On 17 September 1964, Goldfinger received its royal premiere at London’s Odeon Leicester Square, introducing cinema audiences to James Bond’s Silver Birch Aston Martin DB5 of British motoring. The third Bond film marked Aston Martin’s first appearance in the franchise, beginning an association that has continued for six decades.
The DB5 had been launched in 1963 and was built at Newport Pagnell. For Goldfinger, special-effects expert John Stears transformed the elegant grand tourer into Q Branch’s ultimate spy car. Its fictional arsenal included revolving number plates, concealed machine guns, an oil jet, smoke screen, tyre slasher, tracking equipment, bullet-resistant rear shield and the celebrated passenger ejector seat.
Only one prototype DB5 was initially equipped with the full array of gadgets for filming. Goldfinger’s success turned the DB5 into a global cultural symbol, while the model later returned in several Bond films, cementing the enduring connection between Aston Martin and 007.
