A 1964 Aston Martin DB5 owned by original 007 actor Sir Sean Connery is to be auctioned in California in August. Broad Arrow Auctions will put the Snow Shadow Grey car under the hammer at its Monterey Jet Center sale where it’s estimated to sell for $1.4-$1.8 million (£1.1-£1.4 million).
The DB5 was delivered new to a Mr A. White in the UK in the same year that Goldfinger rocketed a gadget-laden version to screen stardom, but Connery didn’t buy the car until 2018. “Dad used to talk about owning his own DB5, for no other reason than he loved the car,” son Jason Connery said.
“He did tell me that driving the movie cars, all laden down with the gadgets, especially the machine guns in the front, made the car really front-heavy and turning at slow speed was a Herculean task, so driving without gadgets was a joy! He loved how well balanced it was. Dad also said he would have kept the ejector seat. I didn’t ask who for.”
Connery kept the Aston at his home in Switzerland before he passed away in 2020 at the age of 90. Proceeds of the sale are set to go the Sean Connery Philanthropy Fund, and as an additional incentive Sir Jackie Stewart has offered to take the buyer for a drive.
With other Aston Martin DB5s of the era valued from £528,000 to £696,000 in excellent to concours condition, the estimate for the Connery car represents a significant bump in value from its celebrity ownership – a minimum increase of 58 per cent from the concours value to the lowest estimate for this car.
While that wouldn’t quite put the DB5 on next year’s movie star Hagerty Power List – in part, because the DB5 is already such a valuable car – it’s yet another example of a famous face adding significant value to a vehicle. We’ll soon find out if Broad Arrow’s estimate is spy-high… but what 007 fan could say Dr. No to the prospect of driving a DB5 owned by Connery?
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