Boy's Own Fantasy

The Age

Saturday August 16, 2008

Tony Davis

HERE it is, glorious from every angle, the quintessential British muscle car, the epitome of a certain something that was the 1960s, the perfect transport from one Boy's Own fantasy to the next.

It's an Aston-Martin DB5, the car that made James Bond, well, James Bond.

In what was probably the most successful movie product placement ever, the DB5 was featured in the mid-1960s movies Goldfinger and Thunderball. These films put far more bums on seats than the previous Bond efforts, and 007's magnificent set of wheels had more than a little to do with it.

Just mention the DB5 and every male of a certain age says: "I used to have a model of it when I was a kid - with machine guns and ejector seat and bulletproof shield, and it was in the original box and I wished I'd hung on to it because it must be worth a fortune now."

"My" full-sized Aston was finished in a deep blue with red leather interior. It was a bit of a climb around the windscreen pillar, and, once in, I found a huge steering wheel that stuck into my legs, and floor-hinged pedals that were heavy and obtrusive.

Though too large, the wheel is a work of art. The laminated wood is reinforced with brass screws, each with a mother-of-pearl facing and a "knobbly bit" on the back for extra grip.

There's no sound system other than the engine. That will do me: it's a 4.0-litre straight six with 282 bhp (about 210 kW), thanks to three SU carbies.

Brakes are good, too, thanks to four-wheel discs (clearly visible through those sublime-looking chromed wire wheels).

Once under way, the DB5 is not at all brutal to drive. It's a grand tourer in the best sense of the word. Unlike most classic cars, it would still be a comfortable and relaxing thing on a long and fast trip.

Such pleasure was denied me though. I was forced to potter slowishly around suburbia. Without spinning number plates or a licence to kill (or, better still, a licence in someone else's name), I was as vulnerable as the next non-secret agent to speed cameras.

"Fine English craftsmanship in a sharp Italian suit," explained Jeremy Best, the shop's specialist on the cars, from Newport Pagnell, in Buckinghamshire. "And it cost the same as a street full of houses in Derby."

I've never really kept up with Derby property prices. A more salient comparison: in its day, the DB5 was dearer than most Ferraris and more than twice the price of a Jaguar E-Type.

Today, the gulf is even wider and the DB5 is also worth markedly more than other 1960s Astons. The reason is Bond ... James Bond. -- TONY DAVIS

© 2008 The Age

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