing it as the original DB5 brochure car. RM Sotheby's states that this first Stears-modified car has been lost since 1997.

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.

Sources

Each number links to the exact facts it supports.

1. 1
   James Bond Aston Martin DB5 chassis DP/2161/1 (Supercar Nostalgia) Level D

   • DB5s supplied by Aston Martin and used on screen in Goldfinger (this prototype and DB5/1486/R)

   Accessed 2026-11-12