Aston Martin DB5 (1963–1965)

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An elegant grand tourer that became, thanks to one film, the most famous car in the world.

The DB5 would be remembered as a fine Aston Martin regardless — a hand-built grand tourer with Italian coachwork by Touring of Milan and a smooth 4.0-litre straight-six, enlarged from the earlier 3.7, making 282 hp and good for around 145 mph. It was fast, beautiful and expensive, exactly as an Aston should be.

But in 1964 it became something else entirely. Fitted with revolving numberplates, an ejector seat and machine guns, it starred alongside Sean Connery in Goldfinger, and the association never faded. For generations since, the DB5 has been shorthand for a very particular idea of glamour — the most famous car in the world, as much prop as machine.

Just 1,059 were built between 1963 and 1965. The film made it immortal; the engineering underneath earned it.

Written and fact-checked for every.autos · every claim checked against the sources below · 2026-07

Sources (2)

Background

The Aston Martin DB5 is a British grand tourer (GT) produced by Aston Martin and designed by Italian coachbuilder Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera. Originally produced from 1963 to 1965, the DB5 was an evolution of the final series of DB4. The "DB" designation is from the initials of David Brown who built up the company from 1947 onwards.

Text adapted from “Aston Martin DB5” on Wikipedia ↗ · CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗ · retrieved 2026-07

Specification