FOR SALE: '64 Aston Martin, silver, some bullet holes.

My search for the perfect Gingermobile would have reached fruition today, if only I'd had a spare $5 million in my bank account.


Luxury car auctioneers RM Auctions announced that the 1964 Aston Martin that Sean Connery drove in Goldfinger was going to go up for sale in October - complete with bullet-proof shield and rotating license-plates.

American radio star Jerry Lee bought the original car back in '69 for the princely sum of $12,000 - even adjusted for inflation, that's just $64,000 in 2010 money!

What's slightly more astonishing is that the Aston Martin is in pristine condition - kind of a novelty since James Bond was notorious for destroying the luxury cars the British government assigned him - leading to this telling dialogue from Tomorrow Never Dies, in which Q - disguised as Rental Car employee - hands James Bond a document to sign:

Q: It's the business insurance policy damage waiver for your beautiful new car. Now, will you need collision coverage?

JB: Yes.

Q: Fire?

JB: Probably.

Q: Property destruction?

JB: Definitely.

Q: Personal Injury?

JB: I hope not, but accidents do happen.

Q: They frequently do with you.

JB: Well, that takes care of the normal wear-and-tear. Is there any other protection I need?

Q: Only from me 007, unless you bring that car back in pristine order!

In Tomorrow Never Dies, as in most Bond movies, Q was ultimately to be disappointed - James Bond's car plummeted to destruction in the streets of Berlin.

But fortunately, that was a 7-series BMW, and not the beautiful '64 Aston Martin up for sale.

Arguably, James Bond takes better care of that machine - or, at least, he has a longer-term onscreen relationship with his Aston Martin DB5.

The car makes appearances in Thunderball, GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies and was in a scene from The World is Not Enough (which ultimately ended on the cutting room floor.) A right-hand drive Aston Martin DB5 even appears in Daniel Craig's first Bond movie, Casino Royale.

Five out of the six actors who've played James Bond got behind the wheel of an Aston Martin of some description or other during their films - the only exception being Roger Moore (but he got to drive the iconic DB5 in 1981's Cannonball Run, so he needn't feel left out.)

The iconic DB5 only got destroyed once - when it careened into a brick wall midway through Goldfinger.

But as for the rest of Bond's cars - they haven't been quite so lucky. MI6 must have some stellar liability business insurance given this litany of liabilities:

1. In Doctor No, his Sunbeam Alpine nearly plummets off a cliff when chased by baddies in a hearse. There's no way it didn't get a few dings en route.
2. In Goldfinger, the aforementioned Aston Martin DB5 is crushed when it collides with a brick wall. In addition, Bond assists in the destruction of a '64 Ford Mustang and a Lincoln Continental.
3. In Thunderball, Bond abandons his Aston Martin DB5 mid-mission to fly off in a rocket-pack. He almost certainly got his car towed for abandoning it in a 'no parking' zone.
4. In On Her Majesty's Secret Service, James Bond and Tracy inadvertently enter the Contessa's Mercury Cougar in a Swiss demolition derby - and although it survives, it's doubtful she'll get her rental deposit back.
5. In Diamonds are Forever, James Bond wrecks the suspension of a Ford Mustang Mach 1 Fastback (and his Business Insurance in Utah is invalid since he's in Las Vegas, Nevada.)
   
6. In Live and Let Die, James Bond 'parks' his out-of-control Taxi Cab on the steps of the New York City Post Office. The driver doesn't complain, since he was killed en route.
7. In The Man with the Golden Gun, James Bond drives through a plate glass window and jumps a river in a stolen AMC Matador, which is probably frowned upon even in Thailand.
8. In The Spy Who Loved Me, James Bond drives his Lotus Esprit into the Mediterranean to escape a helicopter assassin. Later examination of the Owner's Manual confirms that this invalidates the warranty.
9. In For Your Eyes Only, Bond's 'security system' blows his Lotus Esprit into smithereens. Subsequently, he barrel-rolls a Citroen 2CV trying to escape. While his rebuilt Lotus Esprit survives the rest of the movie, Bond's contact in Italy gets murdered in the front seat and you know those kind of stains are impossible to remove.
10. In Octopussy, Bond steals an Alfa Romeo GTV6 and destroys numerous BMW police cars and rams a Mercedes into a train while at the helm of it. Also, he lives the ashtray dirty.
    
11. In The Living Daylights, Bond blows his Aston Martin V8 to smithereens rather than let it fall into the enemy's hands. Nobody taught him the concept of 'sharing' in kindergarten.
    
12. In Tomorrow Never Dies, Bond sets the auto-pilot to send his 7-series BMW careening off the edge of a multi-story car park into a rental agency. He doesn't get his deposit back.
    
13. In The World is Not Enough, helicopters hack Bond's BMW convertible into two separate halves, which was a mercy killing, really. Worst Bond car EVER.
    
14. In Die Another Day, Bond's Aston Martin Vanquish is machine-gunned and rammed with impunity; although Bond eventually uses his sonic-ring to shatter the windscreen and we ALL know that isn't covered by insurance.
15. In Casino Royale, Bond flips his Aston Martin six times during a high-speed pursuit. If anybody else had been paying attention, they'd have counted him swilling no less than six Vesper martinis immediately beforehand. Drinking and driving doesn't pay, people!
16. In Quantum of Solace, James Bond's Aston Martin DBS has seven shades of snot beaten out of it during a chase with machine-gun toting baddies. Although the car survives, the MI6 mechanic sadly concedes that the missing door and battered bodywork 'won't just buff out.'

All in all, Mr Bond is tough on his cars - so perhaps Jerry Lee's immaculate Aston Martin is worth $5 million simply because it survived his reign of automotive terror!

Operation Gingermobile: The $1,600 dream machine...

I blame it on Olds Chick! She was the one who left this message on Operation Gingermobile:

As the owner of a 1978 Mark V, I get about 15 mpg in the city, and better on the highway.

I'd ruled out the beautiful Lincoln Continental Mark V as a potential 'Gingermobile' because it has the dubious distinction of being one of the most thirsty production automobiles ever - apparently getting an estimated 7mpg!


But Olds Chick has blissfully disputed that - and, as a result, it looks like the Lincoln's back in the game! Previous to that, I'd still been looking at Pontiac Firebirds and the good old chevrolet camaro.

I especially liked the Lincoln Continental Mark V for a variety of reasons:

• It's a big, luxurious car like James Bond's Bentley or The Saint's Hirondel.
• It's got classic American swagger and squishy suspension like The General Lee.
• James Bond drove a 'Continental' (Bentley, that is - but the same name!)
• James Bond also drove a Mark V (Bentley, that is - but the same name!)
• It's pimpin', unique and stylish - kind of like me.
• Two doors, four seats and a huge boot/trunk - Adventure Eddy essentials.

The only drawback? It's got an automatic gearbox. All Lincolns do!

Nevertheless, even that drawback pales into insignificance when you consider this:


When I searched for Lincoln Continental Mark V's in my local area, I found this black beauty for just $1,600! Look at it! What a gorgeous motor car!

$1,600 is a bargain for this classic auto - although there's probably a reason for that! Sixteen hundred is less than the deposit for a brand new Hyundai!

I imagine that to get this potential Gingermobile up to inspection standards would probably involve quite a serious investment. And to really soup it up, I'd like to do the following:

• Add a five-speed manual transmission from the similar-vintage Ford Mustang
• Sling a loud, dual-exhaust 'cherry bomb' set up pipes on there
• Uprate the suspension so it handles tightly
• Add rack-and-pinion steering for clean, crisp control
• Swapping out those whitewalls for big, fat racing tyres
• Repainting it British Racing Green or cherry red.
  

By that time, you're looking at splashing out enough cash to buy a new chrysler! Except you won't have the crash-test rating or acceptable fuel economy!

But what a ride that would be. Everything a Gingermobile should be - rough and ready with a refined edge. I love it already!

Sadly (or as far as Mummy Militant's concerned, fortunately) I don't have $1,600 or more to splash out on this - but while that still leaves me without a Gingermobile, I feel the search is getting closer to a conclusion.

Oh, and in other car-related news, the infamous Ford Transit van (most normally seen at 90mph, three inches from your rear bumper in the fast-lane of the motorway) is coming to America! They've announced that the much touted 'backbone of Britain' will be heading Stateside in 2010. The ford transit connect will offer a fuel-efficient alternative to Ford's regular lineup of trucks and pickups.

The Saintmobile and the Bondmobile

Two of my major influences have been messieurs Templar and Bond (both pictured here by the same actor, Roger Moore.)

Simon Templar, the ubiquitous 'Saint', is quite simply the greatest adventure hero of all time. Suave, charming, debonair and brave, he personifies everything I idolize - even though about the only characteristic I share with the 'Robin Hood of Modern Crime' is a pathologically cheery outlook on life and a bent for flippancy.

James Bond, the 'blunt instrument' of Her Majesty's Secret Service, represents a dying breed of self-confident masculinity. Bond was an idealized version of his creator, Ian Fleming, who could eat, drink and womanize without restraint (which explains why Bond's still going, while Fleming croaked aged just 56.)

Both of them adored cars, and often appeared behind the wheels of vehicles lavishly described by the author. Although both Bond and Templar went through quite a number of vehicles over the years, they each have a trademark 'mobile which shares many of the characteristics I strive for in my own 'Gingermobile.'

The Saint's Car

When we first met Simon Templar, he drove a 'Furillac' - a fictional sports car with an American-sounding name (I often envisaged it as a Cord convertible, much like this one from A Kilted Travel Agent's blog.)

Templar later borrowed his friend Norman Kent's car - and after Norman died heroically at the end of The Last Hero, Templar adopted the 'Hirondel' and drove it throughout almost all of his European-based adventures.

Like the Furillac, the cars of the Hirondel Motor Corporation were fictional - however, we do know what they looked like. Author Leslie Charteris based Templar's cream and red Hirondel on his own twelve-cylinder Lagonda Rapide, meaning the car The Saint drove resembled something like this:


We know it was very fast, low-slung and practical enough to contain four people (who could be slung in and out of the vehicle with relative impunity, thanks to the convertible top.)

We also know the car did about 5mpg and the Hirondel Motor Corporation was based in Britain (and appeared to produce a limited number of these cars, practically assembling them by hand.)

Bond's Car

To most us us, the name James Bond is synonymous with 'Aston Martin.'

But while the movie incarnations of 007 have always been behind the wheel of that stylish brand of luxury touring car, the original James Bond was very particular about his choice of transportation. He drove a Bentley, plain and simple.

In Casino Royale, we were introduced to Bond's 1930 Bentley Blower, a super-charged 4½ litre Le Mans car in matt, battleship grey. As tended to become a habit with Bond, he crashed it at the climax of the story (car chases and martinis clearly don't mix, even in the 1950's.)

In later books, author Ian Fleming promoted Bond's chariot to the 'Bentley Continental Mark IV' - a car equally as fictional as Simon Templar's Hirondel. Although Bentley never produced a real Bentley Mark IV, it's fair to imagine it might have looked something like a contemporary Bentley Continental, like this one I've stolen from A Kilted Travel Agent's blog.


Bond suitably modified his car with an Arnott supercharger (leaving Rolls Royce no choice but to wipe their hands of this 'bastardized child') which allowed the Bentley to cruise at 100mph 'with 30 in reserve.'

Just like Simon Templar's Hirondel, Bond's Bentley fulfilled three major criteria:

1. It was fast.
2. It was big.
3. It was luxurious.

Operation Gingermobile

Now I'm on the path to my future Gingermobile, I think it's important to look at what I've learned from James Bond and Simon Templar and put that information to work choosing my own Gingermobile.

If I had an unlimited budget, I think my choices would be expanded somewhat. At ideal candidate might be a Jensen Interceptor (which a television incarnation of Simon Templar actually drove in the 1980's.)


It combines speed, size and luxury with the good looks and polish of a fastback grand tourer.

Unfortunately, I don't have $20,000 to blow on a Jensen - but it has at least given me a bit of direction towards what car I'll ultimately select as my own Gingermobile.

Watch this space!