If you are a James Bond fan, you would’ve seen this car many times in the movies. In fact, it even made an appearance in Skyfall. The one that was driven by Sean Connery in the movies was in fact sold for $4.6 million in 2010. That’s the kind of fanfare this car has ever since. But, that doesn’t mean the car had no role to play.

The 1964 Aston Martin DB5 was powered by a six-cylinder engine and was in production for just two years. Off the 900 examples built in that period, one of them has arrived at Bring-a-Trailer’s auction and has bids near the half-a-million mark. Care to take part?

What’s So Special About This Aston Martin DB5?

The model in question is a 1963-build left-hand-drive model and approximately the fifth example of the 900 built over two years. It was delivered to the first owner in Washington and was later acquired by the new owner in 1981. The DB5 is finished in a Platinum White exterior shade and received a lacquer repaint in 1994. It was very similar to the DB4 in many ways, like the aluminum body panels over a steel framework, the Superleggera construction, and so on.

There are no aesthetic modifications on this DB5 and it retains the same low-profile hood scoop, round, faired-in headlights, and triple-stacked taillights. It rides on 15-inch chrome wire wheels wrapped in Universal Sport tires that were replaced in 2020 itself. Braking duties are taken over by a Girling system with discs on all four corners.

The four-seater dark blue Connolly leather seats. The cabin was reupholstered in 1994. The front seat belts are finished in blue whereas the rear ones in black. It wears a blue wool pile carpeting on the floor that’s covered by blue and white Coco mats. Surprisingly, this 1964 model year car came with power windows as standard.

Step into the driver’s seat and you will be welcomed by a wood-rimmed steering wheel to ignite the James Bond swagger in you. It sits in front of a Smiths instrument cluster that features a 160-mph speedometer and a 6,000-rpm tachometer. There are other gauges here for oil pressure, oil temperature, amperage, fuel level, and coolant temperature. The center console is decorated with a period-specific clock. The owner installed a Bluetooth radio, which seems to be the only modern touch inside the cabin.

What Powers The Aston Martin DB5?

The 1964 DB5 is powered by a 4.0-liter, six-cylinder engine. It makes 282 horses and 288 pound-feet of torque. The DB5 was offered with a David Brown four-speed manual transmission that was soon dropped in favor of a five-speed ZF gearbox. This being one of the first examples came with the four-speed, three-pedal box with an overdrive function. A three-speed auto gearbox from Borg-Warner was also available as an option.

In 2011, the engine was refreshed by rebuilding the cylinder head and carburetors and installing new valves, guides, springs, and upper timing chain. The gearbox went under the hammer, too, with the clutch slave and master cylinder being rebuilt and new synchros and a pressure plate swapping the old ones. A new stainless steel exhaust system was also installed in 2011. The DB5 features an independent front suspension and a solid rear axle which uses coil springs.

Aston Martin DB5 specifications

Engine

4.0-liter inline six-cylinder

Horsepower

282 HP

Torque

288 LB-FT

Transmission

five-speed ZF manual

0-to-60-mph

8 seconds

Top Speed

143 mph


Final Thoughts

This 1964 Aston Martin DB5 has less than 1,000 miles on the odometer. The car is offered with a copy of its build specification sheet, a British Motor Industry Heritage Trust certificate, a driver’s instruction booklet, and a clean California title. At the time of writing this article, this Aston Martin DB5 has a highest bid of $385,000. Not a bad price, given that the one used by Sean Connery went for more than 10 times the price of this one.

If you had the monies, would you buy this piece of history? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.