LONDON – Arguably the world’s most famous car, a 1964 Aston Martin DB5 used by Sean Connery in his immortal role as James Bond, will be auctioned Oct. 27 in London. RM Auctions, in association with Sotheby’s, will present the legendary automobile as the headliner in its annual Automobiles of London event at the Battersea Evolution. Internet live bidding – including live through iPhone/iPod Touch and Android phones – will be available through LiveAuctioneers.com.
The Oct. 27, 2010 sale marks the first time the James Bond Aston Martin has ever been offered for sale. It is expected to achieve in excess of £3.5 million (over US$5 million).
Recognizable around the world by its original UK registration number, FMP 7B, this Aston Martin is one of only two original ‘007’ DB5s featured on screen with Sean Connery behind the wheel in the enormously popular Goldfinger and Thunderball movies. Of the two, the car to be auctioned on Oct. 27 is the only surviving example.
With its extraordinary modifications originally conceived by Oscar-award-winning special effects expert John Stears, this authentic Bond movie car is factory-fitted with the full complement of operational ‘Q-Branch’ gadgets, including machine guns, bullet-proof shield, revolving number plates, tracking device, removable roof panel, oil slick sprayer, nail spreader and smoke screen, all controlled from factory installed toggles and switches hidden in the center armrest.
“Like ‘Q’, we never joke about our work, which is why RM is consistently entrusted with the sale of the world’s most significant collector cars like the REAL 007 Aston Martin DB5 movie car,” said Max Girardo, Managing Director, RM Europe. “RM is known for world-record-setting results and we expect nothing less for 007’s iconic DB5.”
The DB5 was originally loaned to EON Productions for the filming of the two Bond movies, and returned to the Aston Martin Lagonda factory after its subsequent promotional tour. Jerry Lee, an American radio broadcaster based in Philadelphia, convinced the factory to sell FMP 7B to him for $12,000 in 1969, thereby becoming its first and only ex-factory owner. It has remained in his possession and has rarely been seen publicly for the past 40+ years.
Lee plans to use the proceeds from the sale of FMP 7B to further the charitable work of The Jerry Lee Foundation, a multi-national initiative dedicated to solving social problems associated with poverty, with an emphasis on crime prevention. The Foundation supports programs at the University of Pennsylvania and Cambridge University, as well as in Australia, Norway and Washington, D/C. It is also responsible for the establishment of the Stockholm Prize in Criminology, for which Mr. Lee received a Swedish knighthood in 2008. (http://jerryleefoundation.com/)
“The James Bond car has brought me much enjoyment for some 40 years,” said Jerry Lee. “Even as I sell it and use the proceeds to fund the Jerry Lee Foundation, the car will continue to give me great pleasure as it furthers the mission of the Foundation to do good around the world.”
The FMP 7B is presented in top-notch original condition and recently underwent a careful re-commissioning program by RM Auto Restoration, returning it to running condition after the many years of static display in Jerry Lee’s home.
In advance of its auction debut at RM’s Automobiles of London’s Oct. 27 sale, the car made its first 21st century public appearance at the Bond-themed Midsummer Classic/Thunderball concours and black-tie reception on June 26 at the Stoke Park Club located outside of London. Bond fans would recognize the Stoke Park Club as the site of the first confrontation between 007 and Mr. Goldfinger.
The Automobiles of London auction features a total of 104 highly desirable classic cars. In addition to the 007 car, highlights include: a 1952 Jaguar C-Type (estimate $1.9M-$2.4M), a 2010 Pagani Zonda R (estimate $1.3M-$1.4M), a 1938 Talbot-Lago T23 teardrop coupe (estimate $1.1M-$1.4M) and a 1971 Lamborghini Miura SVJ (estimate $800,000-$1.1M).
For information on any car in RM Auctions’ Oct. 27 Automobiles of London event, call Ian Kelleher at 519-352-4575 or e-mail ikelleher@rmauctions.com. RM’s London tel. no. is 011 44 207 851 7070.
Attention mobile phone bidders: Absentee bids may be lodged through LiveAuctioneers.com’s iPhone/iPod Touch, Android or BlackBerry apps. In addition, live bidding will be available through iPhone and Android as the sale is taking place. If you’re not a potential bidder, why not use your mobile device to follow this exciting auction anyway?
View the fully illustrated catalog and sign up to bid absentee or live via the Internet at www.LiveAuctioneers.com
Catherine Saunders-Watson, Auction Central News International, contributed to this report.
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ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE
