James Bond: Aston Martin driven by Sean Connery’s James Bond in Goldfinger found 25 years after it was stolen

It is probably the most iconic James Bond car of them all – the silver Aston Martin DB5 driven by the late Edinburgh-born actor Sir Sean Connery in 1964’s Goldfinger.
Edinburgh-born actor Sean Connery poses beside the Aston Martin DB5 in a publicity shot for the James Bond film Goldfinger.Edinburgh-born actor Sean Connery poses beside the Aston Martin DB5 in a publicity shot for the James Bond film Goldfinger.
Edinburgh-born actor Sean Connery poses beside the Aston Martin DB5 in a publicity shot for the James Bond film Goldfinger.

The gadget-laden vehicle was kitted out with machine guns behind the front indicators, tyre slashers, revolving number plates and a bullet-proof shield covering the back window. And let's not forget that handy ejector seat.

But in a plot worthy of a Bond film, the car vanished without trace from a Florida airport hangar in 1997, never to be seen again. Until now, that is.

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Almost 25 years after it was reported missing, the supercar, which is now estimated to be worth around £18.5million, is said to have been found.

According to The Telegraph, Art Recovery International, a group which tracks down stolen high-end items, are responsible for the find.

As yet, the exact whereabouts of the car has not yet been revealed – but it believed to be located in a “private setting” somewhere in the Middle East, with Dubai, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia named as “particular areas of interest”.

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Christopher Marinello, chief executive of Art Recovery International. is confident DB5 will be recovered soon.

“I’m hopeful that the possessor will come forward voluntarily before I have to make an announcement,” he told The Telegraph. “It’s my policy to give possessors of stolen and looted objects every opportunity to do the right thing.

“I don’t believe the current possessor knew the car was stolen when he or she acquired it. Now they do know, I think they should make every effort to have a discreet confidential discussion about how we clear the title to this iconic vehicle.”

American businessman Anthony Pugliese was the owner of the car when it was stolen, having purchased it for $275,000 at a Sotheby’s New York auction in 1986.

After it was stolen, the insurance company paid a staggering $4.2million and is offering a $100,000 reward for information leading to the safe return of the car.

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The Aston Martin DB5 made famous by Connery in Goldfinger was also used in Thunderball (1965), with later models appearing in some subsequent Bond movies.

Shortly after Goldfinger came out in cinemas, Corgi toys released die cast models of the DB5 – a silver one and a limited edition gold one.

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