No Mr Bond, I expect you to drive! Original Corgi models of 007's Aston Martin DB5 from Goldfinger set to fetch £8,000 dailymail 1 October 2013
- Six Bond toy cars found in original packaging after 50 years
- Were kept by Corgi sales rep when they should have been distributed
- The models are expected to fetch around £8,000 at auction this week
Six James Bond toy cars designed by Corgi have been found in their original packaging nearly 50 years after they were intended for sale.
The models of Bond's Aston Martin DB5 were kept by a sales rep from the firm who should have distributed them to toy shops.
After being designed in 1964, in the wake of the classic Goldfinger film, in which Sean Connery starred as Bond, the six toys are expected to fetch around £8,000 when sold together at auction this week.
Goldfinger, which featured the famous line, 'No Mr Bond, I expect you to die!', was the first of the films to feature 007's gadget-laden silver car.
Corgi sprayed the model motors gold and included an ejector seat, which launched a plastic figure villain through the roof at the flick of a switch.
They were found in the cellophane-wrapped boxes they were left in leaving the Corgi factory 49 years ago.
The cars even come with a letter sent by Corgi to toy shops, advising 'Mr Retailer' to point out to 'every young purchaser' that 'secret instructions' are hidden inside the box.
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.
Experts say the cars would decline in value when opened.
A single original car out of its box today sells for around £500.
Glen Chapman, of C&T Auctions of Rochester, Kent, said: 'To have these toy James Bond cars still in their original packaging and having never been opened is exceptionally rare.
'They are in mint condition and are presented as if they had just come from the factory.
'We have decided to sell them as they have been for the last 50 years and that is as a trade pack in their sealed boxes.
'It would be terrible to open them. They should be treated as an investment and locked away in a safe, a bit like a fine wine.'
Mr Chapman added: 'They shouldn't really be given to a grandchild to open and play with that's for sure.
'They belonged to a Corgi sales rep for about 30 years. Either they were surplus stock or he just kept them.
'He sold them to a private collector 20 years ago and he has now made them available at auction.'
The cars are set to go up for auction tomorrow.