George Harrison's Aston Martin DB5: Where Is It Now?

In the month that the Aston Martin DB5 celebrates its 60-year anniversary, we take a look at musician George Harrison's Aston Martin DB5.

George Harrison with his white Aston Martin DB5 at his Kinfauns estate on March 23, 1965.
photo © Henry Grossman

George Harrison (25 February 1943 - 29 November 2001) was an English musician, singer songwriter and lead guitarist of The Beatles in the 1960s. Harrison also released several records as a solo artist in the decades that followed.

James Bond himself was not a fan of The Beatles at the time, as he proclaims in the movie Goldfinger (1964): "My dear girl, there are some things that just aren't done, such as drinking Dom Perignon '53 above 38 degrees Fahrenheit. That's just as bad as listening to the Beatles without earmuffs!"

Harrison does seem to have been a fan of James Bond films as he once did a photo shoot wearing a t-shirt with 007 logo and purchased the car made famous by 007.

George Harrison ordered a Platinum Silver DB5 with black Connolly leather interior in 1964, the same year that the movie Goldfinger made the car famous and the same year that his bandmate Paul McCartney purchased one as well.

Harrison's DB5 was manufactured in late 1964, chassis nr DB5/1896/R and was delivered through Brydor Cars of Brooklands to Harrison personally at his Kinfauns estate in Esher, Surrey, England in January 1965. Brydor Cars was a company owned by Beatles manager Brian Epstein and English luxury car dealer, pop music manager and music publishing executive Terry Doran. The company supplied sportscars to many figures in Swinging London in the 1960s.

For his DB5, Harrison ordered several optional extras, including chrome wire wheels with Avon tyres, 3 ear hub caps, a heated rear screen, radio, Britax safety belts, FIAM horns with changeover switch and a detachable passenger headrest.

Soon, Harrison had the car repainted white to match his much-loved Mercedes-Benz 600 Pullman. Harrison had several Mercedes cars throughout his life, including the white one that he famously drove to the Abbey Road studios rooftop concert in 1969.

The best photos we have of George and his Aston Martin DB5 are from a photoshoot by famous Beatles photographer Henry Grossman on March 23, 1965, at Harrison's Kinfauns house.

George Harrison's Mini and Aston Martin DB5 in the garage at his house Kinfauns. Note that the license plates have sequential numbers: KMT 498C and KMT 499C. 
photo © Henry Grossman

Photographer Henry Grossman: “George really wanted to show me his cars. They were obviously his passion. He was very proud of his sleek white Aston Martin DB5 and I took a few photos of him posing next to it.”

George Harrison posing with his DB5, license plate number KMT 499C, at his Kinfauns estate on March 23, 1965.
photo © Henry Grossman

George Harrison sitting in his DB5, March 23, 1965.
photo © Henry Grossman

The photo below is from much later, judging by the other cars in the street. It was probably taken in the early 1980s. Note that the license plate has changed to white with glossy black digits and fog lights have been added.

George Harrison's Aston Martin DB5 in the early 1980s (unknown location)
photo © Bridgeman Images

About Kinfauns house

Kinfauns, George Harrison's home from 1964 to 1970 has a Bond connection. The bungalow-style house was located at 16 Claremont Drive, Esher, Surrey, England, KT10 9LU, on the Claremont Estate. Several of the demo recordings for the White Album were made here. George Harrison sold the house to English singer and songwriter Barry Mason and his wife Sylvan, daughter of Jack Whittingham the writer who collaborated with Ian Fleming and producer Kevin McClory on a screenplay for Thunderball. The house has since been demolished.

Other cars owned by George Harrison

Harrison became a lifelong auto enthusiast and racing fan, he was a regular sight at Formula One and other racing events and owned several important sports cars.

Other cars owned later by Harrison include a Jaguar E-Type (supposedly gifted to him by Brian Epstein for his 21st birthday), a Ferrari 275 GTB, a 1968 Ferrari 365 GTC and a Mini Cooper S. In the 1980s he seems to have shifted from his preferred white colour and had a few dark-coloured black cars, including a black 1984 Mercedes AMG 500SEL, a black Porsche 944, black Porsche 911 and in 1994 he became one of the lucky owners of a very dark purple with black rims McLaren F1.

George Harrison's friend and fellow guitar legend Eric Clapton mentions in his autobiography that Harrison once came to his home driving a new Ferrari 365 GTC. Clapton had to have one as well and is to this day still a fan of the brand and owns several unique Ferraris (Eric Clapton - The Autobiography, page 189).

What happened to the DB5

There is no definitive guide to what happened to the DB5 but based on auction info this is what I have gathered so far:

At some point leading up to an auction in 2007, the DB5 was painted silver again, but no details on this are known.

1985 Sotheby's Auction

The car seems to have been sold at Sotheby's during their Rock N Roll Memorabilia 1956-1984 auction on 29 August 1985.

A photo of George Harrison's Aston Martin DB5 used for the promotion of the Sotheby's auction in 1985

Interestingly enough, the car pictured in the promotional photos for the auction shows a NL country sticker (from The Netherlands) on the boot of the vehicle, but it still has its original British license plate. The photo looks like it has been taken in the Netherlands looking at the houses in the background, but this is not confirmed.

More information can probably be found in the auction catalogue pictured on the right.

The DB5 was Lot 165 and sold for a mere £19,800.

Thanks to a helpful eBay seller, I was able to get a copy of the 1985 Auction Catalog page of the DB5, see the scan and lot description below:

Originally the personal property of George Harrison, M.B.E.

Lot 165
1965 Aston Martin DB5 Coupé
Coachwork designed by Carrozeria Touring of Milan to their Superleggeria lightweight system.
Registration No. KMT 499C
Chassis No. DB5/1896/R
Engine No. 400/1906

Engine. 6-cylinder water-cooled monobloc with chain driven twin overhead camshafts, bore 96mm by stroke 92mm, capacity 3995cc, five speed manual Z.F. gearbox, single plate clutch, live rear axle.

Replacing the DB4 in September 1963, the DBS series Aston Martin were altogether more refined, whilst still retaining excellent handling and performance, with power peaking at 282 b.h.p. at 5,500 r.p.m.

This example is finished in white with wire wheels and is particularly interesting in that it was delivered to ex-Beatle George Harrison on 1 January 1965, who had apparently been prompted into purchasing a similar vehicle to the one presented in the James Bond movie Goldfinger.

Imported from the Netherlands it is said to be still on English registration plates and carries a Netherlands roadworthiness certificate; it is expected that the vehicle will be M.O.T.'d upon arrival into the United Kingdom and at the time of the sale.

Described as being in very good original condition, it may be that the car's associations with so famous a person will provide it with an exemption from VAT, but prospective purchasers should refer to the Collectors Department for confirmation of this at the time of the sale.

A classic vehicle with a most interesting history.

For viewing details please contact the Collectors Department.

£12,000-18,000
(handwritten: £18,000)

If you know who the owner of the car in The Netherlands was at the time, please send a message.

Late 1980s - 1995 Japan

In the late 1980s, Harrison's DB5 had found its way into a museum in Tokyo, Japan. Not much is known about the car at this time.

1995 Germany

In 1995 George Harrison's Aston Martin DB5 was purchased by a Japanese collector who lived in Germany, where it was exported to join the rest of his collection and stayed until 2007.

2007 RM Auctions

On 31 October 2007, Harrison's Aston Martin DB5 was sold at the RM Auctions "Automobiles of London" sale for £220,000 GBP (approx $464,736 at the time), well exceeding its original estimate of between $200,000 - $360,000.

The only photo still available of the DB5 from the RM Auctions sale in 2007
photo © RM Auctions
 

The buyer of the car was James William “Jimi” Heselden, a wealthy British inventor, defense contractor and late owner of Segway Inc.

On 26 September 2010 Mr. Heselden died after a tragic Segway accident and the following year the DB5 was put up for auction again.

2011 Coys Auction

On December 7th 2011, George Harrison's Aston Martin DB5 was offered at Coys' True Greats Sale in London.

The Aston Martin DB5 that belonged to the late Beatle George Harrison at the Coys 'True Greats' Auction at the Royal Horticultural Hall in London
photo © Facundo Arrizabalaga / AFP

The car had a recorded mileage of just over 22,000 miles at the time of the auction.

Photos of George Harrison's Aston Martin DB5 from the Coys auction in 2011

This Coys auction photo gives us a good look at the interior

The famous DB5 was put on display before the auction at a Gala evening at the newly refurbished St Pancras Renaissance Hotel in London.

George Harrison's DB5 was showcased at the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel in London in 2011 before the Coys auction.

Pattie Boyd, the English model and photographer who was married to George Harrison when he owned the DB5, was reunited with the car that evening. Pattie Boyd and a host of other celebrity photographers attended the Gala evening at the hotel to raise money for Variety Club the Children's Charity.

Harrison's former wife Pattie Boyd poses with the Aston Martin DB5 during a charity gala in 2011 at the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel in London

The DB5 was estimated to fetch between £225,000 and £260,000 at the Coys auction, but sold for £350,000 to an anonymous Beatle fan from Houston Texas.

The price was decent for a DB5 in 2011, but currently (2023) a DB5, even without the provenance of a famous owner, fetches at least £500k - £750k so it was a great investment. For example, Paul McCartney's DB5 sold in 2011 for £307,500 and then sold at a Bonham's auction in 2017 for £1,345,500.

The Aston Martin DB5 in Houston Texas, 2012
photo © John Jackson

The new American owner uses his car collection to raise money for non-profit organisations and Christian causes. He showed George Harrison's Aston Martin DB5 for the first time in the United States at the Lone Star State just north of Houston, Texas on May 4th-6th, 2012.

The Aston Martin DB5 in Houston Texas, 2012
photo © John Jackson

2019 George Harrison's DB5 license plate auction

While the DB5 now resides in the States, one part of George Harrison's car stayed in the United Kingdom. On June 13, 2019, Wiltshire-based auctioneers Gardiner Houlgate offered a collection of George Harrison memorabilia, including Harrison's Aston Martin DB5 number plate KMT 499C.

This original George Harrison DB5 number plate sold for £600.

The number plate is believed to have been taken off the car by a mechanic at Arnold G. Wilson Limited’s Regent Street dealership in Leeds in the early 1970s. It was one of two plates being replaced with new-style reflective plates while the car was being serviced (for the new-style plates, see the earlier image of the DB5 in the 1980s and at the 1985 Sotheby's Auction).

The license plate in the auction came with 'The Beatles Book', March 1992, where on page 36/37 we can see the Henry Grossman photo of George Harrison's garage in 1965.

The rear number plate remained at the dealership for several years until a member of staff sold it to a local barber, who collected car memorabilia, in return for free haircuts for life. The number plate was subsequently sold to the collector.

The front number plate is known to have hung on the wall of a famous Leeds pub, the Cherry Tree, for many years. The pub has since been demolished.

If you have more info on this car or any old or recent photos of George Harrison's Aston Martin DB5, please send a message and I will update this article!

Sources and more info:

George Harrison's other cars

Supercar Nostalgia article

More about the Beatles and Bond

Thanks to Mike Smith for info about Kinfauns

2007 Auction

2011 Auction

Harrison's Ferrari 275 GTB handbook auction

Henry Grossman Beatles-chronology.ru

2019 George Harrison memorabilia auction

License Plate Auction page

Paul McCartney's DB5 2011 auction

Paul McCartney's DB5 2017 auction