Aston Martin DB5

Aston Martin DB5
Overview
Manufacturer	Aston Martin
Production	1963–1965 1021 produced
Body and chassis
Class	Sports car
Body style	FR 2-door coupe FR 2-door convertible
Powertrain
Engine	4.0 L Tadek Marek I6
Chronology
Predecessor	Aston Martin DB4
Successor	Aston Martin DB6

The Aston Martin DB5, released in 1963, was a slight upgrade from the DB4 which preceded it. It is most famous for being the first and most recognised James Bond car, seen in Goldfinger, Thunderball, GoldenEye, and Tomorrow Never Dies. It is also going to be featured in the up-coming Bond Movie Casino Royale.

The major difference between the DB4 and DB5 is the engine — the DB5's was boosted to 4.0 L (3995 cc/243 in³). Another addition was the 5-speed transmission option. The standard engine, with three SU carburettors, produced 282 hp (210 kW), propelling the car to 148 mph (238 km/h).

A very unusual DB5 was the "shooting brake" station wagon, a dozen of which were produced by independent coachbuilder, Harold Radford.

Specifications

• Weight: 1565 kg (3450 lb)
• Engine: 4.0 L (3995 cc/243 in³) straight-6
• Power: 282 hp (210 kW) at 5500 rpm
• Torque — 390 N·m (288 ft·lbf) at 3850 rpm
• Top Speed: 230 km/h (143 mph)
• 0-60 mph (97 km/h) Acceleration: 8.1 s

DB5 Vantage

The high-performance DB5 Vantage featured three Weber carburettors. This engine produced 314 hp (234 kW). Only 65 DB5 Vantage coupes were built.

DB5 Convertible

Just 123 convertible DB5s were produced, though they never used the typical "Volante" name. The convertible was offered from 1963 through to 1965. Only 19 of the 123 DB5 Convertibles made were LHD.

James Bond's DB5

The Aston Martin DB5 is the most famous Aston Martin car due to its use by James Bond in Goldfinger (1964). Although Ian Fleming had placed Bond in a DB Mark III in the novel, the DB5 was the company's newest model when the film was being made. The car used in the film was the original DB5 prototype, with another standard car used for stunts. Two more modified cars were built for publicity tours after the film's release. In January 2006, one of those cars was auctioned in Arizona for US$2,090,000. The same car was originally bought in 1970 for £5,000 from the owner, Sir Anthony Bamford, by a Tennessee museum owner. [1]

Within the universe of James Bond, the same car was used again in the following film, Thunderball (registration BMT 216A). A different Aston Martin DB5 (registration BMT 214A) was used in the 1995 Bond film, GoldenEye in which three different DB5s were used for filming. The BMT 214A also returned in Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), and was set to make a cameo at Castle Thane in The World Is Not Enough (1999), but the scene was cut.

For Goldfinger, the car featured a number of "optional extras", as Q reveals to Bond:

• Front firing Browning .30 calibre machine guns behind the front indicators
• Retractable blades in the tire spinners
• Rising bullet-proof rear screen
• Radio telephone
• Radar scanner and tracking screen
• Passenger ejector seat
• Oil slick spray from rear light cluster
• Caltrops from rear light cluster
• Smoke screen from exhaust pipes
• Revolving number plates — "BMT 216A" UK, "4711-EA-62" France, and "LU 6789" Switzerland
• Front and rear extending rams
• Gun cabinet under driver's seat
• Bullet-proof windshield and rear windscreen

A rear water cannon was added for Thunderball.

Trivia

• The DB5 has the dubious honour of being the slowest car ever in the Top Gear Power Laps segment.

See also

• List of James Bond vehicles

References

• "Newport Pagnell 6 Cylinder Cars". AstonMartins.com. Retrieved June 23. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)