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Virtual Motorpix

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The Bond Cars

October 30, 2012 by: Glen Smale | Leave a Comment

Zao's Jaguar XKR from Die Another Day
Zao’s Jaguar XKR from Die Another Day (2002). Close up of front grille missiles.

Could you list all the different cars that James Bond has driven over the last 50 years? Since 1962 we have been treated to twenty-three movies (official Bond movies, that is), that makes it almost an average of one every two years, but then we all know that James Bond is a busy fellow looking after the interests of Great Britain, while he isn’t sipping Martinis, that is.

Aston Martin DBS Quantum of Solace film car
Aston Martin DBS Quantum of Solace film car, 2007
James Bond's Aston Martin DB5 Corgi Toys 261
James Bond’s Aston Martin DB5 from Goldfinger. Model car by Corgi Toys

It’s amazing that spies and villains in the Bond movies, of the female variety, always seem to be the most gorgeous, leggy numbers around, it almost makes you want to join MI6 so that you too can bump into a few of them. And of course, Moneypenny is a bit dishy too, so it can’t be a bad life being a spy. Then of course you also have access to all the latest gadgetry, courtesy of Q, who also happens to be in charge of the MI6 fleet of cars which naturally include the latest, fastest supercars on the planet and are usually packed with all manner of extra goodies like mortar launch tubes, rockets, skis, parachutes, containers that deposit oil on the road, bullet-proof shields, machine guns…Bond is truly one dangerous dude.

1984 Lotus Espirt Turbo
1984 Lotus Espirt Turbo. This model doesn’t appear in the film itself but instead two Essex Turbo Esprits appear in For Your Eyes Only (1981)

The luckiest spy on the planet always seems to get the keys to Q’s latest set of wheels, which over the years has included a vast array of cars, but the best known of them all is undoubtedly the Aston Martin, and most notably the DB5, which appeared for the first time in the third Bond movie, Goldfinger. What the Bond name hasn’t done for the Aston Martin brand isn’t worth knowing, but then the famous British car has got Bond out of numerous scrapes with villains of all manner and description.

British Secret Service's BMW Z3 from Goldeneye
British Secret Service’s BMW Z3 from Goldeneye (1995). Equipped with ‘Stinger’ missiles (never seen or used), deployable parachute and auto-HUD

On her Majesty’s Business Bond gets to drive all sorts of memorable cars like the 1961 Sunbeam Alpine that was used in the first Bond movie, Dr. No, the submersible Lotus Esprit S1 in The Spy Who Loved Me, and of course the (almost) indestructible BMW 750iL in Tomorrow Never Dies. Other cars have been ‘borrowed’ from unsuspecting bystanders along the way such as the Alfa Romeo GTV6 in Octopussy, and the BMW R1200 motorcycle in Tomorrow Never Dies, as well as many others.

BMW 750iL
BMW 750iL MY1997 from Tomorrow Never Dies (1997). In the film it was loaned to Bond by Q and equipped with missile launchers, caltrops, self-inflating tires, a near-impenetrable body and could be remotely controlled via mobile phone.

Bond’s transport has included Alfa Romeos, an AMC Hornet, Jeep Cherokee and Wagoneer, Audi 200 Avant, A6 and A5, various Bentleys, various BMWs, MG, Jaguar, Range Rover, Ford Thunderbird and Mustang, Chevrolet, Mercedes, Lotus, Rolls-Royce, Saab, Citroën, Maserati, and so the list goes on.

Film James Bond (aka) Year Bond’s car
Dr. No Sean Connery 1962 Sunbeam Alpine
From Russia With Love Sean Connery 1963 Bentley 4½ Sports Tourer
Goldfinger Sean Connery 1964 Aston Martin DB 5
Thunderball Sean Connery 1965 Aston Martin DB 5
You Only Live Twice Sean Connery 1967 Toyota 2000 GT convertible
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service George Lazenby 1969 Aston Martin DBS Vantage
Diamonds Are Forever Sean Connery 1971 Aston Martin DBS
Live and Let Die Roger Moore 1973 Coronado, various
The Man with the Golden Gun Roger Moore 1974 AMC Hornet
The Spy Who Loved Me Roger Moore 1977 Lotus Esprit
Moonraker Roger Moore 1979 MP Roadster
For Your Eyes Only Roger Moore 1981 Lotus Esprit Turbo
Octopussy Roger Moore 1983 Alfa Romeo GTV & Mercedes 250 SE
A View to a Kill Roger Moore 1985 Renault 11 taxi
The Living Daylights Timothy Dalton 1987 Aston Martin DBS V8 Volante
Licence to Kill Timothy Dalton 1989 Trucks, various
Golden Eye Pierce Brosnan 1995 BMW Z3 roadster & Aston Martin DB
Tomorrow Never Dies Pierce Brosnan 1997 BMW 750iL
The World is Not Enough Pierce Brosnan 1999 BMW Z8
Die Another Day Pierce Brosnan 2002 Aston Martin V12 Vanquish
Casino Royale Daniel Craig 2006 Aston Martin DBS V12
Quantum of Solace Daniel Craig 2008 Aston Martin DBS V12
Skyfall Daniel Craig 2012 Aston Martin DB5

In the latest Bond movie, Skyfall, Honda contributed twenty five CRF250R motorcycles for various stunts, twenty of the bikes being modified for the filming of various special scenes which took place in Istanbul and Adana, Turkey, earlier this year. Two motorcycles in particular were modified to look quite different from the others, these being the ‘Police’ and ‘Street Merchant’ bikes, but they were in fact all the same machines.

Ford Thunderbird owned by Giacinta "Jinx" Johnson in Die Another
Ford Thunderbird MY2002 owned by Giacinta “Jinx” Johnson in Die Another Day (2002). Taken at Birmingham Motor Show 2002

Lets hope that James Bond continues to criss-cross the globe in his efforts to keep the borders of Great Britain safe and secure for the next fifty years, just as he has done over the last five decades.

Zao's Jaguar XKR from Die Another Day
Zao’s Jaguar XKR from Die Another Day (2002). Equipped with front grille missles, door panel missiles, rear mounted gattling gun and boot mounted mortars.
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Categories: History of Cars Tags: 007 Cars, Aston Martin 007, James Bond Cars

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