Who among us has watched a James Bond film and not immediately wanted one of each of the sophisticated spy’s svelte motorcars? James Bond is undoubtedly one of the coolest fictional characters invented, so it stands to reason that he doesn’t drive just any old car. While Bond has slid behind the steering wheel of some of the most dynamic vehicles of the past 60 years, fans know he prefers an Aston Martin.
Originally, Sir Ian Fleming placed his hero behind the wheel of a Bentley, but all that changed in the 1959 book Goldfinger. When it came time to bring Goldfinger to the big screen, it only made sense that Sean Connery’s version of 007 would share the same taste in cars, and thus tradition was born. But it’s not all about having MI6 connections and a Q Branch. Let’s take a look at how James Bond and Aston Martin have made driving even more avant-garde for everyday drivers just like you.
James Bond and the Iconic Aston Martin DB5
Bond drove an Aston Martin DB Mark III through the pages of Goldfinger, but by the time the book was adapted into film in 1964, a more exciting model was available: the DB5.
Having made its debut at the 1963 Frankfurt Motor Show, the 1964 DB5 was largely a continuation of its predecessor, the Aston Martin DB4 Series 5, with one distinct difference: an all-aluminium, 4.0L I-6 engine. This was also one of the first British vehicles to replace the direct-current dynamo mechanism with an alternator, adding efficiency and low-speed power to the sophisticated speed machine, which could be clocked at 145 mph.
The 1964 DB5, as reimagined by Q Branch, included a few eerily predictive updates, including a built-in car phone and a radar tracking screen that’s an obvious early ancestor of today’s infotainment screens. Of course, the version Bond received had a few modifications that still haven’t made their way into mainstream automotive technology, including pop-up machine guns, tire-shredding hubcab protrusions, and revolving license plates. Granted, each of these would be highly illegal in pretty much every state, but their absence only slightly diminishes the experience of driving the publicly available version of the Aston Martin DB5.
Since soaring across the silver screen with luxurious aplomb in Goldfinger, the DB5 has become an essential James Bond accessory. It has appeared in many Bond films and has been driven by various iterations of 007 himself. Sean Connery was behind the wheel in Goldfinger and Thunderball, while Pierce Brosnan was the driver in GoldenEye and Tomorrow Never Dies. Daniel Craig famously drives a DB5 in each of his turns as 007, with the exception of Quantum of Solace, in which he drives a DBS instead. In total, the DB5 has appeared in eight Bond films.
Exploring the James Bond Aston Martin Lineup
James Bond doesn’t follow trends. He makes them up as he goes along. Therefore, it stands to reason that his ride has been updated with each new adventure. The DBS fastback that appeared in 1969’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service was part of a series designed to replace the Aston Martin DB6 series, though that transition didn’t fully occur until 1970.
After the DBS, it would be another 18 years before Bond, played by Timothy Dalton, would drive an Aston Martin, the V8 Vantage. Produced from 1986 to 1989, the V8 Vantage was originally proclaimed to be Britain’s first supercar, with a 5.3L V8 that made the trip from 0 to 60 miles per hour in a mere 6.6 seconds and topped out at 170 mph.
In 2002, Pierce Brosnan brought James Bond back to the screen with Die Another Day, this time behind the wheel of an Aston Martin V12 Vanquish. It’s important to note that the vehicle portrayed in the famous icy lake car chase was not a factory model. It was fitted with a Ford Boss 302 V8, plus a front differential and drive shafts from an Explorer to give it all-wheel drive on the slippery surface. Furthermore, invisibility camouflage has never been available through an Aston Martin dealer.
Daniel Craig’s turn as 007 has brought about an impressive array of Aston Martin vehicles. His James Bond revitalised the DBS in 2006’s Casino Royale with a Guinness World Record-achieving number of consecutive cannon rolls, though the vehicle sadly meets its demise in Quantum of Solace. In Skyfall, the 2012 nostalgia-filled Bond instalment, the original DB5 is sacrificed for the greater good, yet reassembled at Q Branch in time for the end of 2015’s Spectre.
The true star of Spectre, of course, was the Aston Martin DB10. This was the first time ordinary drivers could not get their hands on a street-legal version of 007’s car, as this Aston Martin was designed specifically for James Bond and produced only for the movie. Only ten of these cars were manufactured, and eight of them were used during filming. The other two had jobs in promoting the film.
The 2020 No Time to Die Special Editions
As the 25th James Bond film, No Time to Die was a spectacular moment in the franchise. Five Aston Martin vehicles share screen time in No Time to Die: the DB5, the V8 Vantage, the super GT, the DBS, and the Aston Martin Valhalla. The 1064-horsepower, mid-engine plug-in hybrid Valhalla is slated for a 2026 release, making the version used in this film a very early preview of coming attractions. However, one of the most exciting announcements Aston Martin made surrounding the film was that of two James Bond Special Edition vehicles: the Aston Martin Vantage 007 Edition and the DBS Superleggera 007 Edition.
The Vantage 007 Edition mirrors the car from The Living Daylights with a Cumberland Grey exterior paint, grille modeled after the film legend, and several nods to original film trivia. For example, the yellow diffuser on the 007 Edition Aston Martin Vantage recalls the stripes seen on the rocket that blasted from the rear of the car in the film. While a laser-etched plaque replicates the original Bond car’s options for missile launching and laser blasts, these features are inactive in the 007 Edition.
The Aston Martin DBS Superleggera is notable for its limited production of just 25 models and its 5.2L twin-turbocharged V12 engine, which produces an impressive 705 hp. It does 0-60 mph in just over three seconds with a peak speed of 211 mph. The 007 Edition features a Ceramic Grey and chrome exterior with a dark leather interior cabin.
2024 DB12 Goldfinger Edition
Following the tenure of Daniel Craig, the world is still awaiting a new installment of James Bond’s adventures. In the meantime, however, Goldfinger has celebrated its 60th anniversary as a movie. For this momentous event, Aston Martin released the DB12 Goldfinger Edition.
With its Silver Birch exterior and Prince of Wales perforation check pattern of the mid-grey upholstery, this version of the DB12 is designed to evoke memories of Bond. On the other hand, the 18-carat gold-plated interior and gold fiber call to mind his nemesis, Auric Goldfinger. References to the film abound throughout the cabin, but the best part for many drivers is the 4.0L twin-turbo V8 engine, which delivers 671 hp and a top speed of 202 mph.
Bring Bond Home
When Bond was offered a choice between the Aston Martin DB III or a Jaguar 3.4 in the 1959 book version of Goldfinger, he was drawn to one particular model. “Either of the cars would have suited his cover–well-to-do, rather adventurous young man with a taste for the good, fast things of life,” Sir Ian Fleming wrote. “But the DB III had the advantage of an up-to-date triptyque, an inconspicuous colour–battleship grey–and certain extras which might or might not come in handy.”
The partnership has continued since that fateful decision many decades ago. As Daniel Kleinman, designer of many James Bond title sequences, has noted, “Aston Martin is part of Bond’s DNA. It’s a partnership that needs no explanation.”
At the same time, it’s not an exclusive partnership. While James Bond has slid behind the wheel of many close-to-factory Aston Martin models, the brands have also collaborated to bring special editions to life, enabling devoted fans to get as close to the real thing as the law might allow.
