Bond: \"Ejector seat? You're joking.\"
\r\nQ: \"I never joke about my work, 007.\"<\/i><\/p>
Ask anybody - and we include a herdsman in the remotest Mongolian steppes - what the definitive Bond car is and they'll probably say the Aston Martin DB5 that first made its appearance in Goldfinger.<\/p>
Yet 007 has put pedal to the metal in so many cars he really ought to be an honorary member of the RAC. There's the submersible Lotus Esprit in The Spy Who Loved Me<\/i>. There's the bridge-jumping AMC Hornet in Man With The Golden Gun<\/i>. Hang on for the ride of your life in the remote-controlled BMW 750IL in Tomorrow Never Dies<\/i><\/p>
Roger Moore even crammed himself into a dinky Citroen 2CV to escape his pursuers in For Your Eyes Only<\/i>. <\/p>
Take a trip with us as we step up a gear for a look at the cars of 007...<\/p>","url":"2008/9/12/cool-cars-goldfinger-1.jpg","width":570,"height":364,"alt":"cool cars goldfinger"},{"captionHeading":"GOLDFINGER: Aston Martin DB5","caption":"
\"Bond: Where's my Bentley?\"
\r\nQ: \"It's had its day, I'm afraid.\"
\r\nBond: \"But it's never let me down.\"
\r\nQ: \"M's orders, 007. You'll be using this Aston Martin DB5, with modifications.\"<\/i><\/p>
The legendary silver birch Aston Martin DB5 made its first appearance in the workshops of Q-Branch. Bond creator Ian Fleming had originally put 007 in an Aston Martin DB Mark III but the film-makers opted for the current 1964 model (which you could buy for 4,248 pounds).<\/p>
Two cars (including the DB5 prototype) were used in the movie with another two for publicity purposes.<\/p>
\"Extras\" (pictured) include two .30-calibre Browning machine guns hidden behind the front indicator lights, ramming bumpers that extend outward to \"ram\" through obstacles, front and rear lights that change colour to confuse nocturnal pursuers and revolving license plates for use in the UK, France and Switzerland.<\/p>","url":"2008/9/24/Goldfinger-6.jpg","width":570,"height":364,"alt":"Goldfinger"},{"captionHeading":"GOLDFINGER: Aston Martin DB5","caption":"
In addition to his AA Relay membership, and just to make sure 007 didn't come to any harm, his Aston was fitted with a retractable bullet-proof shield, an oil slick/nail dispenser behind the rear indicators, steel tyre slashers that telescope from the wheel hubs (these did for the crossplys of Tilly Masterson on an Alpine road) and - most famously - an ejector seat triggered by a red button on the gear stick to catapult unwelcome passengers through the roof.<\/p>
In Goldfinger<\/i>, the Aston was called on to prove its worth when Auric Goldfinger's heavies chase Bond in a fleet of black Mercedes. The twin Brownings take out a machine gun-toting crone and it's only when Bond thinks he's on course for a head-on crash that he's scuppered. It's actually a mirror.<\/p>","url":"2008/9/24/Goldfinger-7.jpg","width":570,"height":364,"alt":"Goldfinger"},{"captionHeading":"GOLDFINGER: Aston Martin DB5","caption":"
As well as a speedometer, clock and ciggie-lighter, the dashboard on Bond's Aston boasted a radar screen for tracking enemies after a homing device had been placed in their car. <\/p>
And under the seat - rather than an old duster and a empty can of de-icer - Bond had a retractable tray of concealed armaments, including handguns and knives.<\/p>
Other than Goldfinger<\/i>, the DB5 saw service in Thunderball<\/i> (an additional extra were a pair of water cannon under the rear bumper) GoldenEye<\/i> (extras included a special compartment for chilled Bollinger champagne), Tomorrow Never Dies<\/i> and Casino Royale<\/i> (we seen Bond win the car in the game of cards with evil Alex Dimitrios).<\/p>","url":"2008/9/24/Goldfinger-8.jpg","width":570,"height":364,"alt":"Goldfinger"},{"captionHeading":"YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE: Toyota 2000GT","caption":"
The only Bond outing where the Aston Martin stayed in the garage and 007 didn't actually drive a car. This time out he was taxied about by Japanese agent Aki in her sporty Toyota 2000GT.<\/p>
She really came into her own when Bond is pursued by a Toyota-full of wrong un's who are eventually despatched by the novel method of being plucked off the highway by a helicopter with an electromagnetic hoist that drops them in the ocean. In the vacant area behind the two seats there is a voice-activated tape recorder, an FM receiver and a small colour CCTV screen for live communication and surveillance<\/p>
The Toyota had to have its roof removed to make it a convertible because the 6ft 2in Sean Connery couldn't fit into a space designed for a 5ft 8in passenger. Actress Akiko Wakabayashi had not passed her test so all the actual driving was done by stuntmen in wigs and her close-up scenes were filmed while the car was stationary. Only 350 of the cars were ever built.<\/p>","url":"2008/11/12/Toyota-2000.jpg","width":570,"height":364,"alt":"yoltaki2pd8"},{"captionHeading":"DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER: FORD MUSTANG MACH 1","caption":"
The stunt sequence featuring Tiffany Case's Mustang (driven by Bond) cruising down a pedestrian alley in Las Vegas on just two wheels has entered movie folklore for a classic continuity error.<\/p>
The car - one of eight supplied by Ford for the movie - enters the narrow alley on the passenger side yet exits tilting on the driver's side (apparently it was filmed twice because the number of onlookers spoiled the first shot).<\/p>
The setpiece was actually filmed in two locations - the entrance was at the car park at Universal Studios and the exit was at Fremont Street, Las Vegas.<\/p>","url":"2008/11/13/Mustang.jpg","width":570,"height":364,"alt":"Mustang"},{"captionHeading":"MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN: AMC Hornet","caption":"
Sheriff Pepper: \"Woww-eee!! I ain't never done that before!\"
\r\nBond: Neither have I, actually.\"<\/i><\/p>
In one of the most jaw-dropping stunts in a Bond film, 007 (Roger Moore) - along with reluctant Sheriff J Pepper (Clifton James) as passenger - performs a 52ft spiral barrel jump at 40mph across a broken bridge over a canal in pursuit of Scaramanga.<\/p>
No CGI or effects were used in the scene - which was filmed in one take - and which required British stuntman \"Bumps\" Williard to spin around 360 degrees in mid-air, doing an \"aerial twist\" before landing safely on the other bank. <\/p>
Willard was paid £30,000 for the corkscrew stunt which was performed after seven \"tests\" and planned by computer experts at Cornell University. The specially modified AMC Hornet was the only car available at the time that weighed the exact amount for the risky barrel roll jump to work.<\/p>","url":"2008/9/24/The-Man-With-A-Golden-Gun-8.jpg","width":570,"height":364,"alt":"The Man With A Golden Gun"},{"captionHeading":"THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN: AMC Medator","caption":"
M: \"So if I understand it, Scaramanga got away - in a car that sprouted wings!
\r\nQ: \"Oh, that's perfectly feasible, sir. In fact, Q branch are working on one right now.\"
\r\nM: \"Oh, shut up, Q!\" <\/i><\/p>
Scaramanga (Christopher Lee) literally takes flight in a vehicle that wouldn't have looked out of place leading in the Wacky Races.<\/p>
Pursued by Bond (Roger Moore), the sharpshooting villain drives his bronze AMC Medator (with Britt Ekland locked in the boot) into a barn.<\/p>
Conveniently, he has on hand everything - detachable wings, roof-mounted jet engine, duel fuel tank, adaptable instrument panel - to niftily convert it into a plane.<\/p>
Truth be told, this wasn't one of the Bond car's finest moments - imagine an Austin Allegro crossed with a Sopwith Camel. And check out the picture above...even Stingray boasted more convincing models than that...<\/p>","url":"2008/9/24/The-Man-With-A-Golden-Gun-14.jpg","width":570,"height":364,"alt":"The Man With A Golden Gun"},{"captionHeading":"THE SPY WHO LOVED ME: Lotus Esprit","caption":"
Q: \"Pay attention, 007. I want you to take great care of this equipment. There are one or two rather special accessories... \"
\r\nBond: \"Q, have I ever let you down?\"
\r\nQ: \"Frequently.\" <\/i><\/p>
The Aston Martin DB5 may have had no end of gadgets...but it was never going to top a Lotus Esprit that could double as a submarine.<\/p>
While being pursued by an attack helicopter, Bond (Roger Moore) does more than change to a set of wet weather tyres - he plunges off the end of a pier into the Bahamian sea.<\/p>
Lotus provided the film-makers with a wedge-shaped car that had the ability to retract its wheels and transform itself into a submarine replete with fins, rudders, mini-propellers and even a periscope.<\/p>
It could also blast any unwelcome attention with a radar-guided rocket (to take out the aforementioned helicopter) as well as heat-seeking missiles for underwater targets as well as underwater mines.\". A nozzle behind the licence plate also spewed cement at unwelcome followers.<\/p>","url":"2008/9/24/The-Spy-Who-Loved-Me.jpg","width":570,"height":364,"alt":"The Spy Who Loved Me"},{"captionHeading":"FOR YOUR EYES ONLY: CITROEN 2cv","caption":"
Bond: \"I love a drive in the country, don't you?\"<\/i>
<\/p>
Roger Moore's Bond took the wheel of the canary-yellow 2cv from Melina Havelock (Carole Bouquet) because his other form of transport - a Lotus Esprit - had blown up thanks to its self-destruct mechanism.<\/p>
Fleeing pursuing baddies through a Greek olive orchard the French classic punched well above its weight in a movie where the film-makers were determined to play down the gadget element.<\/p>
To give it a little added oomph, all the 2CV's used in the film were fitted with more powerful 1,220cc engines.<\/p>","url":"2008/11/13/2cv.jpg","width":570,"height":364,"alt":"2cv"},{"captionHeading":"THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS: Aston Martin V8","caption":"
Bond: \"Just taking the Aston out for a spin, Q.\"
\r\nQ: \"Be careful, 007! It's just had a new coat of paint!\" <\/i><\/p>
Weighing in at almost two tons, the V8 could still ramp up a respectable 162mph. But, just to make sure, Q added a few \"refinements\".<\/p>
Giving a bit of an unfair advantage to Timothy Dalton's 007, the car came armed with a laser in the front hub cap (handy for cutting pursuing police cars in two), spiked ice tyres, retractable ski outriggers, heat-seeking missiles housed behind the fog lamps and - for that extra bit of poke - a jet engine behind the rear number plate. It could also self-destruct.<\/p>
Confusingly for car geeks, at the beginning of the film, it's a V8 Vantage Volante convertible but after being\"winterised\" at Q Branch - ie having a hard top fitted - it becomes a boring old V8 again. This knowledge matters to some people.<\/p>","url":"2008/9/24/The-Living-Daylights-15.jpg","width":570,"height":364,"alt":"The Living Daylights"},{"captionHeading":"TOMORROW NEVER DIES: BMW 750iL","caption":"
Q: \"It's the insurance damage waiver for your beautiful new car. Now, will you need collision coverage?
\r\nBond: Yes.
\r\nQ: Fire?
\r\nBond: Probably.
\r\nQ: Property destruction?
\r\nBond: Definitely.
\r\nQ: Personal Injury?
\r\nBond: I hope not, but accidents do happen.
\r\nQ: They frequently do with you.
\r\nBond: Well, that takes care of the normal wear-and-tear. Is there any other protection I need?
\r\nQ: Only from me 007, unless you bring that car back in pristine order.\" <\/i><\/p>
In the Brosnan years, Aston Martin took a back seat while BMW shouldered its way to the front of the queue.<\/p>
Despite running the risk of looking like an upwardly-mobile sales rep, 007 took to the wheel of his beamer with aplomb. The most stunning sequence was a chase filmed in a Hamburg multi-storey car park (actually filmed in London's Brent Cross).<\/p>
To give him the edge, 007's BMW featured roof-sited rockets, a bonnet-mounted cable cutter and remote control.<\/p>","url":"2008/11/13/BMW.jpg","width":570,"height":364,"alt":"BMW"},{"captionHeading":"THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH: BMW Z8","caption":"
Bond: \"Q's not gonna like this.\"<\/i><\/p>
A vicious, chainsaw-wielding helicopter did for Bond's sporty BMW Z8 roadster - despite its titanium armour - during a face off at a Azerbaijan quayside caviar factory. <\/p>
The BMW Z8 driven by Bond in the film was the final part of a three-movie product placement deal with BMW but, due to filming preceeding release of the Z8 by a few months, several working mock-ups and models were manufactured for filming purposes.<\/p>
Apparently, the The five-blade buzz-saw wielded by the helicopter was originally intended to be in the earlier Bond movie GoldenEye.<\/p>","url":"2008/11/13/BMW-Z8.jpg","width":570,"height":364,"alt":"BMW Z8"},{"captionHeading":"DIE ANOTHER DAY: Jaguar XKR","caption":"
Not a Bond car...but the chase vehicle favoured by his nemesis Zao.<\/p>
The green roadster's pursuit of Bond's Aston Martin Vanquish across an icefield was spiced up with a few modifications.<\/p>
The Jag was customised with door panel-mounted rockets, front grill machine guns, a rear-sited gattling gun and - in case he was still feeling vulnerable - boot-mounted mortars.<\/p>
To make the motor even more eye-catching special paint - mixing pure gold with green - was specifically created at 2,000 quid a litre. Available at your local B&Q now.<\/p>
To boost grip, the XKR bodyshell was fitted to a shortened Ford Explorer 4x4 chassis...and an extra large airbag to stop it sinking if the ice cracked.<\/p>","url":"2008/9/24/Die-Another-Day-8.jpg","width":570,"height":364,"alt":"Die Another Day"},{"captionHeading":"DIE ANOTHER DAY: Aston Martin Vanquish & Jaguar XKR","caption":"
Bond's Aston gets the upper hand on Zao's Jag in a car chase that was to end in an avalanche sequence that was some of the worst CGI ever seen on the big screen.<\/p>
Still, until then the icefield pursuit was a cracker...<\/p>","url":"2008/9/24/Die-Another-Day-34.jpg","width":570,"height":364,"alt":"Die Another Day"},{"captionHeading":"DIE ANOTHER DAY: ASTON MARTIN VANQUISH","caption":"
Bond: \"You know, you're cleverer than you look.\"
\r\nQ: \"Still, better than looking cleverer than you are.\"<\/i>
\r\n <\/p>
After a period of flirting with Lotus and BMW, the Aston Martin made it's long-awaited return as Bond car-of-choice.<\/p>
Q Branch kitted out the hi-tech Vanquish, driven by Pierce Brosnan's Bond, with auto-aiming machine guns located under the bonnet vents and front-firing rockets behind the engine grill.<\/p>
It could also render itself invisible...possibly the dumbest contrivance to emerge from the workshops of Q and one which turned the car into little more than a laughing stock. Mind you, what would you expect from a car customised by Basil Fawlty?<\/p>
Ten Astons were destroyed during filming. Bet they didn't see that one coming.<\/p>","url":"2008/9/24/Die-Another-Day-1.jpg","width":570,"height":364,"alt":"Die Another Day"},{"captionHeading":"CASINO ROYALE: ASTON MARTIN DB5","caption":"
Daniel Craig's 007 didn't just go back to basics...he returned to the motor that would set the pace for every Bond car that would come after.<\/p>
A brief scene in the return-to-form Casino Royale saw Bond winning the classic silver birch DB5 from La Chiffre's villainous henchman Dimitrios during a fraught game of cards. (007 also goes on to make it a doubly bad night for Dimitrios by bedding his wife).<\/p>
No gadgets were apparent during this brief glimpse of the Aston...although it did go around a roundabout quite quickly outside Bond's hotel.<\/p>","url":"2008/9/24/Casino-Royale-2006-46.jpg","width":570,"height":364,"alt":"Casino Royale - 2006"},{"captionHeading":"CASINO ROYALE: Aston Martin DBS V12","caption":"
Daniel Craig's beefcake Bond required a muscular motor...and the super-charged Aston fitted the bill perfectly.<\/p>
Keeping in line with the stripped-back nature of the film and respecting the 50 year association between Bond and prestige carmaker, the DBS hardly concealed any gadgets at all, save for a defibrillator hidden in a secret panel (Bond needed it to resuscitate himself after being poisoned at the gambling table)<\/p>
However, it didn't stop the car entering the Guinness Book of Records for performing the greatest number of barrels rolls - in this case seven - during a crash sequence on an empty road.<\/p>
To achieve the stunt, a converted Aston Martin DB9 driven by stuntman Adam Kirley hit an 18-inch ramp at 70mph while simultaneously an air cannon behind the driver's seat propelled the reinforced car into a series of rolls. Three Astons were destroyed while filming the sequence.<\/p>","url":"2008/9/24/Casino-Royale-2006-4.jpg","width":570,"height":364,"alt":"Casino Royale - 2006"},{"captionHeading":"QUANTUM OF SOLACE: Aston Martin DBS","caption":"
After the record-breaking seven barrells rolls for Casino Royal, Daniel Craig was back behind the wheel for a nailbiting pre-credit sequence along the shore of Italy's Lake Garda. With the evil Mr White in the boot and Bond's driver's door ripped off, he takes on a pair of black Alfa Romeos trying to gun him off the road.<\/p>
The four-week shoot was cursed with calamity - first off an Aston Martin employee was fined four hundred quid for reckless driving when he crashed one car into the lake. Two days later two stuntmen were seriously injured, with Italian stuntman Aris Comninos, having to be put in intensive care. Stunt co-ordinator Gary Powell later said the accidents were a testament to the realism of the action. Six Astons were destroyed during filming.<\/p>
For more on the Bond cars check out Sky Motoring's 007 Gallery<\/b><\/a><\/p>","url":"2008/10/10/Quantum-Of-Solace-36-3.jpg","width":570,"height":364,"alt":"Quantum Of Solace 36"}];