The iconic 1963 Aston Martin DB5 car used in early James Bond films like “Goldfinger” and “Thunderball” has been found after being stolen 25 years ago, NME reported.
The car, which is valued to be worth over $25 million, mysteriously vanished from a reportedly secure hangar at a Boca Raton, Florida, airport in 1997. Now 25 years later, the car has been found by Art Recovery International, a group that finds stolen luxury items, according to The Telegraph.
The group said that an unnamed individual was able to verify the car through its serial number, confirming it is the one that went missing, NME reported.
The exact whereabouts of the car made famous by Sean Connery in the 007 films has not yet been revealed, but according to the report obtained by The Telegraph it is located in a “private setting” somewhere in the Middle East, The Edinburgh Evening News reported.
Dubai, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia are reportedly of “particular areas of interest” as to where the car is, the Edinburgh Evening News reported.
Christopher Marinello, chief executive of Art Recovery International spoke to The Telegraph and said he is confident DB5 will be recovered soon.
“I’m hopeful that the possessor will come forward voluntarily before I have to make an announcement,” he said. “It’s my policy to give possessors of stolen and looted objects every opportunity to do the right thing.
“I don’t believe the current possessor knew the car was stolen when he or she acquired it. Now they do know, I think they should make every effort to have a discreet confidential discussion about how we clear the title to this iconic vehicle,” he added.
American businessman Anthony Pugliese purchased the sleek car for $275,000 at a Sotheby’s New York auction in 1986. He was the owner at the time of its theft in 1997, Edinburgh Evening News reported.
After it was stolen, Pugliese received $4.2 million from insurance and offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to the safe return of the car, Edinburgh Evening News reported.