THE most iconic car in movie history was driven around Mirfield.
George Silverwood, who lives in the town, was a mechanic at the former Central Garage in Mirfield when the Aston Martin made famous in the 1964 James Bond film Goldfinger came to the garage two years later.
George contacted the Examiner after reading our story that the car has been voted the most iconic in film history.
More than 1,000 of the DB5s were built by the Aston Martin Company which at the time was owned by Huddersfield businessman Sir David Brown.
George, who was a mechanic at the time, thinks the car’s visit was to promote a new range of cars and the garage was a British Leyland dealer at the time. But he had the keys so took it for a spin around Mirfield.
“The car had certainly been well used to the point it looked tatty,’’ said George.
“Don’t forget that at that time the James Bond films were new and no-one realised how iconic those early ones would become.
“I remember the car still had its rotating number plates and steel plate at the back to protect 007 from gunfire.’’
George, now 69, stayed at the garage for many years and became its service manager. The Co-op supermarket is now on the site of the garage.
George also drove racing cars around Europe with the garage’s owner, Derek Buller-Sinfield.
