Bojan Vrbnjak
Some avtomobili they are so famous that even people who don't know anything about cars know them. One of these legends is undoubtedly Aston Martin DB5. Who wouldn't necessarily think of James Bond and his powerful DB5 from the movie Goldfinger? At the latest with this appearance (007 also drove a DB5 in Thunderball) Yippee Aston Martin became a car brand James Bond par excellence. Now the DB5 is 60 years old.
It was a year 1963 in Aston Martin was on a wave of popularity, since he was a model DB4 since its introduction in 1958 as a brand new car, the brand has consistently sold well. But due to strong competition from manufacturers luxury sports cars at home and abroad, something new was needed to keep the brand on top. A newcomer that made its official debut in September 1963 at the Frankfurt Motor Show IAA, compared to its predecessor, had many changes in the field of design, technology and equipment - mainly extensive engine development with even greater power - which justified the use of a completely new name: DB5.
Limousine and later convertible were produced for a little over two years in the factory and at the headquarters of the brand in to Newport Pagnell in Buckinghamshire. A model followed in 1965 DB6, which was similar at least in outward appearance. But in this short time they are models DB5 gained a reputation and fame that today make them among the most sought-after cars of all time. The decision of the filmmakers by EON Productions, that in a series of films about James Bond for the steering wheel of the new model DB5 for more than half a century they plant the most famous secret agent in the world, undoubtedly cemented his place in the automotive hall of fame. But 007 he's far from the only celebrity to have sat behind the wheel of this now iconic car Aston Martin.
Among known vehicle owners DB5 in the XNUMXs they were also Paul McCartney in George Harrison from the Beatles and Rolling Stone Mick Jagger. The model was also bought by a star comedian Peter Sellers, and in the following years, many famous personalities - from Robert Plant in Jaya Kaya do Ella McPherson in Ralph Lauren – ensured that both the sedan and convertible rarely left the spotlight. Originally, only 887 sedans DB5, 123 convertibles in 12 customized Shooting Brakes. Even by the standards of the time, these figures were extremely small, especially considering that in 1963 over 1,8 million cars were manufactured in the UK.
Model DB5, exhibited in Germany at IAA in 1963, had a new, heavily modified version 3,7 liter straight-six engine with two camshafts, which already powered the 4,0-liter model DB4. In the serial version, the new engine achieved impressive power for that time 282 BAM. This welcome increase in performance was part of a whole host of technical details and equipment changes, such as the introduction of electric windows and optional air conditioning. The capacity that was for Aston Martin characteristic already 60 years ago, it matched the elegant design of the car, produced by the Italian coachbuilder Touring Superleggera body, the maximum speed of more than 240 km/h however, she confidently wrote in the Aston Martin brochure at the time: "The DB5 is the fastest production four-seater GT car in the world."
These numbers that are still there today impressive, are a British car magazine The Autocar encouraged her to write after the first test of the new model: "This is a car that wants to be driven, driven well and driven far."
