The Aston Martin DB5 that James Bond drove in “Goldfinger” has been found after almost 20 years. The car, which disappeared into thin air into what remains one of the highest-profile car thefts in history, is believed to be somewhere in the Middle East.
Sean Connery actually drove 2 DB5s during the production of the classic film. One was the “road car,” which was a “basic” Aston Martin, while the other was “the effects car,” which included all the high-tech gadgets and weapons devised by Q, while also being fully functional.
Once shooting wrapped, the “effects car” changed hands between private collectors, before becoming part of the collection of Hollywood memorabilia aficionado Anthony Pugliese III. And then it was stolen and not a peep was ever heard of it again.
Until now. Christopher A Marinello, chief executive of Art Recovery International, says they’ve been getting tips that the DB5 is probably somewhere in the Middle East, Esquire reports.
“I have been given a specific tip, but we are working on it. We want to reach out to the collector car community and a vast array of mechanics to let them know we are very serious about recovering it,” Marinello explains.
First things first, though, they must make sure the DB5 is the exact one used in the film and not a replica. After all, estimates show that the original could very well fetch about £10 million.
“As there are many Aston Martins, it is very important that we get a shot of the chassis number, DP/216/1. This is what we are looking for, as it is very specific to the vehicle. It is quite possible the potential in the Middle East is a mere lookalike, which is why it is crucial we retain a close-up of the chassis number,” Marinello adds.
The “effects car” was first sold for $12,000 in the late 1960s to Richard D. Losee. Pugliese paid about $250,000 when he bought it in 1986, and it was from his private hanger in the Florida Keys that it disappeared.
Investigators considered the theft a very well-planned one, since no alarms were tripped, no entries forced and there were no eyewitnesses or suspicious activity in the area at the time it went down. This helped turn the disappearance of the DB5 into the stuff of legends, with one in particular saying it was airlifted by helicopter and dropped into the ocean – for whatever reason.
Once shooting wrapped, the “effects car” changed hands between private collectors, before becoming part of the collection of Hollywood memorabilia aficionado Anthony Pugliese III. And then it was stolen and not a peep was ever heard of it again.
Until now. Christopher A Marinello, chief executive of Art Recovery International, says they’ve been getting tips that the DB5 is probably somewhere in the Middle East, Esquire reports.
“I have been given a specific tip, but we are working on it. We want to reach out to the collector car community and a vast array of mechanics to let them know we are very serious about recovering it,” Marinello explains.
First things first, though, they must make sure the DB5 is the exact one used in the film and not a replica. After all, estimates show that the original could very well fetch about £10 million.
“As there are many Aston Martins, it is very important that we get a shot of the chassis number, DP/216/1. This is what we are looking for, as it is very specific to the vehicle. It is quite possible the potential in the Middle East is a mere lookalike, which is why it is crucial we retain a close-up of the chassis number,” Marinello adds.
The “effects car” was first sold for $12,000 in the late 1960s to Richard D. Losee. Pugliese paid about $250,000 when he bought it in 1986, and it was from his private hanger in the Florida Keys that it disappeared.
Investigators considered the theft a very well-planned one, since no alarms were tripped, no entries forced and there were no eyewitnesses or suspicious activity in the area at the time it went down. This helped turn the disappearance of the DB5 into the stuff of legends, with one in particular saying it was airlifted by helicopter and dropped into the ocean – for whatever reason.