Aston Martin is synonymous with James Bond although Ian Fleming’s books initially had 007 driving a 1931 4.5 Liter Blower Bentley.
Almost half of the 25 Bond films have featured an Aston Martin, more than any other brand, making the pairing truly iconic.
1. THE CAR: THE DB5
FILM HISTORY: When shooting for Goldfinger got underway, Q gave 007 (Sean Connery) an upgrade from his trusted Bentley to the much-loved DB5. The car also appeared in Thunderball, GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, Casino Royale, Skyfall, Spectre, and No Time to Die.
Q SPECS: Featuring machine guns, an ejector seat, and revolving licence plates, the DB5 became synonymous with Bond. By the time Pierce Brosnan raced his DB5 in the hills above Monaco in GoldenEye (1995) the DB5 had a new gadget – an added champagne bucket to keep Bollinger chilling in a built-in cooler.
The Goldeneye DB5 – valued at £5m to £10m – is on display at SPYSCAPE’s New York HQ as part of the 007 x SPYSCAPE exhibition, extended by popular demand. The luxury tourer was advanced for its time, even without gadgets. Featuring an all-aluminum, six-cylinder engine producing 282bhp, the DB5 could hit 145mph.
2. THE CAR: THE DBS
FILM HISTORY: George Lazenby took over the Bond franchise with On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969) driving a new and very different looking model of Aston Martin – an olive green 1969 DBS – to distinguish himself from Sean Connery, a.k.a. ‘the other guy’. The DBS was also featured in No Time To Die (2021).
Q SPECS: Unlike Connery’s DB5, Lazenby’s Aston Martin wasn’t loaded with gadgets, although it had a telescopic-sight rifle mounting in the red glove compartment. While it was never to be a Bond car again, it did make a cameo in 1971’s Diamonds are Forever, in the background at the Q Branch workshop undergoing alterations.
As a homage to the OHMSS DBS, Aston Martin celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2019 by manufacturing a limited-edition DBS Superleggera. The carmaker called it a ‘brute in a suit’, designed to capture the essence of the iconic DBS from the 1969 film but with a 5.2 liter twin-turbo V12, 715bhp engine. You’ll find the Aston Martinspecs here.
3. THE CAR: V8 VANTAGE VOLANTE & COUPE VERSIONS
FILM HISTORY: The Living Daylights (1987) and No Time to Die (2021).
Q SPECS: In addition to a laser beam within the front hub caps (good for losing a police tail), Bond (Timothy Dalton) had access to lower front-firing automatic heat-seeking missiles behind the fog lamps. Studded, spiked snow tires helped with mountain chases and a jet engine booster rocket was hidden under the rear number plates. There were also a few other extras such as rotating number plates and bullet-proof glass. Check out the Aston Martin specs here.
4. THE CAR: V12 VANQUISH
FILM HISTORY: Die Another Day (2002).
Q’s SPECS: Bond’s Vanquish included adaptive camouflage which rendered the vehicle virtually invisible. Notably, the Vanquish also had an ejector seat, not seen since Goldfinger. Shotguns were concealed, along with hidden machine guns and concealed rockets. The onboard missile launcher came armed with four forward-firing missiles. Pierce Brosnan liked it so much he convinced Aston Martin to build a one-off Vanquish especially for him. Sadly it was destroyed in a fire. You’ll find the Aston Martin specs here.
5. THE CAR: DBS V12
FILM HISTORY: Casino Royale (2006) and Quantum of Solace (2008).
Q’s SPECS: The DBS’s special features include a secret compartment containing Bond’s (Daniel Craig’s) Walther P99 gun, a small defibrillator, an emergency medical kit and link to MI6. The DBS met an inglorious end when Bond rolled the car seven times, setting a Guinness World Record for the most cannon rolls. Following the reception for the DBS in Casino Royale, 007 was reunited with the DBS in Quantum of Solace. Four cars were reportedly supplied for special effects, and six others for close-ups and promotional work. You’ll find the specs here.
6. THE CAR: DB10
FILM HISTORY: Spectre (2015)
Q’s SPECS: Bond borrows the DB10 from a colleague and uses some of Q’s gadgets to escape from Hinx, including the flame thrower and an ejector seat with a parachute. The Aston Martin DB10 is a bespoke grand tourer. Then cars were developed specifically for Spectre. Eight were used for filming and two others were show cars. You can browse the specs here.
7. THE CARS
No Time To Die (2021) features no less than four Astons from the past, present and future. The movies focus more on the characters than the gizmos, however, so we’re not 100% certain which gadget’s Q has fitted in some of the vehicles.
The Valhalla (top) makes a cameo appearance with its mid-engined 950PS gasoline/battery electric powertrain, new carbon fiber structure and aerodynamics inspired by the Valkyrie. It’s stationary in the film, however, so we don’t know what else it may be hiding.
The DBS (bottom right) is driven by the new 007, Nomi. With a top speed of 211 mph it goes from 0-63mph in 3.4 seconds.
The DB5 (bottom center) has been driven throughout the six decades of Bondmania. Two machine guns pop out of the headlamps. Even without the gadgets it is a car to be admired. While it is much like the DB4, its engine capacity was enlarged to 4 liters by increasing the bore to 96mm. The introduction of a full synchromesh ZF 5 speed gearbox is also significant.
The AM V8 (bottom left), similar to the one seen in The Living Daylights (1987), was Britain’s first true ‘supercar’ going from 0 – 60 mph in 6.6 seconds.