September 20, 2025 • 29 mins
The source offers an extensive examination of the Aston Martin DB5 featured in the 1964 James Bond film Goldfinger, characterizing it as an automotive and cinematic icon. The text first establishes the car’s status as a masterpiece of British engineering before its introduction in the Bond franchise, detailing its high-performance specifications and luxurious design. A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to listing and explaining the ingenious Q-Branch modifications, such as the ejector seat, machine guns, and smoke screen, which transformed the elegant vehicle into a mobile weapon. Finally, the source emphasizes the DB5's massive cultural impact and enduring legacy, noting its influence on the spy genre, its frequent appearances in subsequent Bond films, and its confirmed high value, as demonstrated by a $4.6 million auction sale in 2024.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome back to the deep dive. You know, some machines
are just vehicles, yeah, transportation, and then well they're a
rare few that becomes something else, entirely cultural milestones.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Objects that really define a franchise, maybe even an era,
or a whole genre of filmmaking exactly.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
And today we are strapping into the definitive legend. We're
doing a deep dive into the nineteen sixty three Aston
Martin dB five, specifically the Q modified icon from the
nineteen sixty four James Bond film Goldfinger.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Ah, the Goldfinger dB five probably the most famous car in.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
The world, right, it has to be up there. And
for you listening, whether you're a devoted petrol head or
maybe you're just curious why certain fictional items become these
priceless artifacts. Well, the relevance of this car it's just
impossible to ignore. We aren't just talking about nostalgia here.
This is real, measurable financial value we're discussing. Think about this,
one of the original dB fives used in Goldfinger. It
(00:53):
fetched a staggering four point six million dollars at auction
just in twenty twenty four.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Four point six million. That's well, that's more than just
a classic car price tag. That's serious history, tangible cinema history.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
Like you said, okay, let's untack this. Then. Our big
question today is what precise alchemy you know of design, timing,
pure ingenuity, maybe sure fantasy, ye, what made this particular
Aston Martin just transcend the screen? How did it become
the undiscuted gold standard, the one that well, every single
movie vehicle, every spy car, every action prop gets judged.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
Against that synergy. That's exactly what we need to get
into our mission here really is to look way beyond
just listing the gadgets. It's fun, but there's more to it.
Were dissecting the intersection of high end British engineering, the
specific anxieties, but also the aspirations of the Cold War
era and honestly, the masterful cultural synthesis that happened when
(01:47):
Eon Productions paired the dbfi sophistication with the well the
deadly resourcefulness of MI six is c brand.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
So the dB five wasn't just Bonds car, no, not
at all.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
It became the technological embodiment of the whole double O
seven ethos itself, agans and lethality all in one package.
Speaker 1 (02:02):
Okay, so before Q even you know, got his hands
dirty with the machine guns and the ejector seats, we
really have to appreciate the raw material here. The car itself,
the dB five was, I mean, by any standard of
the early nineteen sixties, a mechanical and esthetic masterpiece.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
Absolutely. It's crucial to remember that Aston Martin Lagonda Limited
introduced this car in nineteen sixty three. It was a
direct evolution, a necessary one really from the dB.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
Four, So refinement rather than revolution exactly.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
It wasn't some completely groundbreaking concept from scratch. It was
more like a relentless pursuit of perfection in that grand
touring category. For that specific moment, it really represented the
pinnacle of what British automotive engineering could achieve style, power, comfort, and.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
When you say pinnacle you're talking about power and sophistication combined.
This wasn't built like a fragile, stripped down race machine.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
Was it not at all? It was designed for powerful, comfortable,
long distance driving, I think, crossing continence and style. That
was the GT ethos.
Speaker 1 (03:01):
So let's get into the nuts and bolts a bit.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
The engine right the heart of the machine. The dB
five was powered by the Tadekmarek designed four point zero
meter straight six engine. Now that inline six configuration, it's
inherently smooth, very balanced, and with its triple su carburetor
standard on the dB five it produced a pretty impressive
two hundred and eighty two horse power.
Speaker 1 (03:23):
Two hundred and eighty two horsepower and sixty three How
did that stack out?
Speaker 2 (03:27):
Well? It placed it firmly in the same league as
some elite Italian machinery of the day. You know, your
ferraris your Maseratis. But the Aston did it with this
distinctly British, almost understated presence, less flamboyant.
Speaker 1 (03:39):
Perhaps, and those specs they translated into serious performance on
the road, all right, especially for what was, let's face,
a pretty heavy, luxurious car.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
It did. Yeah, the dB five could reach a top
speed of around one hundred and forty five miles per hour.
That was genuinely stunning for a production car back in
sixty four.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
And its acceleration sort of cemented its status too, zero
to sixty mile power in roughly seven point one seconds. Now,
these figures weren't just impressive on paper, they were aspirational.
They immediately branded the dB five as a vehicle four. Well,
the wealthy elite people who demanded performance but wouldn't sacrifice
luxury to get it.
Speaker 1 (04:12):
Okay, so it's already an elite vehicle. But why this
specific car for bond Eon Productions could have chosen something else?
There were faster cars, maybe flashier ones. What was it
about the look? The aesthetic?
Speaker 2 (04:24):
Ha? I think it was actually the lack of flashiness
combined with this underlying, sort of subtle menace. The styling
itself penned by the Italian coach builder Kurrazuria Touring SUPERLEDGERA.
Speaker 1 (04:36):
Was just crucial super ledger that means super light trip exactly.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
It refers to their construction technique, building lightweight aluminum alloy
body panels over this complex tubular steel space frame. It
was notoriously expensive, very difficult, required incredible craftsmanship. That method
itself screamed.
Speaker 1 (04:54):
Prestige and the look it created.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
It resulted in this esthetic of I've come an aggressive elegance.
You have these leak, flowing aerodynamic lines, those really distinctive
chrome accents, the wire spoke wheels. It just exuded sophistication,
but it also looked powerful, capable.
Speaker 1 (05:10):
It didn't scream weapon.
Speaker 2 (05:11):
No it screamed status symbol, and that understated look was
I think a perfect visual match for Sean Connery's zero seven,
you know, suave, impeccably tailored, smooth, but capable of sudden
brutal violence when needed. The car mirrored the man.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
That distinction feels really key. I mean, if Bond had
been driving, say a loud, brightly colored American muscle car,
the gadgets might have felt almost expected, a bit obvious.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
Maybe right, It would have fit a different kind of character.
Speaker 1 (05:41):
But because the dB five started life as this symbol
of refined elegance, you know, they condonly leather upholstery inside
the beautiful Walmut dashboard, all that advanced instrumentation for the time,
the transition into a rolling arsenal was just far more shocking,
more impactful m hm.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
The lethality was completely unexpected, hidden beneath that veneer of
British prestige of class.
Speaker 1 (06:03):
Yeah, and that contrast I think is absolutely foundational to
its cinematic power. It sets up the surprise perfectly.
Speaker 2 (06:09):
And that transformation, well, that's what everyone remembers most vividly,
isn't it.
Speaker 1 (06:12):
Oh, Absolutely, that moment when Desmond and Lellen's Q appears
on screen, Yeah, displaying his latest creations with that signature
mix of like weary pride and maybe a bit of
exasperation that Bond's likely misuse of them. It's just pure
cinematic joy.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
Now pay attention double Z seven exactly.
Speaker 1 (06:32):
So here's where it gets really interesting. We're now diving
into a vehicle that wasn't just you know, equipped with
a few weapons. It was almost a living reflection of
the technological hopes and maybe even the fears gripping the
world during the early to mid nineteen sixties, that whole
Cold War tech race vibe.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
Definitely.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
So let's systematically break down this arsenal the gadgets that
really define spy cinema forever.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
Okay, where else to start, but with the feature that
became utterly synonymous with the car, the one that simultaneously
well broke all the rules of subtlety, the ejector seat.
Speaker 1 (07:03):
The red button in the gearstick.
Speaker 2 (07:04):
That iconic red button cleverly concealed within the gearstick nam
and it's the ultimate piece of let's be honest plot
convenience designed to jettison an unwonted passenger straight through the
roof panel.
Speaker 1 (07:15):
Okay, it's definitely the most same as Gadget. But let
me push back on that for just a second. If
we're saying the dB five success partly rests on its subtlety,
it's sort of high class espionage presentation, doesn't that ejector
seat fundamentally contradict that. I mean, it's so completely over
the top. It's pure theater, almost absurd.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
That's a brilliant point, actually, and I think it highlights
the genius of Goldfinger's tone. The ejector seat works precisely
because it is absurd. It is the single defining piece
of pure, unadulterated fantasy in the car. Remember Q WARN's bond.
I never joke about my work W seven, implying it's
deadly serious, but its very present signals to the audience. Okay,
(07:57):
this car, this world, it's operating a little outside the
normal laws of physics and civilized warfare. It gives us
permission to just abandon reality for a bit and fully
embrace the spy fantasy.
Speaker 1 (08:06):
Okay, fair enough. It kind of says the stage for
the spectacle. It tells you anything is possible.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
With this car exactly. Now, moving on to the actual
offensive capabilities. These were much stealthier, much more cube brands.
Speaker 1 (08:16):
Right.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
Machine guns, Yes, the elegance of the machine guns is
all in their concealment. You've got the twin Browning point
three zero caliber machine guns lethally hidden behind the front
indicator lights. They needed this slick mechanical flip mechanism to
expose the barrels, a small but really exquisite piece of
practical effects engineering. For the time, it signified instant danger
(08:39):
hidden right there in plain sight.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
And then defensively, you needed something more robust brute force.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
Protection, right, and that came in the form of the
retractable bulletproof shield, essentially a reinforced steel plate that rises
up from the rear deck. Simple effective protection for the
occupants from anyone tailing the car and shooting. It's a
very practical defense mechanism really. Later films often went for
more high tech solutions like armor plating, but this was
visually dramatic.
Speaker 1 (09:06):
And then you have the pure resourcefulness of evasion. Nothing
quite says I'm getting away now, like the oil slick
and the smoke screen exactly.
Speaker 2 (09:13):
The oil slick dispenser used nozzles presumably linked to a
separate tank, not the engine oil, to release lubricants and
cause immediate loss of traction for any pursuing vehicles. Simple physics,
slippery stuff, and paired with the smoke screen device which
emitted this thick, dense cloud of smoke from the exhaust system.
While Bond could instantly obscure the vision of his attackers
(09:35):
by himself, crucial seconds to escape. These were tangible mechanical
methods of evasion. They felt grounded and clever, resourceful ingenuity,
not just magic tech.
Speaker 1 (09:45):
And thinking about Bond's international movements, the rotating number plates,
so simple, so elegant, but absolutely essential for a globe
trotting spy.
Speaker 2 (09:53):
Precisely that ability to switch between British, French and Swiss
registrations with the flick of a switch. It was a
marvel of well relatively simple mechanical efficiency back then. It
allowed Bond to instantly evade detection or identification across borders,
a tangible solution to a very real problem for any
fictional Cold War operative.
Speaker 1 (10:13):
Let's not forget the sheer aggression hidden in the wheels themselves,
those tire slashers.
Speaker 2 (10:17):
Ugh ah, yes, the ben her Chariot race move those
were the extendable spikes mounted right into the wheel hubs
extending outwards, designed specifically to shred the tires of any
enemy car driving alongside. This detail, I think really underscores
that the dB five was weaponized down to its most
fundamental parts. It turned the simple act of driving near
(10:39):
an opponent into a potentially deadly confrontation.
Speaker 1 (10:42):
But I think the single greatest piece of gadgetry, maybe
because of its connection to the actual tech buzz of
the nineteen sixties, has to be the radar tracker.
Speaker 2 (10:50):
I'd agree with that that small circular dashboard mounted screen
tracking a homing device planted on another car that was
genuinely cutting edge stuff for the audience in nineteen sixty four.
Think about it, the space race was on, Spotnik had
launched not long before. Public fascination with advanced electronics surveillance
tracking technology was intense.
Speaker 1 (11:09):
It tapped into that szeitgeist.
Speaker 2 (11:10):
It absolutely did. The radar tracker plugged directly into that
collective Cold War aspiration and maybe fear of technological dominance.
It suggested MI I six had access to this almost
satellite level precision tracking. It was a profound technological fantasy
for the time. But it also somehow anchored the entire
gadget arsenal in a sense of plausible, if definitely exaggerated reality.
Speaker 1 (11:34):
So these modifications weren't just like a random shopping list
of cool stuff.
Speaker 2 (11:39):
Not at all. They formed a systematic arsenal. Everything was
designed to make Bond resourceful, untraceable, and ultimately unstoppable. The
car became the perfect technological reflection of the agent himself,
sophisticated on the surface, adaptable and legally effective when necessary,
operating in that increasingly complex high tech cold war landscape.
Speaker 1 (11:59):
Okay, so it was one thing dream of this incredible
arsenal on paper, is quite another to actually make it
look convincingly functional on screen back in nineteen sixty four.
This was long before the era of easy digital effects, right.
That must have required immense ingenuity from the special effects team.
Speaker 2 (12:13):
It truly did. The logistical setup alone was pretty complex.
Aston Martin you know, they obviously sense this huge promotional opportunity,
so they provided Eon Productions with two main dB fives
for the actual filming, two cars. Two main ones, yes
DP two on sixty one the road car for most
striding shots, and a MP seven B the effects car,
which got heavily modified for the gadgets. Crucially, though, Aston
(12:37):
Martin also built a third car which was used purely
for promotional tours and static displays. That's often the car
people saw up close at events, maybe leading to some
confusion about which car did what uh okay.
Speaker 1 (12:49):
And the actual on screen magic making the gadgets work,
that was down to the special effects supervisor John Steers.
Speaker 2 (12:54):
John Steers, yes a true master of practical mechanical effects.
His work was ingeniusc ically because he had to blend
relatively simple mechanics with quite complex.
Speaker 1 (13:03):
Illusions like the rotating never plates.
Speaker 2 (13:05):
Yeah, the plates, as we mentioned, were comparatively straightforward. They
likely involve some mechanical rigging, maybe cables or motors tied
to a lever or switch inside the cockpit. Simple but
effective on camera. But the bigger effects they were a
genuine engineering challenge. They had to work reliably, take after
take under filming conditions.
Speaker 1 (13:25):
Let's talk about the machine guns again. How did they
actually achieve that visual effect the lights flipping down the
barrels appear.
Speaker 2 (13:32):
Think about the precision needed. The indicator lights had to
flip down sharply. The gun barrels needed to deploy instantly
and ideally simulate firing simultaneously. This probably involved hidden pneumatic
or maybe hydraulic systems to get that quick action, paired
with gas effects maybe pyrotechnics to simulate the muzzle flash
and smoke.
Speaker 1 (13:52):
And the timing had to be perfect.
Speaker 2 (13:53):
Instantaneous exactly to make that transformation from elegant car to
weapon believable, Steers had to ensure them the mechanism was
robust enough to repeat for multiple takes, but also completely
hidden when retracted. It had to fulfill q's promise of
total concealment.
Speaker 1 (14:09):
But the ejector seat, Yeah, that must have been the
ultimate technical hurdle. They couldn't just, you know, use CGI
to make a passenger disappear.
Speaker 2 (14:16):
No way. For that crucial ejector sequence, Steers team had
to completely modify the passenger's seat mechanism and the roof
section above it. It wasn't just a simple spring under
the cushion.
Speaker 1 (14:27):
Probably not.
Speaker 2 (14:27):
They likely utilized a fairly sophisticated compressed air system, maybe
nitrogen canisters to propel a stuntman or more often probably
a weighted dummy forcefully out.
Speaker 1 (14:39):
Of the car and the roof panel that was a whole.
Speaker 2 (14:42):
Separate, rigged component. It might have been fitted with small
explosive bolts or maybe powerful springs, timed precisely to ensure
it flipped open just as the seat fired, maximum dramatic effect,
you know, without completely destroying the underlying structure of this
very expensive car. Every take that level of spoke, rapid
fire mechanical action that was genuinely groundbreaking cinema back then.
Speaker 1 (15:05):
It really is amazing what they achieve practically. Yeah, and
yet despite all this incredible preparation and all the focus
on the gadgets, the car's actual screen time in Goldfinger
is when you time it, surprisingly brief, but it feels indelible.
It feels like it's in almost every key action sequence.
Speaker 2 (15:24):
That right there speaks to the power of perfect deployment.
The dB five doesn't overstay its welcome in the film.
It's used precisely when it's needed. Most most memorably, of course,
in that high stakes pursuit through the Furka Pass in
the Swiss Alps.
Speaker 1 (15:38):
That's the iconic scene.
Speaker 2 (15:40):
It really is. The car became a crucial character in
that sequence, deployed with flare, with panache, using pretty much
every gadget the oil slick, the smoke, the shield, the
tire slashers culminating in the ejector seat to evade Goldfinger's henchmen.
The audience leaves the theater, associating the car absolutely with action,
ingenuity and bonds cool under pressure. Wardless of the actual
(16:00):
minute count.
Speaker 1 (16:01):
On screen and the studio on productions, they must have
immediately understood they'd struck gold This wasn't just another prop.
Speaker 2 (16:08):
Oh Instantly, its status as Bond's signature transport was so
immediately solidified that they swiftly brought it back for the
very next film, Thunderball, in nineteen sixty five. Now, that
move cemented the idea the dB five wasn't just a
mission specific gadget car. It was Bond's personal, trusted vehicle,
and that elevated it far beyond the realm of typical
(16:28):
movie cars. It became part of his identity.
Speaker 1 (16:31):
Okay, So now let's shift our focus a bit, move
from the film set itself to the well the global
marketplace in the cultural consciousness. Yeah, the dB five didn't
just impact cinema history. It fundamentally changed how manufacturers and
studios thought about merchandising and even the relationship between a
hero and their vehicle.
Speaker 2 (16:48):
That's absolutely right. Before the Goldfinger dB five, cars and
movies were generally either purely functional, just transportation to get
characters from A to B, or maybe generic action vehicles,
you know, cars for chasing or crashing. The dB five
really pioneered the concept of the character car. It wasn't
just driven by Bond. It became an extension of his unique,
(17:08):
somewhat paradoxical identity. Stylish, sophisticated, technologically advanced, but secretly deadly.
That whole blueprint, that combination, it really set the standard
for pretty much all future action vehicle design.
Speaker 1 (17:22):
And you can see that influence radiate across the film
and TV industry almost immediately, couldn't you. Oh, definitely.
Speaker 2 (17:27):
The combination of style, power and those hidden Q branch
style gadgets established a trope that became almost universal in
spy and action genres. You can trace a pretty direct lineage.
For example, well, it immediately influenced the Batmobile and the
subsequent nineteen sixties Batman TV series. That Batmobile clearly adopted
the dB five's blueprint, an elegant ish car packed with fantastical,
(17:50):
almost q L like gadgets for every situation.
Speaker 1 (17:52):
Good point the bat ray the Battering.
Speaker 2 (17:54):
Ram exactly, and of course it defined subsequent generations of
Bond cars too. Think of the Lotus is Spree, Submarine
Car and The Spy Who Loved Me. Even its influence
today is clear enfranchises like Mission Impossible, or even The
Fast and the Fury is where the vehicles are absolutely central,
not just to the action but often to the plot
and character development itself.
Speaker 1 (18:14):
But the impact went far beyond just other movies and
TV shows. That dB five somehow became this international symbol
of I don't know, sophisticated British cool mm hmm.
Speaker 2 (18:25):
And that's where the merchandising genius really comes into play.
You have to remember the timing. The car arrived at
the absolute perfect moment, the peak of the swinning sixties.
British culture, fashion, music, and espionage, thanks largely to Bond,
were all globally dominant, hugely fashiable. The car became instantly
synonymous with that whole vibe, sophistication, danger, international.
Speaker 1 (18:46):
Intrigues, and the toys were huge.
Speaker 2 (18:48):
The commercial success was immediate and profound, and yes, driven
largely by toys and collectibles. The most famous example, without
a doubt, is the Corky Guy cast model, which launched
in nineteen sixty five.
Speaker 1 (18:57):
Everyone had that Corky car or ron.
Speaker 2 (19:00):
It wasn't just a static model, it was an interactive toy.
Corgi very cleverly incorporated the most exciting features right into
that small scale replica. It had the working ejector seat,
you pushed a little button on, the pop up rear shield,
even the little machine guns poking out the front.
Speaker 1 (19:17):
That Corky model is just legendary. An entire generation could
actively engage with the fantasy of the car, even if
they were too young to see the actual film.
Speaker 2 (19:25):
It was absolutely transformational marketing. That Corgi dB five sold
millions and millions of units worldwide. It became one of
the best selling die cast toy cars of all time,
and crucially, it cemented the car specific gadgetry, the tire slashers,
the shield, the ejector seat into the global pop culture consciousness.
(19:46):
It made the car recognizable even to kids who had
never seen Sean Connery to play them on screen. And
beyond toys, its digital life has really ensured its immortality, hasn't.
Speaker 1 (19:55):
Oh yeah, video games?
Speaker 2 (19:56):
The dB five is consistently featured in Bond video games,
allowing total new audiences new generations to experience the thrill
of driving it using the oil slick or the smoke
screen firsthand. Its appearance in huge games like James Bond
Zebras seven, Agent under Fire or the massively popular N
sixty four game Golden Eye ZEBRASO seven that reinforced its
(20:17):
digital legacy. It proved its appeal crosses technological generations.
Speaker 1 (20:21):
I think the ultimate triumph of the dB five, though,
is just its sheer recognizability. You show almost anyone anywhere
in the world just that sleek fliver profile. Yeah that shape,
and they immediately connected to Zeros of seven, Yes, spies
to cool. It became the definitive visual shorthand for the
entire franchise. And that's the status really that no subsequent
Bond vehicle has ever managed to truly usurp.
Speaker 2 (20:43):
It's instantly iconic. The silhouette alone does it.
Speaker 1 (20:45):
So the true test of any icon maybe is its
capacity for return, its endurance both on screen and as
we touched on and they've launched NASS, and the dB
five is really remarkable because it was never truly retired
from Bond's world, was it. It became this, this connective tissue,
a kind of relic linking different generations of Bond actors.
Speaker 2 (21:02):
It truly is the franchise's hairloom, isn't it. After Connery
used it in Goldfinger and Thunderball, it sort of went
away for a while, but then, yes, it reappeared multiple times.
We saw it quite prominently with Pierce Brosnan in GoldenEye
back in ninety.
Speaker 1 (21:16):
Five, the Race against the Ferrari exactly.
Speaker 2 (21:18):
And briefly again and Tomorrow never dies. But I think
its role fundamentally shifted became much more significant when Daniel
Craig stepped into the role.
Speaker 1 (21:27):
Aw so well.
Speaker 2 (21:28):
Under Daniel Craig, the dB five stopped being just a cool,
sophisticated tool. It became more of an artifact of Bond's past,
a symbol of tradition, maybe even his vulnerability. Its appearance
in Casino Royal winning it in that poker game that
felt like a knowing wink to the audience, establishing Craig's
link to the legacy. But its role in Skyfall in
(21:48):
twenty twelve that was emotionally seismic.
Speaker 1 (21:51):
Oh, absolutely, that scene in Skyfall Bond pulls the dusty
cover off the car in his lock up. He used
it to retreat to his ancestral home in Scotland, and
then its destruction during the siege on the house. That
was a genuinely poignant moment in the cinema. It provoked
real shock, real sadness from the audience. Why do you
think that destruction hit so hard?
Speaker 2 (22:10):
Because by twenty twelve, I think the dB five had
evolved way beyond just being a car. It had become
essentially a beloved supporting character in the franchise. It represented
Bond's history, his connection to MI six, maybe his enduring
analog nature and increasingly digital world. So destroying it it
felt like destroying a part of Bond himself. The audience
(22:30):
reacted so strongly because that car had accumulated five decades
of emotional and cultural weight, which.
Speaker 1 (22:35):
Is exactly why it's rebuilding in the next film, Specter
felt so necessary, almost therapeutic for the audience.
Speaker 2 (22:40):
Maybe exactly right, Q lovingly restores it, presents it back
to Bond fully operational. That act of rebuilding it symbolized
Bond kind of restoring his own identity, embracing his roots.
After the trauma of Skyfall. It powerfully reinforced the idea
that the dB five isn't just replaceable tech, it's somehow fundamental.
It's the unbreakable core of Double seven's world, his equipment.
(23:02):
It even made a final appearance in No Time to Die.
Speaker 1 (23:05):
In its profound cultural significance, this emotional weight, it translates
directly into those stratosphereic prices we see at auction. So
let's stick back into that financial value a bit more.
Speaker 2 (23:15):
Yeah, the price tag is probably the clearest possible measure
of its status as a genuine artifact. We mentioned the
August twenty twenty four sale at Sodabe's chassis number DP
two one sixty one, one of the original cars Aston
Martin provided, fetching four point six million dollars. Now, that
specific car was primarily the road car, but was later
fitted with not operational gadgets for promotion. Still four point
(23:36):
six million dollars. But it's really essential to look at
the nuances in value. The price tag is hugely determined
by providence, Which specific car is it and what was
its exact role? Remember, only four dB fives were originally
associated with Goldfinger and Thunderball promotion and filming that makes
them incredibly rare.
Speaker 1 (23:56):
So different cars fetch different prices.
Speaker 2 (23:58):
Absolutely, that twenty twenty four sale was significant, yes, but we
also have to remember the twenty nineteen auction a different
Goldfinger car, one of the two actual effects cars originally
fitted by John Steers with the full suite of working
gadgets for the film. That one sold for an even
higher price six point four million dollars.
Speaker 1 (24:16):
Wow, six point four million dollars.
Speaker 2 (24:18):
The difference in price often reflects things like which specific
gadgets were authenticated as original and functional. Was the car
primarily used for driving shots the road car, or for
the gadget close ups and sequences the effects car. The
ones with the fully operational screen used gadgets tend to
command the absolute highest.
Speaker 1 (24:34):
Premium, so it demonstrates not just high demand, but consistent
even rising demand over time. The market views these specific
chassis numbers as totally unique pieces of cinematic art essentially.
Speaker 2 (24:45):
And the appeal is genuinely dual layered. I think, on
one hand you have the massive global Bond fan base
who see it as owning a piece of film history,
the ultimate piece. But then you also have the serious
classic car collectors, people who recognized dB five, even without
the bond connection, as a genuine automotive master work in
its own right, a peak of nineteen sixties British design
(25:07):
and engineering. The Goldfinger provenance simply layers this incredible cultural, historical,
and let's face it, financial prestige onto an already beautiful
and desirable vehicle. That combination ensures its consistent multimillion dollar
price tag. It appeals on multiple levels.
Speaker 1 (25:25):
Okay, we've tracked its design origins. It's deadly cube branch features,
it's fascinating cinematic history, it's cultural ripple effect, and it's
staggering price tag today. Now we need to try and
pull all these threads together. So what does this all
mean when you boil it down? Why does the DP
five consistently triumphant people's minds over every other remarkable car
bond is driven? I mean, think about the amphibious lotuses, PREE,
(25:46):
the missile firing BMW's, the sleek V twelve, vanguish. They
all have their moments. Why is the DP five the one?
Speaker 2 (25:52):
I think the definitive argument really rests on a combination
of perfect synergy, perfect timing, and this unmatched esthetic balance.
It's not just about nostalgia, though that's part of it.
It's more about the vehicle's absolutely immaculate alignment with the
whole seven ethos right at the exact moment James Bond
exploded into a global cultural phenomenon in the mid nineteen sixties.
Speaker 1 (26:15):
So it captured that specific moment perfectly. It did.
Speaker 2 (26:18):
The dB five simultaneously embodied tradition, that classic British GT
elegance and radical innovation with those hidden gadgets. It walked
that line beautifully, and it shruck a balance that I
think later Bond cars often struggled to find. You know,
take the BMW seven to fifty il from tomorrow and
never dies. Technologically it was incredible, right controllable by a
smartphone back in the nineties. But did it have soul?
(26:40):
Maybe not in the same way. Insing point the dB
five being fundamentally analogue, mechanical, maybe even slightly temperamental, it
felt like a genuine piece of clever engineering ingenuity, not
just a piece of software on wheels. It retained that
essential British sense of class, which made the gadgets feel
like these wonderful, almost surprise hidden capabilities rather than just
(27:02):
an aggressive expected feature set, and.
Speaker 1 (27:04):
We absolutely have to give proper weight to what you
might call the Connery effect, right.
Speaker 2 (27:08):
Oh, unquestionably, the car will forever be associated with Sean Connery,
the actor who arguably established the definitive cinematic bond for generations.
That perfect chemistry between that specific actor, the narrative weight
and global impact of Goldfinger as a film, and the
first stunning appearance of that car. It created this unique
cultural moment, a synergy that no later bond vehicle, however cool,
(27:31):
could ever quite replicate. They were defining the modern spy
genre together simultaneously.
Speaker 1 (27:36):
They really were, precisely so.
Speaker 2 (27:38):
While subsequent cars definitely achieved specific memorable feats, you know,
the Lotus diving underwater's iconic, the BMWZ eight getting cut
in half was dramatic, none achieved the universal recognition or
the sheer staying power of the dB five. It became
an instant, globally recognized symbol. That's a rare feat that
goes way beyond just clever marketing. It's genuine cold resonance,
(28:01):
and maybe its greatest legacy looking back, is its role
in actually shaping the genre. The Goldfinger dB five really
set the creative mandate for how action movies would utilize
vehicles for the next fifty sixty years. It perfectly tapped
into that nineteen sixties fascination with both classic elegance and
hidden futuristic technology. It became the essential blueprint for integrated
(28:22):
action sequences where the car isn't just transport, it's a
primary driver of the conflict, the escape, even character.
Speaker 1 (28:28):
Development, lethal capability blended with timeless style.
Speaker 2 (28:31):
That's the gold standard it set.
Speaker 1 (28:33):
So the nineteen sixty three Aston Martin dB five, from
its beautiful super lego rear bodywork right down to the
let's face a slightly Bonker's compressed air system for its
theatrical ejector seat, it just captured the global imagination back then,
and it set this impossibly high, timeless standard for what
a cinematic vehicle could be. It really is the ultimate
(28:54):
expression of Bond's paradox sophisticated, dangerous, traditional, innovative and just
lessly captivating.
Speaker 2 (29:01):
And that unique confluence of timing, brilliant design, groundbreaking effects
and pure imagination. That's precisely why the dB five remains
the definitive benchmark, the gold standardgainst which really all spy cars,
all movie cars, probably all cool TV cars too, are
still measured today. It is the original, the archetype, the
mechanical marvel of cinematic espionage.
Speaker 1 (29:20):
It's truly a remarkable piece of history and just fantastic cinema.
Speaker 2 (29:23):
Absolutely So here's our final provocative thought for you, our listener,
to maybe chew on. If the dB five so perfectly
define the golden age of analog spy fantasy, which modern
action vehicle today, packed with software digital controls, may be
electric power which one truly manages to capture that same
unique sense of timeless elegance combined with deadly, almost mechanical surprise.
(29:45):
That same magic the dB five delivered back in nineteen
sixty four will let you decide where, or even if,
that next gold standard lies
Welcome back to the deep dive. You know, some machines
are just vehicles, yeah, transportation, and then well they're a
rare few that becomes something else, entirely cultural milestones.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Objects that really define a franchise, maybe even an era,
or a whole genre of filmmaking exactly.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
And today we are strapping into the definitive legend. We're
doing a deep dive into the nineteen sixty three Aston
Martin dB five, specifically the Q modified icon from the
nineteen sixty four James Bond film Goldfinger.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Ah, the Goldfinger dB five probably the most famous car in.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
The world, right, it has to be up there. And
for you listening, whether you're a devoted petrol head or
maybe you're just curious why certain fictional items become these
priceless artifacts. Well, the relevance of this car it's just
impossible to ignore. We aren't just talking about nostalgia here.
This is real, measurable financial value we're discussing. Think about this,
one of the original dB fives used in Goldfinger. It
(00:53):
fetched a staggering four point six million dollars at auction
just in twenty twenty four.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Four point six million. That's well, that's more than just
a classic car price tag. That's serious history, tangible cinema history.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
Like you said, okay, let's untack this. Then. Our big
question today is what precise alchemy you know of design, timing,
pure ingenuity, maybe sure fantasy, ye, what made this particular
Aston Martin just transcend the screen? How did it become
the undiscuted gold standard, the one that well, every single
movie vehicle, every spy car, every action prop gets judged.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
Against that synergy. That's exactly what we need to get
into our mission here really is to look way beyond
just listing the gadgets. It's fun, but there's more to it.
Were dissecting the intersection of high end British engineering, the
specific anxieties, but also the aspirations of the Cold War
era and honestly, the masterful cultural synthesis that happened when
(01:47):
Eon Productions paired the dbfi sophistication with the well the
deadly resourcefulness of MI six is c brand.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
So the dB five wasn't just Bonds car, no, not
at all.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
It became the technological embodiment of the whole double O
seven ethos itself, agans and lethality all in one package.
Speaker 1 (02:02):
Okay, so before Q even you know, got his hands
dirty with the machine guns and the ejector seats, we
really have to appreciate the raw material here. The car itself,
the dB five was, I mean, by any standard of
the early nineteen sixties, a mechanical and esthetic masterpiece.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
Absolutely. It's crucial to remember that Aston Martin Lagonda Limited
introduced this car in nineteen sixty three. It was a
direct evolution, a necessary one really from the dB.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
Four, So refinement rather than revolution exactly.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
It wasn't some completely groundbreaking concept from scratch. It was
more like a relentless pursuit of perfection in that grand
touring category. For that specific moment, it really represented the
pinnacle of what British automotive engineering could achieve style, power, comfort, and.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
When you say pinnacle you're talking about power and sophistication combined.
This wasn't built like a fragile, stripped down race machine.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
Was it not at all? It was designed for powerful, comfortable,
long distance driving, I think, crossing continence and style. That
was the GT ethos.
Speaker 1 (03:01):
So let's get into the nuts and bolts a bit.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
The engine right the heart of the machine. The dB
five was powered by the Tadekmarek designed four point zero
meter straight six engine. Now that inline six configuration, it's
inherently smooth, very balanced, and with its triple su carburetor
standard on the dB five it produced a pretty impressive
two hundred and eighty two horse power.
Speaker 1 (03:23):
Two hundred and eighty two horsepower and sixty three How
did that stack out?
Speaker 2 (03:27):
Well? It placed it firmly in the same league as
some elite Italian machinery of the day. You know, your
ferraris your Maseratis. But the Aston did it with this
distinctly British, almost understated presence, less flamboyant.
Speaker 1 (03:39):
Perhaps, and those specs they translated into serious performance on
the road, all right, especially for what was, let's face,
a pretty heavy, luxurious car.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
It did. Yeah, the dB five could reach a top
speed of around one hundred and forty five miles per hour.
That was genuinely stunning for a production car back in
sixty four.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
And its acceleration sort of cemented its status too, zero
to sixty mile power in roughly seven point one seconds. Now,
these figures weren't just impressive on paper, they were aspirational.
They immediately branded the dB five as a vehicle four. Well,
the wealthy elite people who demanded performance but wouldn't sacrifice
luxury to get it.
Speaker 1 (04:12):
Okay, so it's already an elite vehicle. But why this
specific car for bond Eon Productions could have chosen something else?
There were faster cars, maybe flashier ones. What was it
about the look? The aesthetic?
Speaker 2 (04:24):
Ha? I think it was actually the lack of flashiness
combined with this underlying, sort of subtle menace. The styling
itself penned by the Italian coach builder Kurrazuria Touring SUPERLEDGERA.
Speaker 1 (04:36):
Was just crucial super ledger that means super light trip exactly.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
It refers to their construction technique, building lightweight aluminum alloy
body panels over this complex tubular steel space frame. It
was notoriously expensive, very difficult, required incredible craftsmanship. That method
itself screamed.
Speaker 1 (04:54):
Prestige and the look it created.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
It resulted in this esthetic of I've come an aggressive elegance.
You have these leak, flowing aerodynamic lines, those really distinctive
chrome accents, the wire spoke wheels. It just exuded sophistication,
but it also looked powerful, capable.
Speaker 1 (05:10):
It didn't scream weapon.
Speaker 2 (05:11):
No it screamed status symbol, and that understated look was
I think a perfect visual match for Sean Connery's zero seven,
you know, suave, impeccably tailored, smooth, but capable of sudden
brutal violence when needed. The car mirrored the man.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
That distinction feels really key. I mean, if Bond had
been driving, say a loud, brightly colored American muscle car,
the gadgets might have felt almost expected, a bit obvious.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
Maybe right, It would have fit a different kind of character.
Speaker 1 (05:41):
But because the dB five started life as this symbol
of refined elegance, you know, they condonly leather upholstery inside
the beautiful Walmut dashboard, all that advanced instrumentation for the time,
the transition into a rolling arsenal was just far more shocking,
more impactful m hm.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
The lethality was completely unexpected, hidden beneath that veneer of
British prestige of class.
Speaker 1 (06:03):
Yeah, and that contrast I think is absolutely foundational to
its cinematic power. It sets up the surprise perfectly.
Speaker 2 (06:09):
And that transformation, well, that's what everyone remembers most vividly,
isn't it.
Speaker 1 (06:12):
Oh, Absolutely, that moment when Desmond and Lellen's Q appears
on screen, Yeah, displaying his latest creations with that signature
mix of like weary pride and maybe a bit of
exasperation that Bond's likely misuse of them. It's just pure
cinematic joy.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
Now pay attention double Z seven exactly.
Speaker 1 (06:32):
So here's where it gets really interesting. We're now diving
into a vehicle that wasn't just you know, equipped with
a few weapons. It was almost a living reflection of
the technological hopes and maybe even the fears gripping the
world during the early to mid nineteen sixties, that whole
Cold War tech race vibe.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
Definitely.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
So let's systematically break down this arsenal the gadgets that
really define spy cinema forever.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
Okay, where else to start, but with the feature that
became utterly synonymous with the car, the one that simultaneously
well broke all the rules of subtlety, the ejector seat.
Speaker 1 (07:03):
The red button in the gearstick.
Speaker 2 (07:04):
That iconic red button cleverly concealed within the gearstick nam
and it's the ultimate piece of let's be honest plot
convenience designed to jettison an unwonted passenger straight through the
roof panel.
Speaker 1 (07:15):
Okay, it's definitely the most same as Gadget. But let
me push back on that for just a second. If
we're saying the dB five success partly rests on its subtlety,
it's sort of high class espionage presentation, doesn't that ejector
seat fundamentally contradict that. I mean, it's so completely over
the top. It's pure theater, almost absurd.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
That's a brilliant point, actually, and I think it highlights
the genius of Goldfinger's tone. The ejector seat works precisely
because it is absurd. It is the single defining piece
of pure, unadulterated fantasy in the car. Remember Q WARN's bond.
I never joke about my work W seven, implying it's
deadly serious, but its very present signals to the audience. Okay,
(07:57):
this car, this world, it's operating a little outside the
normal laws of physics and civilized warfare. It gives us
permission to just abandon reality for a bit and fully
embrace the spy fantasy.
Speaker 1 (08:06):
Okay, fair enough. It kind of says the stage for
the spectacle. It tells you anything is possible.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
With this car exactly. Now, moving on to the actual
offensive capabilities. These were much stealthier, much more cube brands.
Speaker 1 (08:16):
Right.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
Machine guns, Yes, the elegance of the machine guns is
all in their concealment. You've got the twin Browning point
three zero caliber machine guns lethally hidden behind the front
indicator lights. They needed this slick mechanical flip mechanism to
expose the barrels, a small but really exquisite piece of
practical effects engineering. For the time, it signified instant danger
(08:39):
hidden right there in plain sight.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
And then defensively, you needed something more robust brute force.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
Protection, right, and that came in the form of the
retractable bulletproof shield, essentially a reinforced steel plate that rises
up from the rear deck. Simple effective protection for the
occupants from anyone tailing the car and shooting. It's a
very practical defense mechanism really. Later films often went for
more high tech solutions like armor plating, but this was
visually dramatic.
Speaker 1 (09:06):
And then you have the pure resourcefulness of evasion. Nothing
quite says I'm getting away now, like the oil slick
and the smoke screen exactly.
Speaker 2 (09:13):
The oil slick dispenser used nozzles presumably linked to a
separate tank, not the engine oil, to release lubricants and
cause immediate loss of traction for any pursuing vehicles. Simple physics,
slippery stuff, and paired with the smoke screen device which
emitted this thick, dense cloud of smoke from the exhaust system.
While Bond could instantly obscure the vision of his attackers
(09:35):
by himself, crucial seconds to escape. These were tangible mechanical
methods of evasion. They felt grounded and clever, resourceful ingenuity,
not just magic tech.
Speaker 1 (09:45):
And thinking about Bond's international movements, the rotating number plates,
so simple, so elegant, but absolutely essential for a globe
trotting spy.
Speaker 2 (09:53):
Precisely that ability to switch between British, French and Swiss
registrations with the flick of a switch. It was a
marvel of well relatively simple mechanical efficiency back then. It
allowed Bond to instantly evade detection or identification across borders,
a tangible solution to a very real problem for any
fictional Cold War operative.
Speaker 1 (10:13):
Let's not forget the sheer aggression hidden in the wheels themselves,
those tire slashers.
Speaker 2 (10:17):
Ugh ah, yes, the ben her Chariot race move those
were the extendable spikes mounted right into the wheel hubs
extending outwards, designed specifically to shred the tires of any
enemy car driving alongside. This detail, I think really underscores
that the dB five was weaponized down to its most
fundamental parts. It turned the simple act of driving near
(10:39):
an opponent into a potentially deadly confrontation.
Speaker 1 (10:42):
But I think the single greatest piece of gadgetry, maybe
because of its connection to the actual tech buzz of
the nineteen sixties, has to be the radar tracker.
Speaker 2 (10:50):
I'd agree with that that small circular dashboard mounted screen
tracking a homing device planted on another car that was
genuinely cutting edge stuff for the audience in nineteen sixty four.
Think about it, the space race was on, Spotnik had
launched not long before. Public fascination with advanced electronics surveillance
tracking technology was intense.
Speaker 1 (11:09):
It tapped into that szeitgeist.
Speaker 2 (11:10):
It absolutely did. The radar tracker plugged directly into that
collective Cold War aspiration and maybe fear of technological dominance.
It suggested MI I six had access to this almost
satellite level precision tracking. It was a profound technological fantasy
for the time. But it also somehow anchored the entire
gadget arsenal in a sense of plausible, if definitely exaggerated reality.
Speaker 1 (11:34):
So these modifications weren't just like a random shopping list
of cool stuff.
Speaker 2 (11:39):
Not at all. They formed a systematic arsenal. Everything was
designed to make Bond resourceful, untraceable, and ultimately unstoppable. The
car became the perfect technological reflection of the agent himself,
sophisticated on the surface, adaptable and legally effective when necessary,
operating in that increasingly complex high tech cold war landscape.
Speaker 1 (11:59):
Okay, so it was one thing dream of this incredible
arsenal on paper, is quite another to actually make it
look convincingly functional on screen back in nineteen sixty four.
This was long before the era of easy digital effects, right.
That must have required immense ingenuity from the special effects team.
Speaker 2 (12:13):
It truly did. The logistical setup alone was pretty complex.
Aston Martin you know, they obviously sense this huge promotional opportunity,
so they provided Eon Productions with two main dB fives
for the actual filming, two cars. Two main ones, yes
DP two on sixty one the road car for most
striding shots, and a MP seven B the effects car,
which got heavily modified for the gadgets. Crucially, though, Aston
(12:37):
Martin also built a third car which was used purely
for promotional tours and static displays. That's often the car
people saw up close at events, maybe leading to some
confusion about which car did what uh okay.
Speaker 1 (12:49):
And the actual on screen magic making the gadgets work,
that was down to the special effects supervisor John Steers.
Speaker 2 (12:54):
John Steers, yes a true master of practical mechanical effects.
His work was ingeniusc ically because he had to blend
relatively simple mechanics with quite complex.
Speaker 1 (13:03):
Illusions like the rotating never plates.
Speaker 2 (13:05):
Yeah, the plates, as we mentioned, were comparatively straightforward. They
likely involve some mechanical rigging, maybe cables or motors tied
to a lever or switch inside the cockpit. Simple but
effective on camera. But the bigger effects they were a
genuine engineering challenge. They had to work reliably, take after
take under filming conditions.
Speaker 1 (13:25):
Let's talk about the machine guns again. How did they
actually achieve that visual effect the lights flipping down the
barrels appear.
Speaker 2 (13:32):
Think about the precision needed. The indicator lights had to
flip down sharply. The gun barrels needed to deploy instantly
and ideally simulate firing simultaneously. This probably involved hidden pneumatic
or maybe hydraulic systems to get that quick action, paired
with gas effects maybe pyrotechnics to simulate the muzzle flash
and smoke.
Speaker 1 (13:52):
And the timing had to be perfect.
Speaker 2 (13:53):
Instantaneous exactly to make that transformation from elegant car to
weapon believable, Steers had to ensure them the mechanism was
robust enough to repeat for multiple takes, but also completely
hidden when retracted. It had to fulfill q's promise of
total concealment.
Speaker 1 (14:09):
But the ejector seat, Yeah, that must have been the
ultimate technical hurdle. They couldn't just, you know, use CGI
to make a passenger disappear.
Speaker 2 (14:16):
No way. For that crucial ejector sequence, Steers team had
to completely modify the passenger's seat mechanism and the roof
section above it. It wasn't just a simple spring under
the cushion.
Speaker 1 (14:27):
Probably not.
Speaker 2 (14:27):
They likely utilized a fairly sophisticated compressed air system, maybe
nitrogen canisters to propel a stuntman or more often probably
a weighted dummy forcefully out.
Speaker 1 (14:39):
Of the car and the roof panel that was a whole.
Speaker 2 (14:42):
Separate, rigged component. It might have been fitted with small
explosive bolts or maybe powerful springs, timed precisely to ensure
it flipped open just as the seat fired, maximum dramatic effect,
you know, without completely destroying the underlying structure of this
very expensive car. Every take that level of spoke, rapid
fire mechanical action that was genuinely groundbreaking cinema back then.
Speaker 1 (15:05):
It really is amazing what they achieve practically. Yeah, and
yet despite all this incredible preparation and all the focus
on the gadgets, the car's actual screen time in Goldfinger
is when you time it, surprisingly brief, but it feels indelible.
It feels like it's in almost every key action sequence.
Speaker 2 (15:24):
That right there speaks to the power of perfect deployment.
The dB five doesn't overstay its welcome in the film.
It's used precisely when it's needed. Most most memorably, of course,
in that high stakes pursuit through the Furka Pass in
the Swiss Alps.
Speaker 1 (15:38):
That's the iconic scene.
Speaker 2 (15:40):
It really is. The car became a crucial character in
that sequence, deployed with flare, with panache, using pretty much
every gadget the oil slick, the smoke, the shield, the
tire slashers culminating in the ejector seat to evade Goldfinger's henchmen.
The audience leaves the theater, associating the car absolutely with action,
ingenuity and bonds cool under pressure. Wardless of the actual
(16:00):
minute count.
Speaker 1 (16:01):
On screen and the studio on productions, they must have
immediately understood they'd struck gold This wasn't just another prop.
Speaker 2 (16:08):
Oh Instantly, its status as Bond's signature transport was so
immediately solidified that they swiftly brought it back for the
very next film, Thunderball, in nineteen sixty five. Now, that
move cemented the idea the dB five wasn't just a
mission specific gadget car. It was Bond's personal, trusted vehicle,
and that elevated it far beyond the realm of typical
(16:28):
movie cars. It became part of his identity.
Speaker 1 (16:31):
Okay, So now let's shift our focus a bit, move
from the film set itself to the well the global
marketplace in the cultural consciousness. Yeah, the dB five didn't
just impact cinema history. It fundamentally changed how manufacturers and
studios thought about merchandising and even the relationship between a
hero and their vehicle.
Speaker 2 (16:48):
That's absolutely right. Before the Goldfinger dB five, cars and
movies were generally either purely functional, just transportation to get
characters from A to B, or maybe generic action vehicles,
you know, cars for chasing or crashing. The dB five
really pioneered the concept of the character car. It wasn't
just driven by Bond. It became an extension of his unique,
(17:08):
somewhat paradoxical identity. Stylish, sophisticated, technologically advanced, but secretly deadly.
That whole blueprint, that combination, it really set the standard
for pretty much all future action vehicle design.
Speaker 1 (17:22):
And you can see that influence radiate across the film
and TV industry almost immediately, couldn't you. Oh, definitely.
Speaker 2 (17:27):
The combination of style, power and those hidden Q branch
style gadgets established a trope that became almost universal in
spy and action genres. You can trace a pretty direct lineage.
For example, well, it immediately influenced the Batmobile and the
subsequent nineteen sixties Batman TV series. That Batmobile clearly adopted
the dB five's blueprint, an elegant ish car packed with fantastical,
(17:50):
almost q L like gadgets for every situation.
Speaker 1 (17:52):
Good point the bat ray the Battering.
Speaker 2 (17:54):
Ram exactly, and of course it defined subsequent generations of
Bond cars too. Think of the Lotus is Spree, Submarine
Car and The Spy Who Loved Me. Even its influence
today is clear enfranchises like Mission Impossible, or even The
Fast and the Fury is where the vehicles are absolutely central,
not just to the action but often to the plot
and character development itself.
Speaker 1 (18:14):
But the impact went far beyond just other movies and
TV shows. That dB five somehow became this international symbol
of I don't know, sophisticated British cool mm hmm.
Speaker 2 (18:25):
And that's where the merchandising genius really comes into play.
You have to remember the timing. The car arrived at
the absolute perfect moment, the peak of the swinning sixties.
British culture, fashion, music, and espionage, thanks largely to Bond,
were all globally dominant, hugely fashiable. The car became instantly
synonymous with that whole vibe, sophistication, danger, international.
Speaker 1 (18:46):
Intrigues, and the toys were huge.
Speaker 2 (18:48):
The commercial success was immediate and profound, and yes, driven
largely by toys and collectibles. The most famous example, without
a doubt, is the Corky Guy cast model, which launched
in nineteen sixty five.
Speaker 1 (18:57):
Everyone had that Corky car or ron.
Speaker 2 (19:00):
It wasn't just a static model, it was an interactive toy.
Corgi very cleverly incorporated the most exciting features right into
that small scale replica. It had the working ejector seat,
you pushed a little button on, the pop up rear shield,
even the little machine guns poking out the front.
Speaker 1 (19:17):
That Corky model is just legendary. An entire generation could
actively engage with the fantasy of the car, even if
they were too young to see the actual film.
Speaker 2 (19:25):
It was absolutely transformational marketing. That Corgi dB five sold
millions and millions of units worldwide. It became one of
the best selling die cast toy cars of all time,
and crucially, it cemented the car specific gadgetry, the tire slashers,
the shield, the ejector seat into the global pop culture consciousness.
(19:46):
It made the car recognizable even to kids who had
never seen Sean Connery to play them on screen. And
beyond toys, its digital life has really ensured its immortality, hasn't.
Speaker 1 (19:55):
Oh yeah, video games?
Speaker 2 (19:56):
The dB five is consistently featured in Bond video games,
allowing total new audiences new generations to experience the thrill
of driving it using the oil slick or the smoke
screen firsthand. Its appearance in huge games like James Bond
Zebras seven, Agent under Fire or the massively popular N
sixty four game Golden Eye ZEBRASO seven that reinforced its
(20:17):
digital legacy. It proved its appeal crosses technological generations.
Speaker 1 (20:21):
I think the ultimate triumph of the dB five, though,
is just its sheer recognizability. You show almost anyone anywhere
in the world just that sleek fliver profile. Yeah that shape,
and they immediately connected to Zeros of seven, Yes, spies
to cool. It became the definitive visual shorthand for the
entire franchise. And that's the status really that no subsequent
Bond vehicle has ever managed to truly usurp.
Speaker 2 (20:43):
It's instantly iconic. The silhouette alone does it.
Speaker 1 (20:45):
So the true test of any icon maybe is its
capacity for return, its endurance both on screen and as
we touched on and they've launched NASS, and the dB
five is really remarkable because it was never truly retired
from Bond's world, was it. It became this, this connective tissue,
a kind of relic linking different generations of Bond actors.
Speaker 2 (21:02):
It truly is the franchise's hairloom, isn't it. After Connery
used it in Goldfinger and Thunderball, it sort of went
away for a while, but then, yes, it reappeared multiple times.
We saw it quite prominently with Pierce Brosnan in GoldenEye
back in ninety.
Speaker 1 (21:16):
Five, the Race against the Ferrari exactly.
Speaker 2 (21:18):
And briefly again and Tomorrow never dies. But I think
its role fundamentally shifted became much more significant when Daniel
Craig stepped into the role.
Speaker 1 (21:27):
Aw so well.
Speaker 2 (21:28):
Under Daniel Craig, the dB five stopped being just a cool,
sophisticated tool. It became more of an artifact of Bond's past,
a symbol of tradition, maybe even his vulnerability. Its appearance
in Casino Royal winning it in that poker game that
felt like a knowing wink to the audience, establishing Craig's
link to the legacy. But its role in Skyfall in
(21:48):
twenty twelve that was emotionally seismic.
Speaker 1 (21:51):
Oh, absolutely, that scene in Skyfall Bond pulls the dusty
cover off the car in his lock up. He used
it to retreat to his ancestral home in Scotland, and
then its destruction during the siege on the house. That
was a genuinely poignant moment in the cinema. It provoked
real shock, real sadness from the audience. Why do you
think that destruction hit so hard?
Speaker 2 (22:10):
Because by twenty twelve, I think the dB five had
evolved way beyond just being a car. It had become
essentially a beloved supporting character in the franchise. It represented
Bond's history, his connection to MI six, maybe his enduring
analog nature and increasingly digital world. So destroying it it
felt like destroying a part of Bond himself. The audience
(22:30):
reacted so strongly because that car had accumulated five decades
of emotional and cultural weight, which.
Speaker 1 (22:35):
Is exactly why it's rebuilding in the next film, Specter
felt so necessary, almost therapeutic for the audience.
Speaker 2 (22:40):
Maybe exactly right, Q lovingly restores it, presents it back
to Bond fully operational. That act of rebuilding it symbolized
Bond kind of restoring his own identity, embracing his roots.
After the trauma of Skyfall. It powerfully reinforced the idea
that the dB five isn't just replaceable tech, it's somehow fundamental.
It's the unbreakable core of Double seven's world, his equipment.
(23:02):
It even made a final appearance in No Time to Die.
Speaker 1 (23:05):
In its profound cultural significance, this emotional weight, it translates
directly into those stratosphereic prices we see at auction. So
let's stick back into that financial value a bit more.
Speaker 2 (23:15):
Yeah, the price tag is probably the clearest possible measure
of its status as a genuine artifact. We mentioned the
August twenty twenty four sale at Sodabe's chassis number DP
two one sixty one, one of the original cars Aston
Martin provided, fetching four point six million dollars. Now, that
specific car was primarily the road car, but was later
fitted with not operational gadgets for promotion. Still four point
(23:36):
six million dollars. But it's really essential to look at
the nuances in value. The price tag is hugely determined
by providence, Which specific car is it and what was
its exact role? Remember, only four dB fives were originally
associated with Goldfinger and Thunderball promotion and filming that makes
them incredibly rare.
Speaker 1 (23:56):
So different cars fetch different prices.
Speaker 2 (23:58):
Absolutely, that twenty twenty four sale was significant, yes, but we
also have to remember the twenty nineteen auction a different
Goldfinger car, one of the two actual effects cars originally
fitted by John Steers with the full suite of working
gadgets for the film. That one sold for an even
higher price six point four million dollars.
Speaker 1 (24:16):
Wow, six point four million dollars.
Speaker 2 (24:18):
The difference in price often reflects things like which specific
gadgets were authenticated as original and functional. Was the car
primarily used for driving shots the road car, or for
the gadget close ups and sequences the effects car. The
ones with the fully operational screen used gadgets tend to
command the absolute highest.
Speaker 1 (24:34):
Premium, so it demonstrates not just high demand, but consistent
even rising demand over time. The market views these specific
chassis numbers as totally unique pieces of cinematic art essentially.
Speaker 2 (24:45):
And the appeal is genuinely dual layered. I think, on
one hand you have the massive global Bond fan base
who see it as owning a piece of film history,
the ultimate piece. But then you also have the serious
classic car collectors, people who recognized dB five, even without
the bond connection, as a genuine automotive master work in
its own right, a peak of nineteen sixties British design
(25:07):
and engineering. The Goldfinger provenance simply layers this incredible cultural, historical,
and let's face it, financial prestige onto an already beautiful
and desirable vehicle. That combination ensures its consistent multimillion dollar
price tag. It appeals on multiple levels.
Speaker 1 (25:25):
Okay, we've tracked its design origins. It's deadly cube branch features,
it's fascinating cinematic history, it's cultural ripple effect, and it's
staggering price tag today. Now we need to try and
pull all these threads together. So what does this all
mean when you boil it down? Why does the DP
five consistently triumphant people's minds over every other remarkable car
bond is driven? I mean, think about the amphibious lotuses, PREE,
(25:46):
the missile firing BMW's, the sleek V twelve, vanguish. They
all have their moments. Why is the DP five the one?
Speaker 2 (25:52):
I think the definitive argument really rests on a combination
of perfect synergy, perfect timing, and this unmatched esthetic balance.
It's not just about nostalgia, though that's part of it.
It's more about the vehicle's absolutely immaculate alignment with the
whole seven ethos right at the exact moment James Bond
exploded into a global cultural phenomenon in the mid nineteen sixties.
Speaker 1 (26:15):
So it captured that specific moment perfectly. It did.
Speaker 2 (26:18):
The dB five simultaneously embodied tradition, that classic British GT
elegance and radical innovation with those hidden gadgets. It walked
that line beautifully, and it shruck a balance that I
think later Bond cars often struggled to find. You know,
take the BMW seven to fifty il from tomorrow and
never dies. Technologically it was incredible, right controllable by a
smartphone back in the nineties. But did it have soul?
(26:40):
Maybe not in the same way. Insing point the dB
five being fundamentally analogue, mechanical, maybe even slightly temperamental, it
felt like a genuine piece of clever engineering ingenuity, not
just a piece of software on wheels. It retained that
essential British sense of class, which made the gadgets feel
like these wonderful, almost surprise hidden capabilities rather than just
(27:02):
an aggressive expected feature set, and.
Speaker 1 (27:04):
We absolutely have to give proper weight to what you
might call the Connery effect, right.
Speaker 2 (27:08):
Oh, unquestionably, the car will forever be associated with Sean Connery,
the actor who arguably established the definitive cinematic bond for generations.
That perfect chemistry between that specific actor, the narrative weight
and global impact of Goldfinger as a film, and the
first stunning appearance of that car. It created this unique
cultural moment, a synergy that no later bond vehicle, however cool,
(27:31):
could ever quite replicate. They were defining the modern spy
genre together simultaneously.
Speaker 1 (27:36):
They really were, precisely so.
Speaker 2 (27:38):
While subsequent cars definitely achieved specific memorable feats, you know,
the Lotus diving underwater's iconic, the BMWZ eight getting cut
in half was dramatic, none achieved the universal recognition or
the sheer staying power of the dB five. It became
an instant, globally recognized symbol. That's a rare feat that
goes way beyond just clever marketing. It's genuine cold resonance,
(28:01):
and maybe its greatest legacy looking back, is its role
in actually shaping the genre. The Goldfinger dB five really
set the creative mandate for how action movies would utilize
vehicles for the next fifty sixty years. It perfectly tapped
into that nineteen sixties fascination with both classic elegance and
hidden futuristic technology. It became the essential blueprint for integrated
(28:22):
action sequences where the car isn't just transport, it's a
primary driver of the conflict, the escape, even character.
Speaker 1 (28:28):
Development, lethal capability blended with timeless style.
Speaker 2 (28:31):
That's the gold standard it set.
Speaker 1 (28:33):
So the nineteen sixty three Aston Martin dB five, from
its beautiful super lego rear bodywork right down to the
let's face a slightly Bonker's compressed air system for its
theatrical ejector seat, it just captured the global imagination back then,
and it set this impossibly high, timeless standard for what
a cinematic vehicle could be. It really is the ultimate
(28:54):
expression of Bond's paradox sophisticated, dangerous, traditional, innovative and just
lessly captivating.
Speaker 2 (29:01):
And that unique confluence of timing, brilliant design, groundbreaking effects
and pure imagination. That's precisely why the dB five remains
the definitive benchmark, the gold standardgainst which really all spy cars,
all movie cars, probably all cool TV cars too, are
still measured today. It is the original, the archetype, the
mechanical marvel of cinematic espionage.
Speaker 1 (29:20):
It's truly a remarkable piece of history and just fantastic cinema.
Speaker 2 (29:23):
Absolutely So here's our final provocative thought for you, our listener,
to maybe chew on. If the dB five so perfectly
define the golden age of analog spy fantasy, which modern
action vehicle today, packed with software digital controls, may be
electric power which one truly manages to capture that same
unique sense of timeless elegance combined with deadly, almost mechanical surprise.
(29:45):
That same magic the dB five delivered back in nineteen
sixty four will let you decide where, or even if,
that next gold standard lies
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