World’s greatest car mystery may finally be solved

One of the world’s most perplexing automotive mysteries may have finally been solved.  

On a warm June night in 1997 the near-mythical Aston Martin DB5 stunt car driven onscreen by Sean Connery in the classic James Bond film Goldfinger seemingly disappeared without a trace, while in storage at a Florida airport. 

In a heist befitting of its own spy franchise, thieves allegedly broke into a secure alarmed warehouse and dragged the vehicle to a waiting cargo plane on the runway without attracting the attention of security or leaving a shred of evidence.

Chassis DP/216/1 – one of just two examples built for the blockbuster, and the only to feature functional gadgets including an ejector seat, stowaway machine guns, and bulletproof shield – had been purchased a decade earlier by US real estate developer Anthony Pugliese III for $US250,000 ($350,000). By the time it went missing it was insured for $US4.2 million ($5.8 million). 

For years following its disappearance rumours circulated in the Florida tabloid press claiming the car had been dumped at sea near the Bahamas, stolen by organised criminals, or destroyed by its owner as part of an insurance scam. However, no concrete leads ever emerged… until now. 

Christopher Marinello is one of the world’s foremost experts in recovering stolen artifacts of historical significance, having spent the best part of three decades tracking down paintings from Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, and Claude Monet, as well as ancient Roman artifacts, pre-Colombian sculptures, and looted Nazi treasures.

Earlier this week he told Drive he knows where the car is.

“We have a strong inclination it’s currently in the Middle East … I don’t believe it was destroyed at all.”

“A few months ago I received a very interesting report that somebody had actually seen the Aston Martin that we were looking for, and they were able to give us details that only someone who had actually seen our car would know.”

Mr Marinello represents the insurance company that paid out on the original claim, and is working to recuperate lost funds. Having interviewed multiple people “who have seen the car, worked on the car, or may have borrowed the car,” he now has full confidence "it will be recovered.”

He believes the historic vehicle is part of a 4000+ private collection of exotic classics kept in secret. Mr Marinello would not disclose the specific country the car now resides in, however definitively ruled-out speculation it could be Dubai – leaving Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Abu Dhabi as the most likely candidates. 

“There are some very important collectors of automobiles [in the Middle East]. These collectors get a ready stream of newly-minted Ferraris and Lamborghinis and supercars – they’re on the manufacturer’s guest list … We believe it’s probably just sitting in a warehouse amongst other priceless Aston Martins and supercars … I wouldn't be surprised if it hasn't been driven in years.” 

Early indications from interested parties suggest the vehicle could be one of the most valuable ever built: “It's just all over the place but, given what's happened in the classic car market, an evaluation of over £20 million ($38 million) is not out of the question because there is only one original James Bond car and this is it.”

As for how it was actually stolen, Mr Marinello is keeping tight-lipped for the time being: “It was thoroughly investigated at the time and no claim of insurance fraud was made … However, I will also say that I've worked on many cases over the last few decades where people claimed that very valuable artwork and objects have been destroyed and thieves just can't seem to do it, you know? They claim the object was destroyed and then we find out that they actually tried to resell it somewhere else.

“I don't believe that the current possessor was connected to the theft, and I don't believe that he knew that it was stolen at the time he bought it. However, now he knows that it's stolen, it's something that he can't just bat away and ignore.

“I would invite him to contact me – reach out and arrange a meeting so we can resolve this once and for all. Once it's resolved, the car can be exhibited in a museum where it belongs, or it could be sold and finally be appreciated by the world. It's a shame that it should be locked up in a storage unit and not driven or not appreciated … So in regards to title, let's clean it up, let's bring this car out of the shadows, and be done with it once and for all.”