Exclusive: Bond’s DB5 is back!

The white underwater Lotus Esprit. That awesome one-off Toyota 2000 GT. The BMW Z8. Goldfinger’s Rolls Royce Phantom. The Renault 11 taxi that was cut in half. The tuk-tuk. 

Fine vehicles one and all, but really, when you’re talking Bond, you’re talking Aston Martin. Specifically, the peerless 1963 Aston Martin DB5. You know, the one with the pop-up bulletproof rear screen, ejector seat, oil-slick button and Cold War ice maiden in the passenger seat.

Well, it’s good news ahead of new Bond blockbuster Skyfall, as the Aston DB5 is once again BACK. It had disappeared briefly during the Pierce Brosnan era, but since Daniel Craig’s more sinister Bond won it in a card game in Casino Royale, it’s been as important a cameo as martinis, elaborate torture and puntastic female names. 

And here – only on TopGear.com - is the first ever footage released of the car from Skyfall. Not too much is revealed, but director Sam Mendes does say: “there’s something about the last part of the movie which deliberately, and consciously, could have taken place in 1962.”

Skyfall is out in the UK from 26 October, starring Daniel Craig and Judi Dench (obviously), as well as Javier Bardem, Ralph Fiennes, Berenice Marlohe, Naomie Harris and Albert Finney. And we’re looking forward to it.

We’ll have a few more exclusives for you in the coming weeks. In the meantime, following a heated morning debate at Top Gear HQ, let us know your favourite Bond car moments in the handy space below…