• Switzerland edition

Swiss businessman sells Bond's Aston Martin

Published: 24 Feb 2013 21:01 GMT+01:00 | Print version
Updated: 24 Feb 2013 21:01 GMT+01:00

Swiss businessman Thomas Straumann has put James Bond's famous Aston Martin car up for sale in Britain for a cool £3 million (4.2 francs).

The British sports car, complete with hidden machine guns and a smoke screen, is described by the dealer in Surrey, Richard Stewart Williams, as "the most famous car in the world".

Straumann, a shareholder in a dental implant firm founded by his grandfather and father, bought the Aston Martin DB5 in 2006, the NZZ am Sonntag newspaper reported.

He spent three years restoring the car driven by Sean Connery as the fictional British spy in "Goldfinger" and "Thunderball".

After buying the car for 2.7 million francs at a US auction, Straumann had 3,000 hours of work put into its overhaul, according to NZZ am Sonntag.

Straumann has been selling assets over the last few months after the share value in Straumann Holding, the world's largest dental implant firm, dropped.

Straumann sold 10 percent of his stake in the company last November to the Government of Singapore Investment Corp., although the stock price has subsequently rebounded by about 30 percent.

He also sold a five-star hotel in Gstaad, has put another hotel in Basel up for grabs, while selling his majority stake in watchmaker H. Moser & Cie.

Bloomberg said according to data it compiled, the businessman's net worth has declined to $708 million from about $1.18 billion two years ago.

In the summer of 2009, Straumann's SpiritHotels group featured the Bond car, and the restoration work done on it, in a magazine for hotel guests.

The Aston Martin boasts machine guns hidden behind retractable headlights, a smoke screen and a pop-up bullet-proof shield.

But one notable absence is a gadget Straumann chose to eliminate during the makeover: the ejector seat.

Your comments about this article:

The comments below have not been moderated in advance and are not produced by The Local unless clearly stated. Readers are responsible for the content of their own comments. Comments that breach our terms and conditions will be removed.

2013-03-04 16:31:39 by Fred Quimby
A friend of mine in Luzern has the LU6789 number that was used on the revolving number plate on this Aston....and it looks like this is the one major thing missing off this amazingly restored Bond car!
ADD YOUR COMMENT   (YOU MUST LOG IN OR REGISTER TO MAKE A COMMENT)
Today's headlines
Parliament plays ping pong with 'Lex USA'
Photo: Parliament.ch

Parliament plays ping pong with 'Lex USA'

Switzerland's senate on Wednesday again backed a deal with Washington to expose US tax dodgers and fine Swiss banks which helped hide their money, a day after G8 leaders agreed to chase cheats and corporate fiddles. READ () »

No shame for Swiss jobless: an insider's look
Photo: Seco

No shame for Swiss jobless: an insider's look

When I lost my job in Zurich three months ago, I felt like the world was collapsing around me. I felt inadequate and angry, and had a sense of shame about becoming unemployed in a foreign country. READ () »

Drownings claim four victims amid heatwave
Lake Neuchâtel, where two of the drownings occurred. Photo: LakeGenevaRegion.ch

Drownings claim four victims amid heatwave

At least four drowning deaths were reported in Switzerland on Tuesday amid the country’s continuing heatwave, which is drawing throngs of bathers to the country’s rivers and lakes. READ () »

Swiss solar boat sails to US on climate mission
Turanor PlanetSolar sails past the Statue of Liberty in New York. Photo: Don Emmert/AFP

Swiss solar boat sails to US on climate mission

The world's largest fully solar-powered boat, a Swiss vessel called "Turanor PlanetSolar," docked in New York on Tuesday during a mission to study the effects of climate change on the Gulf Stream current. READ () »

Basel striker bound for German transfer: reports
Jacques Zoua. Photo:Amarhgil

Basel striker bound for German transfer: reports

Swiss champion football team FC Basel may be in danger of losing one of its top players, striker Jacques Zoua. READ () »

Students trash Zurich high school in 'prank'
Photo: Zurich North cantonal school (KZN)

Students trash Zurich high school in 'prank'

Students at one of Zurich’s largest secondary schools were sent home on Tuesday after seniors trashed parts of the building in what was described in news reports as a “graduation prank”. READ () »

Last Swiss mountain pass road reopens
View from the Susten Pass. Photo: Switzerland Tourism

Last Swiss mountain pass road reopens

The last mountain pass highway route in Switzerland was finally cleared of snow on Tuesday as most of the country continued to swelter in a heatwave with record-breaking temperatures. READ () »

Britain charges UBS trader over Libor scandal
Photo: UBS

Britain charges UBS trader over Libor scandal

Britain's Serious Fraud Office on Tuesday said that former UBS trader Tom Hayes had become the first person to be charged in connection with its probe into the Libor rate-rigging scandal that has rocked the banking sector. READ () »

Swiss MPs reject US tax evasion agreement
Photo: Parliament.ch

Swiss MPs reject US tax evasion agreement

Switzerland’s lower house of parliament has voted against debating a secret deal between Bern and Washington aimed at settling a legal battle over Swiss banks’ alleged complicity in tax evasion by American citizens. READ () »

Son sentenced to jail for punching his mother
Basel-Country's intervention centre against domestic violence. Photo: Canton of Basel-Country

Son sentenced to jail for punching his mother

A 19-year-old man who punched his mother several times in the face received a 16-month prison term from a Zurich district court on Monday. READ () »

Highlights
Photo: KLM
Furniture Leasing Corporation
Henrik Trygg/imagebank.swede.se
Latest news from The Local in Sweden

More news from Sweden at thelocal.se

Latest news from The Local in Germany

More news from Germany at thelocal.de

Latest news from The Local in France

More news from France at thelocal.fr

Latest news from The Local in Norway

More news from Norway at thelocal.no