Cinema Retro publisher Dave Worrall (L) with Ajay Chowdhury, publisher of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang magazine.(Photo copyright Dave Worrall. All rights reserved.)
Cinema
Retro’s Dave Worrall was reunited with James Bond’s fabled Aston Martin last
weekend, some eighteen years since first seeing it in the home of its owner
Jerry Lee, on the outskirts of Philadelphia, USA. Dave
wrote and published the highly successful book ‘The Most Famous Car in the
World’ back in 1991, which tells the definitive history of Bond’s Aston Martin
DB5 as seen in the films Goldfinger
and Thunderball. In total, there were
four cars used back in the mid to late 60s: two for filming, and two for
promotional purposes. At the time, Dave tracked them all down, and one of the
cars driven by Sean Connery in both films is coming up for auction in October.
To
kick-start the promotion, R.M. Auctions, who are responsible for the sale, brought
the car over to the UK last week where it was previewed to both media and
public at the Midsummer Classic Concourse event at the highly prestigious Stoke
Park Country Club. Bond fans will remember this was the setting for the famous
golf game between OO7 and Auric Goldfinger in the 1964 film of the same name.
It was also the first time the car has been in England since being purchased by
Jerry in 1969.
"Oddjob" returns to the scene of the crime! (Photo copyright Dave Worrall. All rights reserved.)
Dave,
who has assisted R.M. Auctions in the past with Bond-related
information, was
invited to attend the preview and the ‘Thunderball black-tie Dinner’ on
the
evening, which was a fundraiser for the ‘Help the Heroes’ charity.
(Photo copyright Dave Worrall. All rights reserved.)
The interior of the Most Famous Car in the World. (Photo copyright Dave Worrall. All rights reserved.)
Stoke Park is one of the most exclusive golf/country clubs in the world. (Photo copyright Dave Worrall. All rights reserved.)
Whilst
Sean Connery also drove another DB5 in both films, that particular model
was
stolen in the mid-nineties (and the OO7 gadgets on the car were not
original),
making Jerry Lee’s car the only ‘original DB5 driven by Sean Connery’
left in
the world, and most definitely worthy of the title ‘The Most Famous Car
in the
World’.