The James Bond car collectibles were sold at auction for $6.8 million and have a new owner. The original estimate was $500,000 but the bidding kept going as the rich wanted to own a piece of movie history.

“The people who like the earlier (vehicles) seem to be more interested at the moment,” James Knight, managing director of Bonhams’s motoring department, said in a statement. “Your average guy who’s in the market for a second-hand … might not think it’s the right time to buy.” The vehicles were from the 1950s and 1960s and were featured in several Bond films.

All but nine vehicles were sold that represent the famous sports coupe driven by British spy agent 007. The Aston Martin DB4 coupe from the “Goldfinger” movie sold for $121,564 while the DB2 model sold for $741,431. The DB2 was partially restored after being involved in a crash when it raced in the 24-hour Le Mans race in France.

The total auction was about $600,000 more than expected, and most of these vehicles are on their way to garages and a few auto shows beginning next year. There were nine vehicles that did not sell, and it appears that while the economy is in recession, the rich are collecting assets in the form of arts and physical objects. Fans are still out there, and they are fascinated by the movies and the collectibles.