Aston Martin Goldfinger DB5 recreated – complete with machine guns

The modern day equivalent of a James Bond-inspired car these days is the addition of personalised '007' plates to one’s sporty British number.

But that will change following the reveal of the ultimate James Bond car – the reborn 1964 Aston Martin Goldfinger DB5 continuation model, just 25 of which will be built.

Incredibly collectible and almost all spoken for (before the car was even officially announced today), the completely new Aston Martin DB5 cars are built using traditional hand-crafted techniques.

They are also incredibly expensive at £2.75 million ($A5.1m) apiece, and not just because they feature all the gadgets installed on the car by the 'Q' branch for secret agent James Bond 007 in the 1964 movie Goldfinger.

We're talking retractable machine guns at the front, an oil slick dispenser at the rear, a classic telephone in the driver's door and a hidden weapons tray under the seat.

Talking to insiders close to the project in the UK, carsales.com.au can report the machine guns will be "very loud" when activated. They are also expected to replicate a muzzle flash – although don't expect any pyrotechnics or actual projectiles.

The full list of operable gadgets featured on the exterior of the Aston Martin DB5 Goldfinger continuation cars (which are subject to final engineering approval) includes the following:

• Simulated twin front machine guns
• Revolving number plates (triple plates)
• Bullet-resistant rear shield
• Battering rams front and rear
• Rear smoke screen delivery system
• Rear simulated oil slick delivery system

The cabin also gets a number of additional extras, ensuring it stays true to the original Aston Martin DB5 from the the Goldfinger 007 movie.

• Simulated radar screen tracker map (doubles as sat-nav)
• Telephone in driver's door
• Gear knob actuator button
• Armrest and centre console-mounted switchgear
• Under-seat hidden weapons tray

Some of the gadgets are being developed in-house at Aston Martin Works in Buckinghamshire alongside the cars, but the more challenging gadgets -- such as the retractable machine guns -- require the special effects know-how of the company behind the James Bond 007 movie franchose, EON Productions.

Chris Corbould, OBE, is the gadget guru behind many of the special effects in Bond films and says: "The main challenge has been to recreate the gadgets from the film world and transfer them into a consumer product.

"We have licence in the film world to 'cheat' different aspects under controlled conditions. For instance, we might have four different cars to accommodate four different gadgets. We obviously don't have that luxury on these DB5's as all the gadgets have to work in the same car all the time."

As Corbould explains, the machine guns hidden behind the headlights were the most challenging gadget to recreate because "…in the film world, we are able to use flammable gas mixtures combined with an ignition system to produce a flame and noise effect.

"Clearly this is not practical in untrained hands, so we have devised a new system to achieve a realistic effect."

All 25 of the reborn Aston Martin 007 cars will be finished in 'Silver Birch' paint like the Goldfinger movie car, and each car is built using era-specific build methods.

Each interior will feature bespoke upholstery while the aluminium body panels are hand-crafted via traditional English Wheel moulds to bend the metal.

Available in both left- and right-hand drive, the jaw-dropping vehicles have elicited significant interest across the globe according to Aston Martin.

"As work progresses on these remarkable cars, it’s both exciting and a little sobering to think that we are truly making history here," said Paul Spires, the president of Aston Martin Works.

"Creating 25 Goldfinger DB5 continuations and working with EON Productions and special effects supervisor, Chris Corbould, is something truly unique and a real career highlight for everyone involved here at Aston Martin Works."

The jaw-dropping vehicles are expected to be powered by the same 4.0-litre inline six-cylinder engine as the original cars, which pumped out 282hp. However, Aston Martin was coy on whether the Goldfinger DB5 continuation cars will get a power hike.

Customer deliveries of the third product in Aston Martin's continuation car series (after the DB4 GT and DB4 GT Zagato models) will begin in early 2020.

There are only two drawbacks to this remarkable 007 gadget car – there's no ejector seat and the cars are not road-legal.