Dilapidated James Bond car now worth £1m after three-year restoration

A family’s wrecked James Bond-style Aston Martin DB5 sports car bought for less than £1,000 in the 1970s has been valued at £1 million following a major restoration.

Welshman John Williams, a welder and garage owner by trade, saved hard to buy his dream car for £900 in 1973 aged just 19, the manufacturer said.

After using it regularly for four years, he mothballed it on his driveway in 1977 when he got a job in the Middle East.

The car before it was restored (Aston Martin/PA)

The DB5 is arguably the most well-known model from Aston Martin’s history, largely because it has starred in numerous James Bond films.

Mr Williams’ car was painted in Silver Birch, which is the same colour as those used by 007.

But it became so dilapidated that local children played on it, with one standing on the exhaust pipe and snapping it.

Mr Williams said he was “a bit ashamed that I’d let her get into that state” and it “became a goal of mine to get her restored”.

It took more than 2,500 hours of work to complete the restoration (Aston Martin/PA)

He took the car to the Aston Martin Works in Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire, in late 2022 for a three-year full restoration.

He said: “It’s been a long time coming, a long time saving, but it’s been worth every penny.

“It’s just amazing.

“It’s probably almost 50 years since I have driven this car, but the experience is phenomenal.

“It’s just … unbelievable. My girl’s back and up and running. Back to her former glory.”

The Aston Martin DB5 is famous from the James Bond movies (Chris Jackson/PA)PA Archive/PA Images - Chris Jackson

Paul Spires, president of Aston Martin Works, said: “Although the car was in a profoundly run-down condition when it arrived, we always relish a challenge and I knew we have the skills, dedication and expertise to return the car to a better-than-new condition.

“After more than 2,500 hours of dedicated work by our teams in the panel, paint, trim and heritage workshops – along with vital support from our in-house Parts department – the car is now finished and, to my eye at least, looks absolutely stunning.

“While it might be uncouth to speculate on values for the car I think it’s reasonable to suppose that if it ever were to be offered to the market once more, and bearing in mind its specification and provenance, a value of up to £1 million would be in order.”

Only 1,022 of the cars were produced, between 1963 and 1965.