This article doesn’t need a spoiler warning because every Bond fan worth their salt has seen No Time to Die.
James Bond’s DB5 was released to coincide with No Time To Die (the 25th James Bond movie), which will be released in late 2021. The car is featured prominently.
This is the first time EON Productions (the makers of James Bond films) has authorized a biography about the DB5, whose debut was in Goldfinger in 1964 and which went on to be featured in eight other 007 movies.
EON and Aston Martin carefully researched the book, and it draws from both archives. The book includes storyboards and diagrams as well as design materials and many beautiful and rare photographs. It covers every aspect of the car, from the exhaust to the overriders.
The book also includes forewords from 007 actor Daniel Craig, James Bond Producer Michael G. Wilson, and Aston Martin Chief Creative Officer Marek R. Reichman.
The book is 320 pages long and contains 320 photos. It covers the whole story, from the initial letters of Bond producers to Aston Martin to the modifications that were made to the car during the filming of Goldfinger. Also included are EON’s original sketches and rare photographs of the cast and staff on location in Switzerland.
The book explores the history of the DB5s and their appearance in Bond films, as well as the details of their destruction in Skyfall.
This sumptuous book is a coffee-table masterpiece that leaves no stone untouched. Who would have thought that the Aston Martin executives would need to be convinced to lend out a vehicle for filming? They even believed it would cost “more than it’s worth” as they suspected the car would return with scratches and dents.
The book also contains fascinating facts. The same DB5 with the BMT 216A plate that 007 used in Goldfinger also appeared on an episode of The Saint, aired in January 1964, starring Roger Moore, the third James Bond.
James Bond’s DB5 chronicles in detail the efforts Production Designer Ken Adam made to create gadgets such as ejector seats, revolving number plates, and machine guns integrated into the indicator light that would propel the vehicle to star status.
Who knew that the DB5’s retractable wheel blades, which can shred tires, were inspired by the famous chariot races in the 1959 Ben-Hur Hollywood film?
In the following film, Thunderball, the car was back, and replica 007 DB5s were on a worldwide tour to promote Bond films. Although the spy drove other cars, the DB5 remained the ultimate Bond car.
The DB5 made its return to the big screen after a 30-year absence in 1995 with Goldeneye. It has since appeared in five more Bond films, culminating with No Time to Die.
The most famous car in the world, the Jaguar XJ6, was in production for only two years (1963-65). Only 887 cars were produced, and only a few were converted to Bond movie cars.
This brings us to the beginning because the book details the DB5’s starring role as seen in No Time to Die and includes exclusive photographs from behind the scenes.
Suppose that wasn’t good enough for Aston Martin enthusiasts. In that case, Daniel Craig later retrieves his old V8 car from a locker – the same vehicle last seen in The Living Daylights, 1987, with Timothy Dalton as the title character.
James Bond DB5 is available from Hero Collector Books at an RRP of PS40.
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