Aston Martin's DB5 Engine: The Powerplant Under The Hood Of James Bond's Car

There are popular cars, and then there are cars so iconic they transcend the automotive industry, leaving their mark on the world through other avenues, like movies and TV. But out of all of the famous cinematic vehicles, it doesn't get much more iconic than James Bond's Aston Martin DB5. The British grand tourer made its debut in 1964's "Goldfinger," quickly becoming synonymous with 007 and one of the most well-known movie cars of all time. Even when you rank every James Bond car, it's undeniably number one, which is probably why the stunt car sold for millions. But have you ever wondered what the MI6 superspy was rocking under the hood?

Despite looking almost identical to its predecessor (the British manufacturer's DB4) the Aston Martin DB5 offers a sizable increase in power. It's one of the legendary vehicles that were powered by an inline-six, with a DOHC engine offering 3996 cc of displacement and producing 286 hp (282 bhp) at 5500 rpm and 280 lb-ft of torque at 4500 rpm. Compared to the DB4, the DB5 makes 42 more hp and 40 more torque. Aston Martin also increased the bore to 96mm between models, enlarged the engine's capacity by 4 liters, and installed a five-speed transmission, giving the DB5 the performance worthy of the "most famous car in the world."

The Aston Martin DB5 screams fame and luxury, two factors that are synonymous with the James Bond lifestyle. However, a big engine in a beautiful car means nothing if it doesn't have the acceleration to quickly get away from Auric Goldfinger, Oddjob, Le Chiffre, and other members of 007's iconic rogues gallery.

Surprisingly, the Aston Martin DB5 isn't as fast as one would assume a superspy's car to be, which is probably why Q upgraded Bond's ride to include machine guns, a bullet shield, and a smoke screen. The real-life DB5 can get from 0 to 60 mph in 7.1 seconds, which is on par with most standard vehicles today. However, the Aston Martin DB4 took 9 seconds to get from 0 to 60, so there was a considerable upgrade to the British grand tourer before 007 got behind the wheel. Naturally, with advances in technology, modern-day Aston Martins have gotten much faster, like the DB12 that can get from 0-60 in 3.6 seconds, nearly cutting the DB5's time in half.