A classic Aston Martin which may have been owned by a “real-life James Bond” has been found sitting in a barn.
The iconic classic car, a predecessor to the DB5 made famous as Bond’s car in the 1964 film Goldfinger, is thought to be worth a staggering £300,000.
The model has added significance as it is believed to be the 24th DB5 ever produced by the British brand.
The car was discovered gathering dust in a shed down in Devon by ex-Fifth Gear host Johnny Smith as part of his Late Brake Show YouTube channel.
Owner Paddy Hook purchased the car from a friend and revealed it had not been started up since 1982.
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According to Mr Hook, the first owner was a member of the Greek Resistance and tied up with Office of Strategic Services (OSS), a precursor to the CIA.
When pushed on this revelation, Hook added: “He was doing something for the Americans, I don’t know what but when the war ended they have him a libertyship.
Smith asked: “So hang on a minute, the person who first owned this car was a bit of a spy?” Hook replied: “Oh absolutely. A real-life James Bond.”
The model was then sold to Paddy’s friend’s father which comes with another interesting backstory.
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Mr Hook said: “In something like 1951 the chap who owned this car was taken to one side by his uncle who was one of the major shareholders of British American Tobacco.
“So the chap in 1951 wrote a cheque for £1million. He said ‘jolly good I’ll invest that for my children’. The moment the guy was gone he said ‘yahey’.
“He bought an Aston, he bought a 1934 Bentley, an airplane, a sailing boat, he squandered the lot and when he died there was not one penny left. My mate who I actually brought this off was his son. Apart from his education he never saw a penny of that money. It was gone.”
The car was then stored in a garage from 1982 until Paddy purchased the car 20 years ago.
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However, Paddy has kept the iconic model in his barn untouched since 2003.
A quick inspection by the pair found the bodywork was badly corroded while the engine produced no spark when they attempted to fire it up.
Paddy machined up a range of new parts and spent time refitting and stripping components to produce an electrical connection.
After spending hours on the work and installing a plethora of new ignition parts the model finally roared into life.
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