Aston Martin DB5 bought for $1,209 was left to rot for nearly 50 years until its owner decided to restore it for a mammoth profit

Originally bought for $1,209 over half a century ago, this Aston Martin DB5 was left to rot for over 40 years. But reluctant to let go of his dream, the owner finally saved up enough to restore it, and now it’s worth millions.

Even in the year before it was popularized by James Bond in Goldfinger, the Aston Martin DB5 was a British icon that stole the hearts of every sports car enthusiast.

One of those was 19-year-old John Williams, who sought far and wide to get his hands on one back in 1973, paying just £900 ($1,209) for one advertised in Motor Sport magazine.

But having taken a job opportunity abroad, the man returned to a deteriorating car, and ‘life’ soon got in the way, leaving it to 50 years of neglect.

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This man couldn’t let go of his rotten Aston Martin DB5 and finally got the restoration experts in

Often dubbed the most iconic car to ever come from Britain, due to its role in Bond movies, seeing an Aston Martin DB5 in disarray really is heartbreaking.

For John Williams, the man was riddled with decades of guilt as the car was left on the driveway to become a makeshift trampoline.

The Aston had been rotting away, the bodywork was shattered, a child snapped the exhaust by jumping on it, and the interior was nothing but piles of dust and muck.

“Life happened. Family and responsibilities happened, and I’m afraid it stayed on the driveway for about 40 years in disrepair,” Williams said.

“I’d had offers to buy her, and times when I could have done with the money, but I resisted.”

Over four decades after its last ride, though, Williams contacted Aston Martin Works and took it to the expert restoration labs in the UK.

There, the specialists stripped it down to its naked core and dressed it up again in pristine fashion.

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The emotional final reveal of a $1M restoration

Known for its shining beauty and awesome perks, the final product was enough to knock the socks off Williams, who was visibly emotional at the final product.

Looking as if it rolled off the court in 1963, the restoration build was truly magnificent, and you’d never guess that the Aston Martin DB5 was a pile of rubble and dust a few weeks prior.

Documented on YouTube by Motor Sport, the car even jetted off in its prime fashion, roaring like a lion.

“It’s magnificent. The standard of workmanship on it is tremendous. And then crank it. There you go. Let’s give it a bit of ribs. Wow.

“It’s probably almost 50 years since I have driven this car, but the experience is phenomenal… My girl’s back and up and running! Back to her former glory.”

The car is now worth over $1.3 million according to estimates by Aston Martin, although there’s no knowing how much he paid the garage to restore it.

If he did choose to sell it, the Bond factor has even ramped some of the Aston Martin DB5 models up to $3.5 million.

But you can bet your bottom dollar that this is going back to being Williams’ daily driver.

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