Sir Sean Connery's Aston Martin DB5 has been sold at auction for $2.2million (£1.9m) at an auction in the US. The car is synonymous with the James Bond film franchise having appeared in the films starring Sir Sean.
But this is the only DB5 ever owned by the actor. He died in 2020 but his family decided to sell the 1964 classic car to raise money for a charity fund set up in his name.
Dan Carter, co-founder of the Showpiece platform, through which people can purchase a share in collectable items, hoped to return the car to the UK but was unwilling to increase his bid of $2.1m (£1.8m).
He said: “Sadly, we missed out on a chance to bring Sir Sean Connery’s personal Aston Martin DB5 back to Britain. Yet if a new chance comes to buy this unique vehicle we’ll never say never again.”
The DB5, synonymous with the Bond franchise, was listed as a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” as it is the only car of that model personally owned by Sir Sean. Auctioneers Broad Arrow previously estimated it would sell for between $1.4m and $1.8m (£1.1 to £1.4m at the time).
After a lengthy search, Sir Sean bought the car from a specialist and sent it to be repainted in the traditional Bond colour of snow shadow grey. He also had the wing mirrors removed as he felt it made the car look “cleaner”.
In the 1964 Bond film Goldfinger, Sir Sean’s 007 had a DB5 fitted with an array of gadgets including a Browning .30 calibre machine gun in each front wheel arch and hub-mounted tyre slashers. Box office success saw a surge in sales for Aston Martin and the car became a mainstay in the franchise.
