Via the white screen engraved in history, the 1965 Aston Martin DB5.
The Aston Martin DB5: Its unique design created an instant world fame
With none other than Sean Connery behind the wheel of the recently introduced Aston Martin DB5 Goldfinger. Despite the fact that only 1.023 copies of this fantastic 280 horsepower strong six-cylinder have been built, the Aston Martin DB5 is a classic example of British design and technology.
A tradition that has been refined in the forty years thereafter with models such as the Lagonda, the Zagato, and the recent Aston Martin with its 530 hp, the DBS model that almost played the leading role in Casino Royale with the new 007, Daniel Craig, in the driver's seat of the Vanquish S.
"DB" stands for David Brown
With David Brown (hence the 'DB' in the type designations) as owner, the venerable brand Aston Martin Motors Ltd. started. during the years 40 and 50 on an impressive route to make sportier cars. With the birth of the DB2 series in 1950, Aston Martin introduced the distinctive, slim grille part and the fastback ass.
That line, but now with an almost voluptuous curved grille, got its superlative in the DB2-4 Mk III from 1957-1959. The race version of this car not only took away the Ferrari World Sports Car Championship, but also won Le Mans that year with no one less than Carroll Shelby - the patriarch of Cobra's - behind the wheel. Ironically, that was also one of Shelby's last games behind the wheel. He drove the ride firmly in the belts and with nitro-glycerin tablets under his tongue to control his heart problems.
The father of styling
It was the former Lagonda designer Frank Feeley (Lagonda was a small car manufacturer, which was taken over by David Brown in 1941, which is the reason for the 'Lagonda' designations in the Aston Martin names) who fathered the characteristic styling features of the DB2 -4 Mk III series. This innovative model Aston Martin essentially had the lines of the iconic Aston Martin DB5 from James Bond and remains a milestone within the Aston Martin tradition to this day.
Also available without a shooting chair
Despite the fact that a normal Aston Martin DB5 was delivered without a firing seat, without a rotating license plate holder and without the armor plate coming up behind the rear window, because those were the thoughts of the Goldfinger production engineer Ken Adams, the DB remained an exciting car to drive.
First, there was the characteristic roar of its 3.995 cc engine, and second, the car had a unique, sharp cornering behavior, which required a subtle interplay of braking, accelerating and steering. All in all, the car was a dynamic boy's dream on the public highway as Sean Connery's 007 showed during an inspired pursuit scene on a winding mountain road.
Goldfinger was a worldwide blockbuster in 1964
The film thereby increased sales of Aston Martin DB5s with 60%. Aston Martin made a publicity move that turned design and marketing departments of Enzo Ferrari and Ferdinand Porsche into a nightmare.
Vantages are extremely rare
Of the thick 1.000 Aston Martin DB5s made there, only 65 had the high-powered Vantage engine. In the normal version for the public road, the DB had an 3.995 cc six-cylinder with three side stream Weber carburetors and a radically renewed camshaft profile. That block delivered 325 hp and gave the Aston Martin a top speed of 210 km / h. The acceleration of 0-100 went like this rapid gentleman in 8,6 seconds.
Purchased by Ford
In 1993 the ailing Aston Martin was bought by Ford and that gave the noble British brand the opportunity to recover. This resulted in a new series of spectacular new models under the 'Vantage' label. This allowed Aston Martin to rightly reclaim its position as one of the world's leading sports car manufacturers.
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