2001 Aston Martin Vanquish Press Car sells at Auction

One of seven Aston Martin Vanquish cars used for the promotion of Die Another Day has sold at auction yesterday at H&H Auctions in the UK.

A notably early production example of the Aston Martin Vanquish and one of seven cars which were initially retained by the factory for press duties

This particular James Bond Die Another Day car was loaned by Aston Martin to EON Productions for a photoshoot at Pinewood Studios with Pierce Brosnan to promote the twentieth James Bond film Die Another Day.

Finished in the same Tungsten Silver with Charcoal leather and an aluminium centre console as the hero cars in the film (hence the reason it was requested for the photoshoot).

Aluminium centre console, just like the hero cars in the film

Acording to the H&H auction house, Aston Martin readied seven early production cars for UK press duties road registering them as ‘Y829 MWL’ through to ‘Y836 MWL’ during June 2001 (with the exception of ‘Y830 MWL’). These seven cars appeared in many magazines and brochures. Taken on a road trip to Scotland, this particular example – ‘Y834 MWL’ – was the subject of a multi-page article entitled ‘Loch, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels’.

Y834 MWL, the same registration as the photoshoot car, was also road registered as M16 SPY and A12 AML

However, its true claim to fame came was when it was delivered to Pinewood Studios to be photographed alongside Pierce Brosnan as part of the promotional campaign for the twentieth James Bond film, Die Another Day.

The car on auction was the actual car used during the iconic Die Another Day promotional photoshoot of Brosnan with the Vanquish

Notable as the first 007 outing since the Aston Martin V8 in The Living Daylights (1987) to star a current Aston Martin model as the hero car, Die Another Day signified a re-forging of the links amid the British manufacturer and EON Productions such that the world’s most famous spy has remained a resolute Aston man ever since.

Invited to the factory before filming commenced, Brosnan was sufficiently bowled over by the Vanquish to acquire one which remained with him until 2015 (when it was sadly destroyed in a house fire).

Finished in the same Tungsten Silver with Charcoal leather and an aluminium centre console as the Vanquish's that lit up the silver screen but sadly lacking their ejector seat, missiles and machine guns, ‘Y834 MWL’ was an obvious choice for the Pierce Brosnan / Pinewood Studios photoshoot which was subsequently syndicated worldwide. Indeed, images from the iconic collaboration between James Bond and ‘Y834 MWL’ are still being used by numerous newspapers, magazines and websites today.

The car was part of a prominent Aston Martin collection since 2003

Having graced the front cover of Aston Martin News in February 2002, the GT sported the appropriate number plate ‘M16 SPY’ for a brief while before being sold to the vendor by JCT600 of Leeds the following year.

A prominent (and prolific) Aston Martin collector, the seller has enjoyed exhibiting his ‘James Bond’ Vanquish at numerous events and shows over the years, not to mention touring abroad with the Aston Martin Owners’ Club to the Le Mans 24-hours and Portugal etc.

However, his favourite memory of the Tungsten-hued Coupe is from 9th December 2003 when he headed the parade of cars which were the very first to use the M6 Toll road.

This particular Aston Martin Vanquish was also the lead car in a parade to commemorate the opening of the M6 Toll road in 2003

Registered as ‘A12 AML’ at the time (aping the ‘V12 AML’ number used by the factory), the GT reverted to its most famous plate ‘Y834 MWL’ during February 2022. Accompanying service invoices suggest that the Vanquish has covered 18,000 of its warranted c.37,800 miles in the vendor’s hands (albeit less than 4,000 of those have been accrued over the past decade).

Highly original, the GT looks very much the same as it did when promoting Die Another Day twenty-two years ago. Any Vanquish is a special car with Evo magazine naming the model as one of its 25 most significant performance cars of the last 25 years in 2023 and commenting thus: “If the DB4 of 1958 signalled the start of Aston’s original golden era, the Vanquish kick-started a new golden age that would see Gaydon-built cars, led by DB9 and Vantage, achieve unprecedented sales. Quite simply, it sparked the most successful period in Aston history, and for that Aston fans – and really anyone who enjoys the rich tapestry of performance cars – should be forever grateful”. However, as a bona fide piece of James Bond memorabilia, ‘Y834 MWL’ has a significance all its own. The car was offered for sale with V5C Registration Document, history file, owners handbook and service book plus current MOT certificate valid until July 2025.

Surprisingly the car was sold for only £46,000 according to the BBC, just below the estimate of £50,000 to £70,000.

The auction took place on 9th October, 2024, 13h00 during the H&H auction at the Imperial War Museum in Duxford, Cambridgeshire.