In several of Ian Flemming's original James Bond stories, the agent drove a 1930, 4.5 litre Bentley Blower. The first time Bond took the wheel of an Aston Martin was in the Goldfinger book that was later adapted for the big screen. Bond's Aston Martin in the book was, in fact, a DB Mk III.

It is a mystery up there with the twists and turns of the most famous screen spy of all: In 1997, an Aston Martin DB5 that featured in the James Bond film Goldfinger vanished into thin air. Despite it being said that half the world’s population would recognise a James Bond Aston Martin DB5, the missing car’s whereabouts remains unkown.

Amazingly, in April 1968, an official at Aston Martin gave the order for the original James Bond DB5, the tricked-out machine carrying the registration BMT 216A, to have its ‘non-standard equipment’ removed and to be rebuilt ‘as a standard car’ before being sold off.

original james bond aston martin db5