James Bond's original 1964 Aston Martin DB5 sells for £2.6mn

RM Auctions auctioned one of only two - and only known remaining - original 007 Aston Martin DB5 movie car for £2.6 million ($4 million or €3 million) at its October 27, 2010 'Automobiles of London' auction at Battersea Evolution, London, UK.

The car was bought by business man Harry Yeaggy who will put the car in his private car museum.

The auction sale includes a special Dormeiul 'Vanquish II' fabric, which is woven with solid gold thread by famous the Savile Row tailor Gieves & Hawkes, the company that dressed Sean Connery for his appearances as James Bond. Gieves and Hawkes will make the winning bidder a £30,000 suit from the Dormeiul 'Vanquish II' fabric.

Harry Yeaggy also gets an exclusive seven-night stay for 10 guests (valued at £40,000 at the GoldenEye Resort in Jamaica, Ian Fleming's beloved Jamaican home where he wrote 14 of his famous 007 novels.

The Aston Martin DB5 'FMP 7B' and its movie history

Two Aston Martin DB5s were used on screen for the production of the timeless 1960's James Bond classics, Goldfinger and Thunderball. One of those two cars was reported stolen in 1997 and is believed to have been destroyed. The other is FMP 7B.

Bond's Aston Martin DB5 and its gadgets were the brainchild of Oscar-award-winning special effects expert John Stears, also of Star Wars and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang fame.

FMP 7B was the 'Road Car' used in Goldfinger . Featured in various locations and intended for the fast driving sequences, FMP 7B was given substantial screen time, most notably the scenes at the Stoke Park Club and, even more recognizably, when Bond is spying on Mr. Goldfinger from the picturesque Furka Pass in Switzerland.

For Thunderball, FMP 7B was to have most of the screen time, so it was fitted with the full complement of gadgets which it carries to this day.

FMP 7B, the only remaining Bond DB5 movie car in existence, is extremely original. Its specification has not changed since its appearance in Thunderball and virtually all its distinctive gadgets remain intact - a remarkable discovery.

The Aston Martin DB5 'FMP 7B' is sold to Mr Jerry Lee

Sold in 1969 to American Mr. Jerry Lee - FMP 7B's first ex-factory and remaining owner.

Mr. Lee pursued FMP 7B and eventually negotiated its purchase from the Aston Martin factory for $12,000.

For a time, Mr. Lee agreed to allow Aston Martin to continue to use FMP 7B for promotional purposes in the USA.

FMP 7B enjoyed record-breaking crowds at exhibitions on numerous occasions throughout the seventies, until the car was pulled from public life in 1977.

FMP 7B was shown publicly exactly twice over the ensuing 30+ years: once at the NY Motor Show in 1981 (making its second appearance there) and secondly at the Meadow Brook Concours d'Elegance in 1993.

Otherwise, and until now, FMP 7B had remained completely out of public view, stored as a static display in Mr. Lee's home.

The Aston Martin DB5 'FMP 7B' Today

The odometer shows approximately 30,000 miles, mostly - one presumes - from its tour usage.

It is in highly original condition and was repainted at some stage.

The original dark grey interior remains in generally good condition, displaying a remarkably authentic and appealing original patina to match the mileage.

A careful re-commissioning program was recently undertaken by RM Auto Restoration, returning the car to running condition after its long-term static storage. Mechanically, this included a head-off engine service, a new clutch, a fully rebuilt braking system and new exhaust piping. (Completed in April/May 2010).

The systems running the modified devices have been serviced as well, for more reliable and robust demonstration. This includes the revolving number plates, machine guns, bulletproof rear shield, smoke screen, tracking device and electric release of removable roof panel and smoke screen.

Proceeds from the sale of FMP 7B

Proceeds of the sale of FMP 7B will be used to further the charitable work of The Jerry Lee Foundation, a multi-national initiative dedicated to solving social problems associated with poverty, with an emphasis on crime prevention. The Foundation supports programs at the University of Pennsylvania and Cambridge University (UK), and it has established the Stockholm Prize in Criminology, for which Mr. Lee received a Swedish knighthood in 2008, as well as programs in Australia, Norway and Washington, DC.

The Aston Martin DB5 'FMP 7B' Technical Details & Notes

Silver Birch exterior paint; Dark Grey leather interior

Engine: 3,995 cc/ Power: 282 bhp (210 kW) at 5500 rpm/ Torque: 288 lb·ft (390 N·m) at 3850 rpm/ Top Speed: 145 mph (233 km/h)/ 0-60 mph (97 km/h) Acceleration: 7.1 s (all figures quoted are for a 'standard' car without gadgets)

As the 'Road Car' driven by Sean Connery in Goldfinger, FMP 7B was fitted with one of the first Vantage engine of any DB5, however, it displays triple SU carbs rather than Webers

For Thunderball, FMP 7B was fitted with the full complement of famous Bond 'gadgets' - by the Factory - that are seen onscreen, including machine guns, bullet-proof shield, revolving number plates, tracking device, removable roof panel, oil slick sprayer, nail spreader and smoke screen - all controlled from factory installed toggles and switches hidden in the center arm-rest

About Mr. Jerry Lee

Jerry Lee has committed his life to improving the global community through the promotion of social science research into the causes of such social problems as poverty and crime. His dedication to reducing human misery and injustice has resulted in extraordinary achievements in Criminology and Social Science education in general.

In addition to Criminology, Jerry has had a long-time interest in education. Jerry Lee is also President and Owner of the last independent major metropolitan area top-ranked radio station, B101 (WBEB-FM) Philadelphia. He is on the Board of the Broadcasters' Foundation and was inducted into the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame in 2004.

RM Auctions 'Automobiles of London' - 27 October, 2010

Now in its fourth year, 'Automobiles of London' is now a well-established sale on the European collector car calendar and takes place at Battersea Evolution, London, United Kingdom.

RM Auctions is the world's largest collector car auction house and specializes in investment-quality automobiles, holding four of the top five world record prices for motor cars sold at auction.

More information and photos on the RM Auctions website:
http://www.rmauctions.com/james_bond_aston_martin_db5.cfm

A special interactive website for this car will be launched soon by RM Auctions.