Car made famous by Bond was left to rust on a drive | UK News

A 1960s James Bond-style Aston Martin DB5 – which became so dilapidated local children played on it – has been restored and is now worth £1m.

John Williams, 71, from Mold, Flintshire, bought the vehicle second hand in 1973 for £985 – the equivalent of about £15,000 today.

He last drove the car, made famous in films Goldfinger and Thunderball, in his 20s, before leaving it to rust on his driveway.

Mr Williams saved £400,000 for a three-year restoration at Aston Martin’s Buckinghamshire works, where experts had to remove a mouse nest before carrying out 2,500 hours of repairs.

He fell in love with Aston Martins when he was given a toy car at eight, and by 19, he had saved enough money to buy one advertised in a motoring magazine.

But after getting a job in the Middle East at the end of the 1970s, the DB5 went into storage, and then sat on the drive exposed to the elements – and local children.

“The neighbours’ kids used to bounce on the bonnet and we used to tell them off,” said his wife, Susan.

“And then one was jumping on the roof thinking, ‘does it work?’ because he’d seen the Bond film and thought it was going to come up.”

There were only 1,022 DB5s made between 1963 and 1965, which were given a huge boost when James Bond, played by Sean Connery, drove one complete with ejector seat and revolving number plates.

The DB5 Vantage in silver birch grey owned by Mr Williams is one of only 39 such models in the world.

Even in its undriveable condition sat rusting outside their home, Aston Martin still valued the car at £500,000, meaning the couple considered cashing in.

And they weren’t short of offers.

Susan added: “Money comes into it and reality, and sitting at the kitchen table he said ‘what do you think?’.

“And I said, ‘well, you’ll never get another one’.

“So he said, ‘no, we’re keeping her’.”

The decision was made, and they described how they “saved and sacrificed” to pay for the three-year restoration.

After removing the mouse nest, technicians spent 2,500 hours replacing parts and restoring features, including the original paint job.

Mr and Mrs Williams made regular visits to the workshop in Newport Pagnell to follow the progress.

Now work has been completed, the car maker estimates it to be worth £1m.

Aston Martin’s historian Steve Waddingham said: “It would almost be easier to build a brand new car, but to actually repair and put new sections into a very heavily corroded car like this one took an awful lot of skill and patience.”

But he said the effort is worth it, adding: “It’s such an overwhelming car to be in the presence of – the smell of, it the feel of it, the noise it makes.

“They are very special and you cannot get out of your mind those various famous film scenes.”

After taking his first drive in the car for more than 45 years, John said: “It must be better now than it was when it came out of the factory originally.

“It was mind-blowing. I wish they could do a number on me to make me look 27 again. I definitely feel 27 today.”

Susan had only previously sat in the car when it was being towed after leaving storage.

She enjoyed her first proper trip with John at the wheel, adding: “The sound of her was wonderful.

“And then when we were going a bit faster I thought, ‘Yeah, go a bit faster. Let’s see what she can do’.”

Although John has fulfilled his lifelong ambition, he said he doesn’t expect to drive the car very often, saying: “You’re limited to where you can take it and leave it.

“And the weather affects it.

“I don’t want to be taking it through big puddles of water, and I’ve neglected it once. I’m not going to do that again.”