World’s most famous toy
There is no rule that says your toy car can’t be actual size. Work has resumed on Aston Martin’s latest “continuation” model, the 1963-5 DB5 Goldfinger — created in association with James Bond film production company Eon.
The DB5 featured in the 1964 James Bond movie Goldfinger is often called the “world’s most famous car”. Each one of the 25 DB5 continuation models being built will cost NZ$5.5 million. None will be road legal. Enjoy.
They will, however, have a suite of working gadgets, as seen in Goldfinger. These include rear smoke screen and simulated oil slick delivery, revolving number plates, simulated twin-front machine guns, rear shield, battering rams, tyre slasher, simulated radar screen, telephone in the driver’s door, gearknob actuator button, armrest/ console switchgear, underseat weapons storage and a remote control for gadget activations.
Any premium car has to have an options list. On the DB5 Goldfinger you can also order a removable passenger-side roof panel.
The construction process takes 4500 hours per car, at Aston Martin’s Heritage Division headquarters in Newport Pagnell. Because it’s a continuation car — technically a brand-new 1965 model — it’s built as much in traditional methods as possible, albeit with some modern engineering enhancements.
The cars feature original DB5 styled aluminium exterior body panels wrapped around an authentic DB5 mild-steel chassis structure.
Under the bonnet there’s a 4.0-litre naturally aspirated inline sixcylinder engine with a six-plug head, three SU carburettors and oil cooler, making around 216kW. This is mated to a five-speed ZF manual transmission in the rear-wheel drive DB5, which also features a mechanical limited slip differential.
The gadgets have been developed and integrated in association with Chris Corbould OBE, a special effects supervisor who has worked on more than a dozen Bond films.