Market Intelligence
Dalai Lama 9.5; James Bond 9.9; Steve McQueen 11.4; Carrol Shelby 15.8; Karol Wojtyla 59.0
Famous characters, such as James Bond and Steve McQueen, can significantly multiply the value of a car. The story explores examples such as Bond's Aston Martin DB5 and McQueen's Porsche, as well as the cases of Pope John Paul II's Ford Escort and the Dalai Lama's Land Rover. It also highlights how becoming famous in the world of cars, like Carroll Shelby, can increase a car's value.
“My name is Bond, James Bond, and my job is to increase the value of cars”. We’ve finally discovered how an agent of HMSS – Her Majesty’s Secret Service – can afford Aston Martins, Omega watches and trips to exotic locations, a lifestyle of a consummate billionaire rather than a state employee...
Let’s take the his most famous car, the Aston Martin DB5. At Pebble Beach they sold two at the same auction on the same day. The first one was white, left-hand drive (therefore more desirable because it is more practical in the USA), the fifth example produced and it went for $643,000. The DB5/2008/R frame, on the other hand, belonged to the world’s most famous spy, right hand drive, without any particular details except for the fact that it was one of the four examples used during the production of the film Goldfinger. Well, hold on tight, because she went for... $6,385,000. In essence, Bond multiplied the value by a factor of ten (9.93 times to be exact). If I were James Bond, I would devote myself to the car trade rather than chasing the world’s worst international terrorists intent on exterminating humanity.
1965 Aston Martin DB5 "Bond Car"
