Intelligence officer’s rare Aston Martin to be sold

Image source, H&H ClassicsImage caption, A red Aston Martin DB5 will be put up for auction in Surrey in December

An Aston Martin car owned by a British intelligence officer, and of the same model made famous by the James Bond films, is expected to fetch up to £400,000 when it goes to auction.

The red Aston Martin DB5 Sports Saloon car will go on sale at Sandown Park in Esher, Surrey.

It was owned by PH Manners Wood, who interpreted decoded enigma messages at Bletchley Park during World War Two, and who bought the car in the same year Bond first hit the big screen.

Paul Cheetham, of auctioneers H&H Classics, said: "James Bond was not the only British intelligence officer to take delivery of an Aston Martin DB5 during 1964, as seen with this wonderful example first owned by Manners Wood."

He added that the car had "links to a real British hero who, along with his colleagues, made such a difference to help end the hostilities in the Second World War".

The Aston Martin DB5 has also become synonymous with the Bond films thanks to its use in movies such as Goldfinger alongside Sean Connery, and Skyfall with Daniel Craig's 007.

The next James Bond film is currently reported to be casting its new lead, with speculation as to which actor will take up the mantle.

Manners Wood's rare DB5 is among just under 900 of the cars to be produced and has had two owners since, including its current owner who has looked after it for 56 years, according to H&H Classics.

The intelligence officer worked at Bletchley Park and was credited with saving thousands of lives by General Dwight D Eisenhower, later to become US president.

H&H Classics says the DB5 will go on display at Sandown Park on 9 December, ahead of the auction the following day.

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