Neglected 1960s James Bond–style Aston Martin DB5 kids used as a playground has been fully restored and is now worth $1.3M

Fans of James Bond and the Aston Martin DB5 will rejoice at the news that one of the iconic cars has been restored after spending many years rusting away.

The BBC has reported on a remarkable car that was bought for the equivalent of $19,000 today in 1973, but that then spent many years rusting on a driveway.

It looked like all hope was lost for the car, but its owner then saved up to have it restored, and it’s now worth over $1 million.

This DB5 has therefore gone from being a children’s playground to a pristine classic.

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How the James Bond Aston Martin DB5 became a playground

The Aston Martin DB5 was, of course, immortalized by the James Bond films as 007’s personal ride.

While this one doesn’t come with an ejection seat or machine guns, it’s still very much the Bond car.

John Williams, 71, from the UK, bought the car second-hand in 1973.

Back then, he paid around $1,200 for it, the equivalent of roughly $19,000 in 2025.

He drove the car into his 20s before he left it on the driveway, where it began to rust.

The iconic auto even became something the local children would play on.

But after saving his money, Williams had the car restored over the course of three years.

The car had become a new home for some mice

The car went to the Aston Martin works in Buckinghamshire for a full restoration.

Such was the state of the car that it had even become a safe haven for mice.

The restoration team had to pull a mouse nest out of it, and the repairs took 2,500 hours.

In total, the restoration cost the British couple £400,000, roughly $527,000.

His wife, Susan, told the BBC that the money aspect of it nearly made them sell the car.

“Well, you’ll never get another one,” she said to her husband.

After spending so much money and time on the car, the couple has decided to keep the amazing DB5.

Today, fully restored, this remarkable machine is now worth over $1 million.

Hopefully, the couple will be able to enjoy driving it for many years to come.

History of the Aston Martin DB5

1963: Aston Martin began producing the DB5

1964: The car made its first James Bond appearance in Goldfinger

1965: The DB5’s production run came to an end after 1,059 units

1965: It made its next appearance in a Bond film with Thunderball

1995: The DB5 makes another appearance in Golden Eye

1997-1999: Aston Martin’s classic reappears in Tomorrow Never Dies and The World Is Not Enough

2006-2021: The DB5 appears in 2006’s Casino Royale, 2012’s Skyfall, 2015’s Spectre, and 2021’s No Time To Die

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