Bond's cars
What do you like most about 007 movies?
James Bond, the timeless hero, is definitely the most loved movie character of all time. We had quite a few famous guys like Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig as James Bond.
(Sean Connery starring in Dr. No, 1962, source: wikipedia)
While Bond struggles to fight enemies to save the world, Bond girls are another pleasure to watch.
(picture of the legendary Ursula Andress in Dr. No - the famous bikini picture. source: wikipedia)
But, how about Bond's cars?
(Aston Martin DBS V12 shown in Casino Royale with Daniel Craig)
James Bond drove Aston Martin DBS V12 with a nice black suite, but, the most loved Bond car may be this one.
(DB5 from Aston Martin, shown in the film Goldfinger> in 1964. Notice the license plate is "JB007")
Featured in five films (Goldfinger, Thunderball, GoldenEye, a small appearance in Tomorrow Never Dies, and Casino Royale – to this list can be added The World Is Not Enough, though shots of the DB5 being driven to MI6's Scottish HQ were cut, leaving its only appearance a confusing satellite image at the end of the film - from wikipedia ), Sean Connery drove this beautiful Aston Martin equipped with gadgets like bullet-proof shields, ejecting drive seat, rotating license plate, and machine gun thanks to the fanous Dr. Q.
DB5 was also the winner of Top 10 James Bond Cars awarded by Time magazine. What are other Bond cars the Time magazine lists?
10. Venetian Gondola (Moonraker, 1979)
9. Citroën 2CV (For Your Eyes Only, 1981)
8. Aston Martin Vanquish (Die Another Day, 2002)
7. BMW 750iL (Tomorrow Never Dies, 1997)
Bond drove this car with a "remote controller" in the movie <Tomorrow Never Dies>. (A stuntman actually drove this car in the back seat like the picture below.)
6. Ford Mustang Mach-1 (Diamonds Are Forever, 1971)
The first American can driven by James Bond.
5. Toyota 2000GT (You Only Live Twice, 1967)
4. Bentley Mark IV (From Russia With Love, 1963)
3. BMW Z8 (The World is Not Enough, 1999)
2. Lotus Esprit (The Spy Who Loved Me, 1977)
Second in the Bond car hall of fame is “Wet Nellie”, the sleek white Lotus Esprit with the hidden talent of transforming into a submarine at the flick of a switch. In The Spy Who Loved Me, Roger Moore escapes his hunters by driving the Esprit off a pier into the sea, where it transforms into a fully functioning submarine. Armed with surface-to-air missiles, depth charges, underwater sight screens and torpedoes, Bond was able to despatch a team of underwater attackers and an airborne helicopter before surfacing, with all the calm and camp which Roger Moore could muster, at a nearby holiday beach. So popular was the Lotus Esprit that it was brought back for the next film, For Your Eyes Only, only for its self-destruction mechanism to be triggered by thieves early in the film. It was later replaced by a red Lotus Esprit Turbo, at which point Lotus’s involvement in the Bond films ended.
1. Aston Martin DB5 (Goldfinger, 1964)
It started with an ejector seat. Without doubt the most famous of the Bond cars, and one of the most iconic cars in cinema history, is the Aston Martin DB5 driven by Sean Connery in Goldfinger. This car started the trend for gadgetry which has become a hallmark of the Bond series of films, as it was fitted with an innovative array of extras, including machine guns, an oil slick deployer, bullet-proof glass, rotating licence plates, and an ejector seat. That these devices have become staples of spy films ever since is a testament to the enduring popularity and influence of this charismatic car.
James Bond didn't only drive cars, but drove many other things. To name a few;
1. Space Shuttle (Moonraker)
2. Moon buggy (Diamonds are Forever)
3. Russian Tank (Golden Eye)
4. Orient Express (From Russia with Love)
5. Hot Air Balloon (Octopussy, A View to Kill)
6. British Harrier T10 (The Living Daylights)
7. Submarines (Several films)
8. Iceberg (A View To Kill)
For Extra, Top 10 Bond Girls are here.
References
Wikipedia "List of James Bond Vehicles"
Wikipedia "Jame Bond Car Collection"
Time "Top 10 James Bond Cars"
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