Page 36 - June 2022

Sean Connery's Personal Ast on Mart in Heads

t o Auct ion

Goldfinger brought the 1964 Aston Martin DB 5 to an international film
audience. They loved Sean Connery in it, and they loved its hidden
machine guns, its ejector seat, and its ability to make an intentional oil
slick on demand, rather than one that the lovers of British cars
everywhere knows comes almost automatically with the breed.

Bond's DB5 became almost as big a film star as Sean Connery and as

much an eye-catcher as the women who
met their deaths covered in a gilded
coating.

While the car was firmly associated with
Connery, the actor felt that actually owning
one himself as a personal vehicle, according
to his children, was a "bit too obvious". But
with some pushing from the family, 50
years after Goldfinger, Connery finally
Above: A Snow Shadow Gray Aston Martin DB5 will forever be
pulled the trigger and bought a pristine,
associated with James Bond and Sean Connery, the Scottish
original DB5 in 2018. actor who played Ian Fleming's 007 with the utmost of style and
drove a car kitted out with gadgets and plenty of panache.
Barney Ruprecht, an Aston Martin specialist
with recently founded Broad Arrow, who Image by Warren-Pender for istock.
will bring the car to auction on August 18th
Connery. Hagerty is also a major investor in Broad Arrow.
in Monterey, California, advised the elderly
The company anticipates that Connery's car will sell in the
Connery that he should buy a car in as near
1.4-1.8 million dollar range. Celebrity cars, however, often
perfect condition as possible as a
fool the anticipated price range and cars associated with
restoration of a lesser car would take
Bond films, like 007 himself, vastly over perform when they
several years. Connery followed his advice
go under the hammer. A DB5, with all its gadgets, used
and had his near perfect DB5 repainted
simply to promote Goldfinger's original release sold for $6.4
from black to Snow Shadow Gray, the color
million dollars in 2019.
of the car he drove in the films.
According to comments made by Connery's son, Jason, his
Bond Trivia: While Bond fans recall 007's
father never really got the chance to enjoy the DB5 he'd
Aston Martins as being painted in Silver
bought. As the actor aged, travel became more difficult and
Birch, since the DB 5 used in Goldfinger
then COVID hit. Connery kept the car at his home in
was a prototype, not an actual production
Switzerland with a photo of it on his desk. The actor died in
car, the birch color was not available until
2020, at the age of 90, almost 2 years after he purchased the
production models of the DB5 went on sale.
car in 2018.
Snow Shadow Gray was a flatter tone from
the DB4 series. A portion of the sales price will go to support the Connery
Family Philanthropy Fund. In addition to the car, the winning
According to Hagerty, which tracks the
bidder will get a ride in it from Sir James Stewart, F1 racing
value of collector cars, a pristine 1964 DB5
legend, a fellow Scot and longtime friend of Connery's.
would expect to bring a million dollars,
even without a connection to Sean Moral: Time Passes--Buy and Drive while you're Alive.
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