If you have seen the 007 Series, then the Aston Martin DBS->ke1479 is a car that needs no introduction. The 4.0 Liter 325 HP grand tourer that appeared in the earlier films was a Bond trademark and one lucky (and rich) customer will be the proud owner of this DBS before the year is out. We are talking about the annual 'Automobiles of London' event at the Battersea Evolution in London being held on October 27, 2010. At this particular auction, the Aston Martin->ke13 DBS will be suctioned off by none other than RM Auctions. The famous auction house expects the car to fetch around $5 million which is a much pricier option than the 1964 Aston Martin DB4 from Goldfinger that is being sold for $75,000.
There were only two 1964 Aston Martin DBSs built and this one is the only one that is still alive. The car was driven by Sean Connery in the Goldfinger and Thunderball movies and is factory-fitted with the full complement of operational 'Q-Branch' gadgets, including machine guns, bullet-proof shield, revolving number plates, tracking device, removable roof panel, oil slick sprayer, nail spreader and smoke screen, all controlled from factory installed toggles and switches hidden in the center arm-rest. The future proud owner will know the car is "the one" by the original UK registration number, FMP 7B.
Full story and press release after the jump.
The vehicle is currently owned by Jerry Lee, an American radio broadcaster, who convinced the factory to sell the vehicle to him back in 1969. Forty-one years later, the broadcaster will have the chance to make a hell of a profit on the vehicle. The best part about this auction is what the money will be used for; proceeds will go to the Jerry Lee Foundation. This foundation is dedicated to solving problems such as poverty and crime.
"The James Bond car has brought me much enjoyment for some 40 years," said Jerry Lee. "Even as I sell it and use the proceeds to fund the Jerry Lee Foundation, the car will continue to give me great pleasure as it furthers the mission of the Foundation to do good around the world."
Press release
PAY ATTENTION, BOND FANS! RM Auctions announces the consignment of one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century – the 1964 Aston Martin DB5 James Bond movie car – to its annual 'Automobiles of London' event at the Battersea Evolution in London on 27th October, where it is available for sale for the first time in history and expected to achieve in excess of $5 million. The car is being offered by RM in association with Sotheby's, with whom RM has worked in the past.
Well-known around the world by its original UK registration number, FMP 7B, this Aston Martin is one of only two, and the sole remaining, of the original '007' DB5s as featured on screen with Sean Connery behind the wheel in the enormously popular Goldfinger and Thunderball movies. With its 'rather interesting modifications' originally conceived by Oscar-award-winning special effects expert, John Stears, this authentic Bond movie car is factory-fitted with the full complement of operational 'Q-Branch' gadgets, including machine guns, bullet-proof shield, revolving number plates, tracking device, removable roof panel, oil slick sprayer, nail spreader and smoke screen, all controlled from factory installed toggles and switches hidden in the center arm-rest.
"Like 'Q', we never joke about our work, which is why RM is consistently entrusted with the sale of the world's most significant collector cars like the REAL 007 Aston Martin DB5 movie car," said Max Girardo, Managing Director, RM Europe. "RM is known for world-record-setting results and we expect nothing less for 007's iconic DB5."
The DB5 was originally loaned to EON Productions for the filming of the two Bond movies, and returned to the Aston Martin Lagonda factory after its subsequent promotional tour. Mr. Jerry Lee, an American radio broadcaster based in Philadelphia, PA, convinced the factory to sell FMP 7B to him for $12,000 in 1969, thereby becoming its first and only ex-factory owner. It has remained in his possession and has rarely been seen publicly over the past 40+ years.
Mr. Lee plans to use the proceeds from the sale of FMP 7B to further the charitable work of The Jerry Lee Foundation, a multi-national initiative dedicated to solving social problems associated with poverty, with an emphasis on crime prevention. The Foundation supports programs at the University of Pennsylvania and Cambridge University (UK), as well as in Australia, Norway and Washington, DC. It is also responsible for the establishment of the Stockholm Prize in Criminology, for which Mr. Lee received a Swedish knighthood in 2008. (http://jerryleefoundation.com/)
"The James Bond car has brought me much enjoyment for some 40 years," said Jerry Lee. "Even as I sell it and use the proceeds to fund the Jerry Lee Foundation, the car will continue to give me great pleasure as it furthers the mission of the Foundation to do good around the world."
Today, FMP 7B is presented in highly original condition and recently underwent a careful re-commissioning program by RM Auto Restoration, returning it to running condition after the many years of static display in Mr. Lee's home.