There’s a new James Bond movie in theaters, and naturally that means there’s fresh Aston Martin news — this time by way of German transmission supplier ZF.
The 25 Goldfinger DB5 continuation cars being hand-built by Aston Martin craftsmen — at an eye-popping $3.4 million each — don’t just look like the originals used in the 1965 movie, they drive exactly the same.
Aston could have easily installed a modern five- or six-speed gearbox from Getrag or Tremec, but instead the company placed an order with ZF for 25 S5-325 transmissions, the same one used on the original DB5.
ZF accepted the order, even though the gearbox has been out of production for decades.
ZF engineers 3D-printed some of the transmission’s 280 individual parts, including the gearshift knob with a flap. It even has a button that simulates an ejector seat.
The DB5 makes an appearance in No Time To Die, Daniel Craig’s last turn as 007.