The name's Martin, Aston Martin. It doesn't quite have the same ring to it, does it? But that didn't stop a (presumably) James Bond fan and car enthusiast from paying megabucks for a priceless piece of the franchise's history.
Used in the iconic 1964 film, Goldfinger, this Aston Martin DB5 is one of the four cars that were built for the movie's production, and looks as if it rolled out of the MI6 factory just yesterday.
Predicted to fetch between $6 million and $9 million this pristine DB5 exceeded these expectations as it sold for a whopping $9.8 million. This price puts it well ahead of the previous Bond DB5s that fetched $6.5 million in 2010.
As this model was used in the movie, it features all of Bond's gadgets that he used to fight baddies with. This means that the retractable bullet-proof screen is there, an ejector seat, in-dash radar, hidden machine guns, and an oil slick sprayer are all in there.
All the gadgets are fully functional (apart from the machine guns that only produce sound), but using them on public roads isn't advised.
In the lead up to the auction, Roos Engineering in Switzerland completed a full restoration on the DB5 that took four years. This workshop is one of 13 facilities that Aston Martin has appointed as a Heritage Specialist.
Despite the fact that this DB% was built for the movie, it never actually featured on screen at any point, but instead was used for the promotional tour for Thunderball.
While it is road legal, it is going to be interesting to see if the new owner decides to drive it, considering its worth, and the fact that its value will probably appreciate over the next few years.