Brown beats Bond

Who could possibly do more than James Bond in an Aston Martin DB5, other than David Brown himself who, at the time, was the owner of the famous English marque? Realizing that he couldn't carry his polo equipment or his hunting dogs, during a board meeting one day he instructed his engineers to create a version that could meet those very needs.

Who doesn't recognize it? James Bond taught us that behind the wheel of this car you can get out of any situation. But... not in this one.

The result was a shooting brake, which, with its slightly truck-like but very aristocratic air, wasn't actually all that creative, despite being developed on the chassis of the DB5, modified from the windshield backwards through a difficult and expensive process.

When viewed from the side, it's clear how the transformation into a shooting brake profoundly transformed the perception and image of the famous DB5.

The bodywork was designed by Harold Radford, who since the late 1940s, had specialized in creating bespoke versions for wealthy owners of Bentley and MINI automobiles.

David Brown, the owner of Aston Martin in 1965, did not hesitate to have his top car transformed into a shooting brake.

Businessmen always have a sixth sense, so much so that, regardless of the fact that the price was almost double the standard version, so many wanted it that 12 were built on the DB5 chassis - 4 in left-hand drive intended for export, followed by a further six: four by Radford and two by HLM Panelcraft, on a DB6 chassis.

The large space at the rear - in this case in the DB6-based shooting brake - which can used to transport all kinds of luggage, from hunting and horse riding gear, to golf equipment.

How much are these cars worth today? The last DB5 Shooting Brake Radford sold at auction (in 2019 in Monterey by RM Sotheby's) was a 1965 model which went for $1,765,000, while the last DB6 Shooting Brake Radford from 1966 put up for sale was in Quail in August 2020, which went unsold after receiving an offer of $900,000.

Aston Martin also built 6 DB6 shooting brakes in 1966.[/caption]