The James Bond films are a global phenomenon, with 22 films made taking a total box office of $4,809,157,447. Let’s have a look at some of the cars that helped make James Bond so successful.
1. Lotus Esprit (The Spy Who Loved Me)
Possibly the most recognisable car of the James Bond Collection. This car was made famous by its ability to drive both on land and sea. A stunt that was famously re-created by BBC’s ‘Top Gear’, where the presenters managed to cross the English channel over to France.
Delivered to Bond by Q in Sardinia, this Lotus is capable of transforming into a submarine. In this mode, it is equipped with anti-aircraft missiles.
2. Aston Martin Vanquish (Die Another Day)
The car is equipped with all the usual refinements, including front-firing rockets, hood-mounted target-seeking guns, spike-producing tires, again and a passenger ejector seat in homage to the original Aston Martin DB5, but used here in a clever bit of improvisation by 007 to right the car when it's been flipped onto its roof. The Aston was also equipped with "adaptive camouflage" – a cloaking device that allowed it to become effectively invisible at the push of a button
3. Aston Martin DB5 (Goldfinger)
As stated above, this car is up for action and James Bond fans have the opportunity to own one of the most iconic cars of all time. It features the pop out gun barrels behind the front indicators, the bullet shield behind the rear window and a 3-way revolving front number plate showing "GOLD FINGER" or "JB007" or "BMT216A".
4. BMW 750i L (Tomorrow Never Dies)
Loaned to Bond by Q at an Avis rental station in Germany, this car is equipped with missile launchers, caltrops, self-inflating tires and a near-impenetrable body. The BMW can be remotely controlled via a special Ericsson cell phone. During a chase inside a carpark, Bond exits the car and remotely drives it to the rooftop, sending it flying off the carpark before crash-landing into an Avis station across the street.
5. Aston Martin V8 Vantage (The Living Daylights)
A convertible, it is later "winterised" with a hardtop. It comes with all the usual refinements, including extending side outriggers, spike-producing tires, missiles, lasers (an update of the DB5's tyre-slashers), signal-intercepting smart radio, head-up display and rocket propulsion. To escape both the Russian Police and Army, Bond sets the car to self destruct and make his escape skiing down a mountain in a Cello case.
6. BMW Z8 (The World is not Enough)
This car had the usual ‘Stinger’ missiles present, but didn’t get much screen time. After firing one missile and bringing down one helicopter, an other helicopter armed unusually with three circular saws, cut this beautiful car in half.
7. BMW Z3 (Goldeneye)
Equipped with 'Stinger' missiles behind the headlights,self destruct system and other armaments, which are never seen or used. Unfortunately this car didn’t get much of a run out as it only had a screen time of less than two minutes.
8. Aston Martin DBS (Casino Royale)
No special gadget was visible other than the secret compartments which housed Bond's Walther P99, and an emergency med kit which includes components of an emergency medical link to MI6 HQ, antidotes to various poisons and a small defibrillator.
Both James Bond fans and car enthusiasts alike will no doubt remember the moment James Bond flipped this car after swerving to avoid Vesper Lynd who was bound and gagged in the middle of the road.
9. Lotus Esprit Turbo (For Your Eyes Only)
Two Esprits are featured in this film. The first, a white model driven by Bond in Spain, is destroyed when a thug trips its self-destruct system by breaking the
driver's side window. The second one is a red model driven by Bond at a ski resort in Northern Italy. These two were Essex-spec Turbo Esprits.
10. Ford Mustang Mach 1 (Diamonds are Forever)
The Ford Mustang Mach 1 was a performance model of the Ford Mustang that Ford produced beginning in 1969.
It can be seen in the film being pursued by a police car. Mr Bond uses a ramp to get the car on two wheels and drives through a narrow alley to escape. The police car was not so lucky as when it try’s the same, it ends up upside down.
Labels: Aston Martin DB5, Aston Martin DBS, Aston Martin V8 Vantage, Aston Martin Vanquish, BMW 750i L, BMW Z3, BMW Z8, Ford Mustang Mach 1, Lotus Esprit, Lotus Esprit Turbo
