Six untouched Corgi DB5 toy cars sell for �7,000

Six units of the famous James Bond Aston Martin DB5 toy car produced by Corgi have sold for about �7,000 at auction in Kent. An unnamed British buyer bid �5,500 for the cars but will pay about �7,000 including fees.

The cars should have been sold in the '60s, but the salesman decided to keep the cars unopened rather than distributing them to shops for display. They were found in the cellophane-wrapped boxes they were left in leaving the Corgi factory 49 years ago.

Matthew Tredwen, from the auction house, said there was interest from the US, France, Germany, Italy, New Zealand and South Africa. "The toy itself is not overly unusual because there was a million of them made. What makes this so fascinating is that it's still wrapped in the original wrapping, as it would have been sent to the toy shop for the retailer to then open it up and display it."

The unopened trade pack contained six models all with sealed secret instruction packs. A notice on the pack says in five different languages: "Mr Retailer, the instructions are packed in the compartment in the base of every inner display stand, please make sure that every young purchaser realises this."

The instructions informed children how levers at the back and side of the car operated the bullet-proof rear windshield and machine guns that shot out from the front bumper. Another lever also activated the spring-loaded sunroof, projecting the gun-wielding villain into the air.

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