onetrack Posted August 26, 2021 Share Posted August 26, 2021 (edited) Here's a fascinating story about how a James Bonds Aston-Martin DB5, one of only two specially built for the film "Goldfinger", disappeared without trace in 1997, from a storage area in a Florida airport, and has never been seen since. The thieves broke into the "alarmed, secure" storage and removed the vehicle, and loaded it onto a cargo plane without leaving a trace of evidence, or alerting security - which indicates a lot of people must have been well paid to look away. It's a story that shows how some of the wealthiest and most powerful people in the world, are totally unscrupulous when it comes to building "collections" - be it art, cars, or whatever. The amount of stolen art in private collections must be sizeable. The car was purchased in 1986 by an American collector for US$250,000 and was reportedly insured for US$4.2M when it was stolen. The insurance company paid out on it, and has never stopped looking for it. The report below indicates it has been sighted in a collection in a Middle-Eastern country, and trying to get the vehicle returned must be a major exercise in finding someone in authority, with real guts, to take action. The insurance company is offering a reward (amount not mentioned) for anyone who can locate the car and ensure its safe return in undamaged condition. I doubt whether there would be any reward seekers amongst anyone who actually knows where it is. https://www.drive.com.au/news/worlds-greatest-car-mystery-may-finally-be-solved/ Edited August 26, 2021 by onetrack 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
facthunter Posted August 26, 2021 Share Posted August 26, 2021 Yeah they are worth a motza. I've worked on one. Not that impressed. At the time all parts were available from the manufacturer. (at a price). Most exotics have annoying weaknesses but I don't mind some of the later Astons. Nev 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Koreelah Posted August 26, 2021 Share Posted August 26, 2021 My mechanic mate has a late-model Aston Martin in his garage. (DB-7 from memory) Very impressive interior and engine; not your average shopping trolley. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onetrack Posted August 27, 2021 Author Share Posted August 27, 2021 (edited) They were an exceptionally classy piece of engineering in the 1960's and 1970's, but they only appealed to a small clientele who had to be exceptionally well-heeled to own (and maintain) one. But I guess that also applies to all the other "superior" British marques, too - RR, Jaguar, et al. A mate bought a mid-1970's Daimler Sovereign (V12 Jag) cheaply in the early 1980's, but he only kept it for a short time, after he learnt the grille cost $2800 to replace! (and that was 1980's dollars, too!). He lived in kangaroo country and the thought of a 'roo demolishing his Daimler grille, kept him awake at night! Edited August 27, 2021 by onetrack 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fliteright Posted September 4, 2021 Share Posted September 4, 2021 (edited) In another life I used to be a mot mech working on Pommy/European crap, never seen a decent one yet! Style wise nice, under the hood the Japs beat 'em hands down! I owned a 420G during my apprenticeship. I soon learned my Toyota was my go too car if I had to actually get there!:-) The 'E' type motor sucked fuel like a B 747 at full noise:-) Edited September 4, 2021 by Fliteright 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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