As the 50th Anniversary of Goldfinger approaches, we reflect on the Aston Martin DB5, and how an iconic partnership was created that has endured for decades – from it’s debut in 1964, to its present day appearance in Skyfall, and a Scottish animation called Sir Billi…

In 1964 a new car was introduced for James Bond – the Aston Martin DB5. The arrival of the DB5 marked the start of what was to be a beautiful friendship, spanning 11 Bond films and 50 years of cinema history.

The DB5 made its debut in Goldfinger (driven by Sir Sean Connery) and quickly became synonymous with 007, with its famous revolving number plates, twin machine guns, bulletproof rear window screen and dashboard radar device. The passenger ejector seat was also arguably one of the most well known and favourite gadgets in the car.

The release of Goldfinger led to the production of official merchandise for the film, including a Toy Aston Martin DB5 car from Corgi Toys which became the biggest selling toy of 1964.

The DB5 returned in 1965‘s ‘Thunderball‘, with even more gadgets, including a rear facing water canon and a boot stowed jetpack. It then left our cinema screens for three decades, as a new generation of Aston Martins arrived:

In 1969, the introduction of a new lead actor (George Lazenby) marked the arrival of a new Aston Martin, the DBS, which was chosen to appear in the film ‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service‘. The next time an Aston Martin would appear would be in 1987‘s ‘The Living Daylights‘ in the form of the V8 Vantage, driven by Timothy Dalton.

After a long break, the DB5 made a dramatic return in 1995‘s GoldenEye, with Pierce Brosnan as James Bond, in a car chase involving the DB5 and a Ferrari F355. It also appeared in Tomorrow Never Dies in 1997. Then, in 2006, the car made a special appearance in Daniel Craig‘s debut ‘Casino Royale‘ (alongside the new Aston Martin DBS, making ‘Casino Royale‘ the first film to feature two Aston Martin models). The Aston Martin DB5 then returned in 2012 for its sixth appearance in one of the most eagerly anticipated films of the year, ‘Skyfall‘.

Nearly fifty years after its screen debut in 1964, the Aston Martin DB5 has left an indelible mark on popular culture. The first of five distinct Aston Martin models to be featured in James Bond films, DB5 continues to be celebrated as one of the most iconic cars ever produced [A.M.]

This just about covers it for the last 50 years…or does it? Has this famous car had another James Bond related outing that we haven’t discussed? Well, the answer to that question is in fact yes. In 2013, Sir Billi and Crew were delighted to announce that as well as bringing Dame Shirley Bassey and Sir Sean Connery together again, they would be reunited on the big screen with another James Bond Icon – The DB5.

The DB5 was specially re-created for Sir Billi, and features lots of gadgets and gizmos as you might expect.

‘Sir Billi‘ is the creation of Billi Productions Ltd, an independent film company, based in Glasgow, Scotland. Expanded to a feature length CGI film from a 2006 short concept, the heart-warming and hilarious adventure film “Sir Billi” features an all-star cast including Academy Award® winner Sir Sean Connery in his first ever animated voice-over role, and Tony Award® winner Alan Cumming.

Here you can see a small taster of the familiar Silver-Birch Aston Martin DB5 in action:

Sir Billi (AKA Sir Sean Connery) really ramps it up in the Aston Martin DB5, which he informs us “Still handles like it used to”.

If you love the DB5 we hope you check out the full movie – thrilling car chases, heroic skydiving and daring stunts will keep you at the edge of your seat! In the meantime we’ll be keeping a close eye on the next appearance of the DB5, and hope it returns to a cinema near us, soon.

Sir Billi is available on DVD & Digital Download: Click here for full details