Although 007 is notoriously careless with equipment issued to him, here is one item that retains a close hold on his affections - the superb Aston Martin DB5 entrusted to him on the Goldfinger mission. A truly lethal combination of beauty and power, the DB5 came equipped with an eye-popping array of weaponry and equipment, including machine guns, tyre slashers, a bulletproof shield, a radar screen for tracking enemy vehicles and, most remarkable of all, an ejector sear for the removal of unwanted passengers. Bond wrote-off car during a high-speed chase with Goldfinger's henchmen, but Q Branch later recovered and repaired it for Bond's personal use.

At the wheel

      1 - Ground glass radar screen, 2 - Flap rose to reveal screen, 3 - Telephone handset concealed in door panel, 4- Main control console hidden beneath padded arm rest.

      A bank of switches next to the driver operated the defence systems. The dashboard had a radar screen for tracking enemy vehicles using a pre-planted homing device.

Ejector Seat

      1 - Ejector seat control button in gear stick, 2 - Ejector seat, 3 - Roof panel released, 4 - Passenger ejected 12,5 metres (40ft) into air.

      "You must be joking", said Bond when Q informed him that an ejector seat was among the car's "modifications" "I never joke about my work, 007", Q replied.

Bullet-proof

      During a shot-out with Goldfinger's private army, Bond used the DB5's bullet-proof shield of steel plate to provide cover. The shield could be raised to cover rear window.

      1 - Shield, operated by hydraulic pump in spare wheel well in boot.

Sting in the tail

      The rear light cluster opened on both rear wings to reveal a high-powered oil jet (nearside) and (offside) a pipe for spreading four pronged calthrops over the road to burst a pursuing car's tyres.

      1 - Rear tail cluster, 2 - Calthrop pipe, 3- Cakltrops, 4 - Exhaust emitted smokescreen.

Double Blowout

      While watching Goldfinger picknicking in the Swiss Alps, Bond was shot at. His assailant sped off in a sports car, and Bond gave chase in his Aston Martin. He manoeured the DB5 alongside and used tyre slasher in the rear-wheel hub to bring the other car to a juddering halt. The would-be assassin behind the wheel turned out to be beautiful Tilly Masterson.

      1 - Motor pumped hydraulic fluid, 2 - Slasher extends 60 sm (2 ft).

Underseat Gun Tray

      A sliding tray under the drivers seat contained a folding rifle with telescopic sight, a Mauser automatic, a hand grenade, and a throwing knife.

Number Plates and Ram Raider

      To confuse pursuers, the car's number plates revolved at the flick of a switch (1). The licence plates were BMT 216A (valid in the UK), LU 6789 (Switzerland), and 4711-EA-62 (France).

      The front of the DB5 packed real punch: the bumpers had hydraulic overriders (2) that could be used as battering rams, and twin Browning machine guns (3) were concealed behind the front indicators.

ASTON MARTIN DB5 SPECIFICATION

Max speed:                    146,2 mph, 232 km/h
Acceleration:                 0-60 mph (0-96 km/h) in 7,1 sec.
Fuel consumption        (fast cruising) 17,3 mpg
Length:                           179,8 in (4567 mm)
Width:                             66,5 in (1689 mm)
Engine capacity:           3995 cc

      COPYRIGHT 2000-2001, "James Bond. The Secret World of 007".

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