First introduced in the James Bond books prior to being seen on film, the Aston Martin luxury sports cars are as iconic as the international spy himself. Now, comes word that the 1964 model owned by the late Sean Connery will hit the auction block on August 18, 2022, at over $1.5 million at the Monterey Jet Center. A significant portion of the proceeds is earmarked for the Sean Connery Philanthropy Fund.
This is exciting news for wealthy Bond enthusiasts or for anyone with loose change adding up in millions to spare. Although the car is actually Connery’s personal vehicle, this would not be the first time a car driven by various Bond actors went to auction. In 2019, Sotheby’s fetched a cool $6.4 million for the 1965 Aston Martin DB5 used 1965’s Bond film Thunderball and outfitted with Browning .30 caliber machine guns in its fenders. In 2013, billionaire Tesla CEO Elon Musk shelled out nearly $1 million for a 1976 Lotus Esprit sports car used in the 1977 Bond movie The Spy Who Loved Me.
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Connery’s Bond was responsible for introducing audiences to the character’s love of cars, with the Aston Martin DB5 making its first appearance in 1964’s Goldfinger. Since then, Timothy Dalton, George Lazenby, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig have all drive an Aston Martin in their respective Bond films.
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Sean Connery’s Legacy of Philanthropy Continues
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The former 007 star was known for hosting benefits each year, raising funds going to charities such as Paralyzed Veterans of American, the Erskine Hospital and Wounded Warrior project. He once donated his salary (over $1 million) made from his Bond film Diamonds Are Forever to the Scottish International Educational Trust, which he co-founded. Earlier this month, a painting by Pablo Picasso that was previously owned by the late Scottish actor sold for $22 million during an auction in Hong Kong.
Aston Martin manufactured fewer than 1,100 of the DB5 models and with this particular car having been owned by Connery makes the model an even more rare and sought-after vehicle. Connery did not drive this specific DB5 in any Bond movies, the vehicles used for movie shoots were typically fitted with props, but he bought his own version of the car and loved driving it, according to his son. In a statement released earlier this month, Jason Connery said:
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The car auction is another way of capitalizing on the James Bond nostalgia while honoring and carrying on the legacy of a man, a real hero off the screen who worked to improve the lives of others. Sean Connery.
“Dad used to talk about owning his own DB5, for no other reason than he loved the car, and I think in hindsight it did represent something in his life that was unique and captured a moment in time.”
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