Automobilia models
This month, we’re looking at a few very cool models that celebrate the long relationship between a secret agent named Bond and a little manufacturer called ‘Aston Martin’. Although the DB5 wasn’t Bond’s first car (Sunbeam Alpine Series II, anyone?), it was the first Aston to appear in the franchise. The car used in the film was the original prototype of the DB5, and, once the movie was released, perhaps unsurprisingly, sales of the car went through the roof (get it?).
Over the years, it’s been easy enough to follow which manufacturer has been willing to pitch in the big bucks to get their car featured on screen and have the world’s most famous secret agent (isn’t that a bit like being the skinniest sumo wrestler?) behind the wheel — from the Wet Nellie Lotus Esprit in The Spy Who Loved Me to the dreadful BMW Z3 in Goldeneye. We’re glad that Aston Martin has been able to ensure Bond stays firmly behind the wheel of a DB.
Aston Martin DB5/DB10
This pair of 1:36 scale models includes the Aston Martin DB5 and the Aston Martin DB10, which both appeared in the Bond film Spectre.
In Spectre, a cryptic message from the past sends Bond on a rogue mission, in which his new Aston Martin DB10 is involved in a high-speed chase with a Jaguar C-X75 through the Rome’s city streets and along the banks of the Tiber. As Bond ventures towards the heart of the sinister organization known as Spectre, he learns of a chilling connection between himself and his enemy. In the film, the DB5 has undergone complete restoration, courtesy of Q Branch.
The DB10 is a concept car, released by the producer and director of the Spectre Bond film, in Los Angeles in late 2014. The DB10 was designed and built specifically for use in the film, with just 10 examples made. Eight of these were used in filming, while a further two were used in promotional activities for the film. Those two cars were sold at auction earlier this year for US$2.4M. Of
Giveaway: Aston Martin DB5
This issue, we’re giving away the best-selling Corgi model of all time, the DB5, with working lights and ejector seat plus a few other goodies. Several special editions of this model were recently uncovered in their original packing in the UK, and went on to fetch in excess of US$15K at auction — each. Something to be said for keeping your toys in their original packaging! In a full retro box that creates some action when you open it, this model is most certainly a collector’s item.
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Answers to last month’s crossword, No. 290 Across 1. Crown 11. Essex 23. Anjou 27. inlet Down 2. roadster Wolseley 6. Major 7. steer STP 15. Monopole equipe 22. Spray