1965 Aston Martin DB5 Coupe “James Bond”

We secretly longed for a world where martinis were specifically ordered by dashing secret agents who wore white dinner jackets under their wetsuits

by Gary Anderson

James Bond’s Aston Martin DB5, which roared into the public consciousness in the 1964 movie “Goldfinger,” has a fair claim on being “The Most Famous Car in the World,” as Dave Worrall’s 1993 book asserts. That Silver Birch DB5 embodied the virtues of the character first launched in Ian Fleming’s spy novels in 1953: stunning elegance, international intrigue, and visceral power. But in 1963, Aston Martin was one of the world’s smallest and most obscure automakers, hand-making about 200 cars a year. Aston’s exclusive client base was limited to connoisseurs of grand touring automobiles, attracted by the marque’s racing pedigree. But with “Goldfinger,” the DB5’s image fascinated men of all ages. In fact, the DB5 was merely an upgraded version of the DB4, which had been in production for five years. Upgrades included a larger 4.0-liter engine and triple SU carburetors as standard equipment, resulting in a 20 percent increase in horsepower to 282 bhp. After the...