At the time of the DB5 presentation at the Earls Court car dealership in October 1963, it is unlikely that any of Aston Martin hoped for such a stunning success. Why? The new model was nothing more than an update of his predecessor DB4 — a car that conquered the road for five years — moreover, it was not particularly different from it. Do not regard it like a miss. At the end of the 50s, when DB4 was developed, the general manager of Aston, John Ware, insisted that the design of the machine be developed by an Italian body-building company, and such a solution to be paid off by a hundredth-the body created by the Carrozzeria Touring, was so beautiful that it was not so beautiful that it was not so beautiful No doubt about the success of DB4 sales.
Despite the fact that the body for DB4 was built at the Aston NewPort Pagnell plant in the Bakingemshire county, it was made when using patented Superleggera technology (Super General). The technology contained a method for the manufacture of ultra -light automobile bodies by lining with aluminum body panels of light and strong tubular frame. Harold Beach designed a chassis with an independent suspension on double parallel A-shaped levers in front, leading the axis of the back, rhealhin steering and disk brakes on all wheels.
The power this time provided 3. 7-liter in-line six with two camshafts from Tadek Marek, a Polish engineer who came to the Aston team in 1954. Its performance is 240 liters. With. At 5500 rpm, I dispersed 1300 kg DB4 to 100 km/h in 9 seconds and up to 160km/h — for 21 — for its time impressive indicators. For five years, the production of DB4 has been subjected to many changes and now, the final evolution with an enlarged wheelbase and a high line of the roof of the body for a spacious salon has become the basis for DB5. The first prototype DB5 “Dubonne’s Wine Colors” and the DP/216/1 number was built with the chassis, using DB4 as a starting point. The most significant change in the new model was the introduction of an in -line six of 3995 cm3 — which could be seen in 1961 on Lagonda Rapide. At its core, this is a DB4 unit with an increase in 4 mm diameter of the cylinder. With three horizontal carburetors, he generated an additional 42 liter. With. and reported with a five -speed ZF box (at first optional, and later in the standard) through a more powerful adhesion of Borg & Beck.
Inside, the new car became the luxurious of the previous Aston. Electric windows — as a standard, and the Normalair air conditioning system for 320 pounds — optionally. And everything would be fine if this large “upgrade” DB5 did not add 100 kg of additional weight to him, according to the car, which he came. A powerful engine reduced the acceleration time to 100 km/h in 8 seconds, although this fact and the maximum speed of 228 km/h were unable to surpass Jaguar E-Type, for which they asked for two times less than an Aston worth £ 4175.
But the most important trump card-the role in the third film about James Bond Goldfinger in 1964, soon got into its piggy bank of the advantages of DB5. It is noteworthy that Bond Sean Connery could be ease with E-Type-Ken Adam, Goldfinger’s technologist, tested the car and decided that it would be perfect for agent 007, only when the film producers asked Jaguar to provide them with a car for the scheme. refusal.
Let it sound strange, but the owner of Aston David Brown at first was also not carried away by the idea of “filmmakers” when they turned to him with a similar request. But then he lost the DB5 prototype with the original BMT 216A number of Pinewood studio to introduce a whole complex of secret and cunning “bells out” and repainted into a stylish silver color.
Aston considered DB4 a success, but DB5 broke his sales twice as fast. During the short 2-year production period, 1021 cars were built. DB5 could be structurally better, but after the Goldfinger released on large screens in September 1964, nothing prevented him from becoming the most famous machine in the world precisely in the form that we know.