A James Bond Aston Martin movie car is headed to auction—but it’s not a “Goldfinger” DB5.
Part of RM Sotheby’s Monterey Car Week sale, scheduled for Aug. 17-19, this 1973 Aston Martin V8 was used in filming of the 1987 James Bond movie “The Living Daylights.” This more obscure entry in the Bond canon marked Timothy Dalton’s first appearance as 007, a role the British actor would only keep for one more film.
“The Living Daylights” also marked the return of Aston Martin to the Bond franchise after a long hiatus. Like the many Astons that have served as Bond’s transportation before and since, the V8 was equipped with plenty of gadgets, including a rocket booster and deployable skis.
1973 Aston Martin V8 from
Multiple cars were used in filming, including four complete drivable vehicles and seven fiberglass shells. The car up for auction, designated car 10 during production, is one of the four drivable cars. In addition to the rocket booster and ski props, it was updated to look like a more recent Aston Martin V8, and received a roll cage and a sunroof to match the other cars, for continuity reasons.
Car 10 was pushed down a hill and into a snowbank for a chase scene, which meant removing the engine and transmission to lighten the car. It survived, though, and was kept by Bond production company Eon Productions until 1995, when it was sold to British James Bond collector Peter Nelson, along with two of the other “Living Daylights” Astons (Eon Productions kept the fourth complete car).
1973 Aston Martin V8 from
The car changed hands a couple more times, finding its way to the U.S. and being restored to roadworthy condition. It got a new 5.3-liter V-8 from the more powerful V8 Vantage model, along with the correct 5-speed manual transmission. Corrosion was repaired as well, and the front was repainted, according to the auction listing.
“The Living Daylights” may not be the most iconic Bond film, and the Aston Martin V8 may not have the iconic status of the DB5, but this is still a genuine Bond car that’s expected to bring a big hammer price. So while one of the James Bond DB5s sold for over $6 million in 2019, RM Sotheby’s estimates this car will sell for $1.4 million to $1.8 million.
