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The 24 Epic Cars that James Bond Has Taken to the Streets

Posted by Maria Shayna Tzouvelekis | Tue, Jan 19, 2016 @ 06:00 PM

“Bond, James Bond.” Last year’s Spectre marked Daniel Craig's fourth appearance as agent 007 and was the 24th movie in the Bond series since it debuted in 1962 with Dr. No. 007James.com reports that the total gross revenue for the films stands at $14,614,866,282. Actor Sean Connery branded the role of 007 while starring in the first six films based on author Ian Fleming’s 14 Bond novels.

More impressively, however, it was the 2012 release of Skyfall that became the highest grossing film in the U.K., bringing in over one billion dollars. Skyfall was also the first Bond film to be released in IMAX which meant a dramatically larger screen and enhanced graphics for moviegoers.

So, what continues to attract fans to the James Bond series? Is it the exotic locations and gorgeous female counterparts, the action, adventure or espionage? It’s all of that and more, including the thrilling, jaw dropping, iconic cars that have kept audiences coming back to theaters for over a half century.

Go on and make yourself a martini — "shaken, not stirred" — and come along for the ride as we explore the 24 incredible cars that the secret agent has taken to the streets over the past 50 years.

From the infamous DB5 Aston Martin, to the run of BMW's featured and surprisingly, several powerful taxis used for getaways, CrossCheck recaps them all from the most recent hot rod in the 2015 film Spectre to the little blue Sunbeam Alpine that started it all in 1962's Dr. No.  

 

#24 Aston Martin DB10

Featured in the 2015 film Spectre, there were 10 DB10 cars manufactured in total, eight of which were used for Spectre filming, along with two show cars. Twelve of the 24 Bond films have featured an Aston Martin.

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#23 Aston Martin DB5

This 1963 silver beauty is almost synonymous with Bond himself. It was featured more recently in Casino Royale (2006) and Skyfall (2012). 

Aston_Martin_DB5_Skyfall.jpg

 

#22 Aston Martin DBS V12

This 2006 model was featured in Casino Royale and again in Quantum of Solace in 2008. Factoid: according to Aston Martin's past models site, “The name 'DBS' was recycled from a discontinued model from the late sixties, which Bond had driven in On Her Majesty's Secret Service.”

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#21 Aston Martin V12 Vanquishvanquish_21.jpg

Complete with an ejector seat, torpedoes, target seeking shotguns mounted on the bonnet and an invisibility cloak. This 2002 Vanquish is featured in a seven-minute chase scene in Die Another Day

 

#20 Ford Fairlane 

This 1957 convertible Ford Fairlane that Bond drove in part of Die Another Day in 2002 wasn't decked out in gadgets, but certainly served as respectable transportation. Not his typical fast car but a 50's classic nonetheless. 

 

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#19 BMW Z8

The car that was cut in half by a helicopter in the 1999 film, The World is Not Enough. After "R" mentions that the Z8 features titanium armor, a multi-tasking heads up display, and six beverage cup holders, Bond takes to the BMW Z8 and tries to out drive multiple helicopters. 

According to James Bond Lifestyle, the car is valued at $130,000 and includes a 5.0 liter, 400 horsepower (300 kW) 32 valve V8 S62 motor built by the BMW Motorsports subsidiary and transplanted directly from the E39 M5. Performance specs touted a 0 to 100 km/h (0 to 62 mph) time of 4.7 seconds.

pierce-brosnan-bmz-z8-19.jpg bmw-z8-19-v2.jpg

 

#18 BMW 750iL (740iL with 750iL badges)

An impressive car for the decade, this BMW, driven in Tomorrow Never Dies in 1997, is a life-size remote control car controlled by an Ericsson mobile phone with touchpad controls. With electrifiable door handles set to shock potential thieves, the 750iL is one sturdy machine, capable of being hit by a sledgehammer and complete with bullet proof windows.

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#17 BMW Z3

This is the first BMW introduced to the Bond series in the 1995 film Goldeneye. With gadgets equipped to do more harm than good, some include an ejector seat and stinger missiles housed behind the headlights as well as a parachute breaking system. Despite their appeal, none of them were actually used in this movie. The product placement did work for BMW however, with 15,000 orders coming in for Z3s post movie release. 

Producers used product placement to sell more vehicles in Goldeneye, but you don't have to be featured in a movie to sell more cars. Creative promotions and payment tools are the keys to increasing auto sales

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#16 Aston Martin DB5 

This silver Aston Martin DB5 became a pop culture icon with its debut in the 1964 Goldfinger, starring Sean Connery and the third film in the Bond series. According to James Bond Lifestyle, it made regular appearances in Thunderball (1965), Goldeneye (1995), Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), Casino Royale (2006) and again in Skyfall (2012).  

Racing a Ferrari Spider 355 driven by villain Xenia Onatopp in the 1995 Goldeneye, Bond and the psychologist sent to evaluate him go for a wild ride in this Aston Martin. 

au003-aston-martin-db5-daniel-craig-16-v3.jpgBond (Daniel Craig) and Solange in the Aston Martin DB5 in Casino Royale.

Pierce Brosnan (below) with the Aston Martin DB5 in the south of France during the filming of GoldenEye

 

 

 

#15 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Volanteau003-aston-martin-db5-pierce-16-v2.jpg

After appearing in On Her Majesty's Secret Service in 1969, this Aston Martin was unseen for 18 years until it was featured again in The Living Daylights in 1987. Classic spy accessories include a control panel under the arm rest with buttons to operate lasers, missiles, outriggers, a rear rocket propulsion system and tire spikes for added traction control. It also included an all-band police radio receiver, heads-up missile guidance display on the windshield, and a built-in self-destruct timer. 

 

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#14 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud II

Purchased in 1962, this Rolls Royce belonged to James Bond producer Cubby Broccoli. Twenty years would pass before it would become a main Bond car in A View to a Kill that was released in 1985. With Bond trapped inside the car after it is pushed into a lake by henchwoman May Day, Bond breathes in air from the tires underwater in order to survive.  

According to an Auto Trader's study, it may have been around this time in the 1960's that people began a love affair with their cars. 

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#13 Renault 11 Taxi renault-taxi-13.jpg

Bond's Renault getaway taxi was also featured in A View to a Kill. In an attempt to catch henchwoman May Day who has parachuted off the Eiffel Tower, Bond practically flies across the roof of a bus into heavy traffic. The roof of the car is sliced off upon crashing into a stop barrier, but that doesn't stop him from scraping by with two wheels into a chase scene on water.  

 

#12 Bajaj REtuk-tuk-taxi-12.jpg

In keeping with getaway taxis, this "Tuk Tuk taxi" as it is also referred to, appeared in the 1983 Bond movie Octopussy. Don't let its small looks deceive you; this Bajaj RE taxi had a powerful engine and was used in a tense chase seen with ally agent and tennis player Vijay, seen here on two wheels. 

 

 

#11 Citroën 2CV

Not a typical Bond car — this Citroën had to be fitted with a larger engine in order to give it the power it needed for a Bond style chase scene. Action packed and humorous, Bond uses Melina Havelock's 1981 Citroën 2CV after his Lotus self-destructs. 

citroen-2cv-james-bond-007-edition-etienne-11-v2.jpg  citroen-2CV-11.jpg   

 

#10 Lotus Esprit Essex Turbo

"Burglar protected" stickers didn't keep villains off this 1981 Lotus featured for the second and last time in the 1981 flick For Your Eyes Only. Q's self-destruct system blows up the car as soon as one of villain Gonzales' henchmen breaks a window.

lotus-esprit-turbo-10.jpg

 

#9 Lotus Esprit S1

An epic chase sequence covering land, air and water was created for the Bond series tenth film in 1977, The Spy Who Loved Me. The transition from air-and-land chase to sea race reveals that this unique 1976 Lotus transforms into a mini submarine.

lotus-esprit-s1-9.jpg

 

#8 AMC Hornet X Hatchbackamc-hornet-8.jpg

While in Bangkok, Thailand, Bond steals a 1974 AMC Hornet from an auto dealership, driving it right through the showroom's window. Featured image is the landmark stunt from The Man With the Golden Gun as Bond does a 360-degree barrel roll over the river after spotting the old collapsed bridge. 

 

 

#7 Ford Mustang Mach 1

In a high tension chase with a sheriff along the Las Vegas strip, Sean Connery uses Tiffany Case's 1971 Ford Mustang in Diamonds Are Forever, released the same year. Bond tricks half a dozen police men into crashing into one another and escapes through a narrow pedestrian walkway.

au051-ford-mustang-mach-1-image-7.jpg

Interesting fact, according to 007james, virtually all the cars destroyed during filming were Fords because Ford offered to supply as many cars as the producers wanted providing Bond drove a Mustang.

 

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#6 Mercury Cougar XR-7

Without his Aston Martin, Bond relies on his future wife Tracy Di Vicenzo's red Mercury Cougar. She drives laps around the henchmen on the race track, leaving them in her dust and an explosive crash in the 1969 movie, On Her Majesty's Secret Service.  

 

According to Road and Track, instead of investing in tricky gadgets for the secret agent in this car, producers spent time and money on the "breathtaking stunts and driving sequences." 

 

#5 Aston Martin DBS

aston-martin-dbs-5.jpg

Aside from the exciting stunts associated with the Mercury Cougar, it is the 1968 Aston Martin DBS that introduced a new James Bond, George Lazenby, in On Her Majesty's Secret Service. The ‘68 Aston Martin DBS was named after David Brown and was the last the company produced under his name. In a twisting turn of fate, the movie ends with Tracy Vicenzo, Bond's wife, flying through the DBS's windshield.   

 

#4 Toyota 2000 GT

Primarily set in Japan, the 1967 You Only Live Twice film showcased the Toyota 2000 GT. With only 351 models produced, this car became more rare than the Aston Martin DB5. 

toyota-2000GT-4.jpg

Toyota made modifications to produce a special open top version of this car just for the film.

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#3 Aston Martin DB5

The infamous 1963 Aston Martin DB5, which became synonymous with the James Bond series, was introduced in Goldfinger in 1964. Ian Flemming's third Bond book featured a DB Mark III, but this Mark 5, released three months before production began, was substituted.

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#2 Bentley Mark IV Drophead 3.5 Litre

Almost 30 years old at the time, the Bentley Mark IV convertible featured a private love scene with Miss Trench in the 1963 film, From Russia With Love

Bentley-mark4-image-2.jpg

 

#1 Sunbeam Alpine

After driving into a trap up the dusty road of a mountain and being chased back down by a hearse trying to drive 007 off a cliff, this modest 1962 lake blue Sunbeam Alpine was the first official Bond car. 

For the first James Bond film, Dr. No, it was rumored that the producers had borrowed the Sunbeam from a local resident to avoid the cost of importing their own.

1962-sunbeam-alpine-image-1.jpg

James Bond has taken us on quite an adventure over the past five decades in 24 feature films and these timeless secret agent cars. The series stands alone at the top of the "secret agent film genre," and will be long-remembered for its cool and rugged namesake character, stunning Bond Girls, bombastic special effects and iconic destinations. Car buffs worldwide, however, will never forget the cars that were as influential in the role of "supporting actor" as many the people.

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* Bond facts and photos attributed to those referenced, as well as 007james.com, jamesbondlifestyle.com, astonmartin.com and mi6-hq.com. 

 

 

Written by Maria Shayna Tzouvelekis

Maria Shayna Tzouvelekis is an Inbound Marketer at CrossCheck in Petaluma, CA.