Aston Martin V8 From The James Bond Film Will Be Auctioned At A Price Starting At IDR 21 Billion

Aston Martin V8. (Doc. RM Sotheby)

JAKARTA - The Living Daylights, the 15th film in the James Bond franchise, featured the first action of British actor Timothy Dalton, as Bond.

The film was released in the summer of 1987 and marked the return of Aston Martin as Bond's preferred vehicle after being absent for some time. One of them is Aston Martin V8's 1973 car, one of four cars that is still functioning properly and used in the process of making the film.

After passing a thorough restoration, this car will be auctioned by RM Sotheby's at the Monterey auction which will take place on August 17-19.

At the beginning of its 1973 production, Aston Martin V8 was sold in green metallic paint Tudor, injection-fueled engine, and automatic transmission. In 1986, EON Films decided to buy its used car because of the long waiting time for the new car.

For the purposes of the film, this car is then repainted with the Cumberland Gray color, added to the engine hood of the carburetor model, and installed an open roof. Several details are also updated to match the car design when it was first sold 13 years earlier. In addition, this car is equipped with an imitation rocket to create a suitable car impression for James Bond.

EON Productions maintains this car until 1995, then sold to the famous collector of the James Bond film Peter Nelson. The car was also exhibited at the Cars of the Stars Motor Museum in the UK and was part of a fixed exhibition until 2004, when it was sold to a collector in the United States.

In 2021, this car is sold to current owners who decide to give the original engine back so it can be driven on the road. This car is equipped with a V8 carburetor V540 engine with an increase in Vantage specifications, and a manual transmission of five appropriate ZF accelerations.

When repairing the engine, the owner also takes advantage of the opportunity to fix the corrosion, fix the mechanical problem, and repaint the car so that it looks new. In addition, a removable center console is mounted with fake buttons for all the gadgets in the film, including the self-destroying button. Finally, a real fire-thrower tool was added to make the rear rocket look more real like in the film.

However, to own this rare car, enthusiasts must prepare at a price that is not cheap. RM Sotheby's estimates that Aston Martin V8 in 1973 will sell at a price of between 1.4 million and 1.8 million US dollars, or around Rp. 21 billion to Rp. 27 billion. The reason is, being the owner of the original James Bond car is certainly a matter of pride for collectors and fans of this iconic film.