Aston Martin DB5 turns 60: Which Celebs Owned one

This September was the 60th birthday of the DB5. Aston Martin was formed in 1913 by Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford, then named Bamford & Martin Ltd. The next year the name became the now familiar Aston Martin, and has had many owners since. Aston Martin is closely mated to British culture and design and is one of the most desirable of luxury brands.

DB5 went on to gain icon status. DB5 appeared at the Goodwood Revival festival in Sussex last weekend ,to mark the big occasion, standing beside the DB12 in celebration. Aston Martin’s Executive Chairman, Lawrence Stroll, owns a DB5. He said: “The David Brown era gave us so many great Aston Martin sports cars but none more recognisable, revered, and desired as the DB5, which laid the foundations of our identity as a British luxury brand synonymous with style, performance, and exclusivity.

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ABOVE: Aston Martin DB5 and DB12

“It is only right that, as it turns 60, we take a moment to look back and reflect on this car’s incredible role in our storied 110-year heritage. We’re incredibly proud that the DB lineage continues today with the critically acclaimed DB12, which like those came before it, is a celebration of all we love about British hand built sportscars, with a new injection of the latest technology and highest levels of performance.”

Swinging 60’s

In 1963, Aston Martin had been selling the DB4 since 1958 and although it was a hit, making connections with all the “right” people, other brands were giving luxury sports car buyers many options. Aston Martin needed something new: enter DB5.

Aston Martin debuted the DB5 at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 1963.

There were sufficient design changes to warrant a new badge to go with the refreshed coupé. The new car had more power, and was joined by a ragtop, built at the Newport Pagnell HQ and factory. The pair were manufactured for just over two years, but the true stroke of genius was to provide a couple of DB5s to fictious owner, James Bond, cementing it firmly in history.

It is known as the car secret agents drive.

007 may have been a made-up posh bloke with a gun, but the famous spy was one of many famous patrons. Real-life owners included bling-laden actors, pop stars and celebrities such as: Sir Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Mick Jagger, and Peter Sellers to name but a few.

DB5 continues to attract modern buyers who love a classic car.

Celebrities such as Robert Plant, Jay Kay, Elle McPherson, and Ralph Lauren have possessed one, and there is not one among us who don’t have at least a secret yearning for a go in it. Here are some figures that will really surprise you: only 887 DB5 saloons, 123 convertibles and 12 bespoke coach-built shooting brakes were ever built. In 1963, around 1.8 million cars were built in the UK, so the DB5 was a minnow by comparison. Having said that, most people can’t name another 1963 British car.

The Debut Model

The Frankfurt Motor Show DB5 was designed by Italian coachbuilder Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera. It came with a new 4.0-litre (3,995cc) which was a vastly reengineered version of the 3.7-litre, twin cam, straight six from DB4. Although tame now, that engine put out a beefy 282 bhp. Not only that, but there were electric windows and optional air conditioning, unusual for the time. Its top speed of over 150 mph read in the brochure as, “The DB5 is the fastest regular 4-seat GT car in the world.”

Imagine yourself travelling the beautiful bends above the Med, or parked up at a frosty après ski bar in the DB5, the granddaddy of grand tourers. Some might argue that the new cars can’t match the warm aura coming from a classic car, but Aston Martin says the new DB12 is the world’s first Super Tourer. Perhaps it is a fitting tribute to the internal combustion engine, as oil bids the world a painfully slow goodbye.

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