A jaw-dropping 1965 Aston Martin DB5 Vantage—arguably the crown jewel of British automotive royalty—is set to steal the show at Broad Arrow’s Las Vegas auction at the end of October. This isn’t just any DB5, mind you. It’s one of only 21 left-hand-drive Vantage coupes ever made, a ridiculously rare slice of motoring history with just 60 total examples rolling off the line in its era. And this one? It’s the very last year they built the damn thing.
Nothing screams “James Bond” quite like the DB5, which rocketed to legendary status after its star turn in Goldfinger. Even now, decades later, it’s still the car that defines Aston Martin: equal parts old-school swagger and cutting-edge muscle. Sure, newer models have come and gone, but the DB5? Pure timeless cool.
This specific beast, chassis number DB5/2136/L, started life in the UK with some bloke named Joseph C. Cline before crossing the pond to the States. Originally decked out in moody Sierra Blue with a Dark Blue interior, someone eventually hit the reset button, slapping on that classic Silver Birch paint job. You know, the same shade as Bond’s ride in Goldfinger. The full restoration by California’s Fast Cars Ltd. means it’s sharper now than when it first left the factory.
Pop the hood and there it is: a snarling 4.0-liter straight-six, triple Webers gulping down fuel, pumping out 321 horses. That’s a big jump over the standard model’s wimpy (okay, fine, “only” 282) horsepower. Slap it into gear with the slick ZF five-speed manual, and this relic of the ‘60s still moves like a bat out of hell—hitting 60 in under six seconds and chasing 150 mph if you’ve got the guts.
Broad Arrow’s betting this beauty pulls somewhere between $850,000 and a cool mil when the hammer drops. Numbers-matching? Check. Ultra-rare? Check. Bragging rights as the OG Bond car? Triple check. Nearly 60 years on, collectors still lose their minds over these things, and honestly? Can you blame them?
Source
Eve Nowell