One of the Aston Martin DB10 cars used in the James Bond film "Spectre" fetched £2,434,500, or about $3.5 million, at a Christie's auction on Feb. 18. This exceeds the £1.5 million ($2.1 million) expected selling price.
"Spectre" is the most expensive Bond film ever made and the filming involved wrecking of $34 million worth of cars. Aston Martin made 10 specially designed DB10s for the Hollywood blockbuster but only three of them survived the filming while the rest have been written off.
"We set the record for smashing up cars on 'Spectre.' In Rome, we wrecked millions of pounds worth. They were going into the Vatican at top speeds of 110 mph. We shot one entire night for four seconds of film," says Gary Powell, the stunt coordinator of "Spectre."
The proceeds of the auction will go to Médecins Sans Frontières - 'Doctors without Borders' - a global humanitarian aid that supports victims of disasters like epidemics and wars.
The sale concludes with the Spectre Aston Martin DB10 realising £2,434,500 #SPECTREauction @007 @MSF pic.twitter.com/z7y0ivkgaA
— Christie's (@ChristiesInc) February 18, 2016
"The DB10 is one of the rarest cars ever created. Only 10 will ever be made and this is the only one that will be made available for sale. It's great to see this DB10 raising vital funds for Médecins Sans Frontières, it is a fantastic charity that we are delighted to support," says Andy Palmer, the CEO of Aston Martin.
Out of the 10 specially designed DB10 sports coupes, eight were modified for filming and two were produced as show cars, including the one auctioned at Christie's. The car has a 4.7-liter V8 gasoline engine, a six-speed manual gearbox and can reach a top speed of about 190 miles per hour.
The proud undisclosed owner of the car will be happy to get hold of the iconic DB10. However, the car also brings bad news for its owner. The new owner of the DB10 will not be able to take the car for a spin on public roads as it is not street legal and the sale contract specifies the new owner cannot modify the DB10 to make it roadworthy.
The Aston Martin DB10 fetched the highest value but many more James Bond memorabilia were also auctioned. Christie's auctioned a Tom Ford dinner suit worn by Agent 007 for £22,000 (approximately $31,500). M's Longines watch sold for £16,000 (about $23,000) and Bond's Omega wristwatch fetched £75,000 (around $107,500). Franz Oberhauser's gold octopus ring also auctioned for £26,000 (about $37,200).
