OO7 – License to Drive: Collection of James Bond Wheels

The name’s Bond. James Bond. Vodka Martini, shaken not stirred. The life of the famed British spy has been something that unites generations in thought. The question is why don’t we talk in awe about Jason Bourne or the Manchurian Candidate or any other run of the mill secret agent? No it’s not because we as Indians still like to obsess about anything connected to our British Raj roots. Think Guns, designer custom made clothing, classy watches, great locales, chicks and of course mind blowing cars. Already made your mouth water? That’s the answer. But Mr. Bond wouldn’t be so famous today if it weren’t for his cars. Like Confucius the car thief once said, The wheels maketh the man. And in keeping with his teachings, we decided to take a look at James Bond and his cars over the years.

Anything related with James Bond has become such a sensation and a platform for marketing to a worldwide audience. This wasn’t something that was the dictum from the early days of Dr. No. it is something that has evolved over the years. But that doesn’t mean that subtle messages and competitive marketing weren’t present those days. What I mean is every opportunity has been used in marketing the brand featured in a film. Right from the Aston Martin DB 5 thrashing a Mustang in the first film to the BMW outrunning the Mercs in Tomorrow never dies to the Aston kicking an Alfa and a Merc in QoS. Well, let’s leave the subliminal messages aside for now and dive into the actual stuff.

OO7 – License to Drive: Collection of James Bond Wheels

Sir Sean Connery with the DB5

Aston Martin DB 5 – the beginning of it all. This was when the producers thought we should give the famed spy a set of wheels that will set him apart from the rest. And with this proposal, they went to Aston Martin, who were apprehensive to say the least to ‘loan’ a few cars to the filming crew – leave alone getting them to cut up and add loads of stuff to their masterpiece of a vehicle. So, after loads of discussions, the DB 5 came onto the set. And, the rest as they say is history! The DB 5 remains the most popular bond car till date! The car not just looked good and captured the imagination of people worldwide, but it also was great with the gadgets!

Revolving license plates, guns, smoke screen, oil slicks, bulletproof shields and most famously – the ejector seat! Q and his gadgets made sure that the DB 5 would be the best car Bond has graced – ever.

Of course, after the success of Aston Martin and the association with James Bond, everyone wanted a piece of the pie. But Aston Martin held off the competition with a new Green DBS for On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969) and Diamonds Are Forever (1971). Of course, the DBS didn’t end up making the impact like the DB 5 but that’s also because the bond car was out of fresh ideas. People wanted more than just a set of wheels than speed.

Focus on the aerodynamics - of the car - Lotus Esprit

In came the 70’s – and enter Roger Moore as a new Bond. While the first few flicks didn’t get a new car, things got a little boring in this decade of craziness. Word got around that the marquee were looking for something different to spice things up – and another British company came to the fore. Lotus lined up their new offering to the producers – and the Esprit was an instant hit. The sleek, aerodynamic look gave the new Mr. Bond a whole new look. And this car (probably picked only for this reason) was years ahead of the 70’s – it turns into a submarine and goes underwater in the film – The Spy who Loved me. No other car could’ve pulled that off! I’ve never driven a Lotus (I’m dying to, by the way) but it’s said that to drive a Lotus – you really need to know it. And on the sets of the film, while the stunt driver couldn’t really drive the car like it was needed, the representative from Lotus strapped himself in and showed them how to drive a Lotus – and he didn’t get out the seat till the end of filming! Talk about good luck.

The famous underwater scene - The spy who Loved me

Even though the Esprit was a hit, it didn’t continue to make the same impact with its turbo charged twin and in despair, Bond returned to Aston Martin. Again – new bond (Timothy Dalton), new car, new updates. The V8 Volante was again silver – similar to the original DB 5 but had its tech updates. Instead of the tyre busters on the original DB 5, this one had Laser cutters in the hubcaps! Also had heads up display, rocket propulsion systems and worst of all – a Self Destruct option.

The V8 Volante - the Living Daylights

All these years, Bond had been quintessentially British – but now things were going to change. Enter BMW and this was something I couldn’t digest for a bit as well. How could a British spy drive around in a BMW? But BMW didn’t disappoint with the car, at least. The new bond movie was Goldeneye. The new car was the Z3. And its world launch was on film – and what a launch it turned out to be. The Z3 was an amazing car – in terms of it being a car. But as a bond car with gadgets, BMW got the formula wrong.

The Z3. Goldeneye was its world Debut.

BMW had inked a 3 movie deal – and after a bust up with Bond’s identity and need for the latest stuff in the Z3, they over compensated with the 750iL. BMW’s flagship sedan at the time was and still is the most boring looking car – ever – leave alone as a Bond car. But the Germans being themselves were efficient as ever and they made this car very user friendly with a remote control in Mr. Bond’s cellular phone. The chase scene in the basement in tomorrow never dies has to go down as a classic. Of course, Mr. Bond then rides a BMW motorcycle as well – but I can’t be too bothered by that.

The BMW 750iL phone remote - apple, take notice and bring this out soon !

And as BMW bid a final goodbye – they did it with a good mix of style and substance in a Z8. And it was appropriately cut off by an electric saw in The World is not Enough.

The V12 Vanquish. Die another day. Perfect car for Indian Roads (with the ammo)

As famous adages go, life comes a full circle is one frequently used. But its fitting here and bond powered his way through with a V12 Vanquish in Die Another Day. Q took the reins of refurbishing this sexy siren of a car, and lo – the ejector seat was back!! But more than anything, this Aston was trigger happy – fitted with guns of all shapes and sizes in every nook and corner you could imagine. Of course, at that time Ford Motor Company owned Aston. But they also owned Jaguar Land Rover. And so, the baddie also got a howler of a XKR matching the Aston for every rpm, almost. Finally, as I remember – the chase scene on the ice ended with the Aston coming out trumps, showing Jaguar that it indeed is Aston’s younger smaller cousin.

Daniel Craig then took over as the new Bond for Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace and the films showed a human side of the famous Spy – something that was reluctantly never done before. And the changes showed in the cars as well. Bond was now more physical, hands on, simple natured without the usual clichés. But simplicity doesn’t translate into frugality – so, bond again retains the V12 Aston DBS. No gadgets. No nonsense. just a gun, defibrillator, antidotes to poisons and a good car that gets mangled in a crash. But the DBS and its simplicity won itself many a fan and it comes a close second in the list of the best Bond cars. Talking about number one, this one too drives the DB 5 which he wins in a poker game. He also drives a Ford Mondeo (probably a gimmick by ford who still owned Aston and had a 3 film deal).

The new bad boy

If it ain’t broke, why fix it? Another cheesy line I’m using in this article. Well, the DBS was obviously something that was good and worked well with this Bond, so it stayed as his mode of conveyance in Quantum of Solace. The opening scene with the car chase you will never forget in a hurry.

This whole article would be incomplete if you didn’t know the following:

According to Ian Fleming novels – James Bond has a particular liking and drives a Bentley Mark IV. Bentley has never made a Mark IV. The novels describe a grey 1933 Bentley convertible. Also, the car had no gadgets as this was Bond’s personal vehicle.

The first car Bond drove on film (Dr.No) was a Chevy Bel Air convertible and later on in the same film, A Sunbeam Alpine.

The first car Sean Connery drove - hence the first ever Bond car

According to ‘trusted’ sources on the internet, the likely candidates to replace the DBS in Bond 23 are:

The Aston Martin One – 77
Aston Martin DBS Carbon; or the
Lotus Evora

Could it be that Bond will go in for an Italian make this time round – perhaps a Maserati Gran Turismo or Ferrari 599 GTO? Or will the producers pull off a cruel trick and make him drive an Aston Cygnet? (this is a huge possibility considering the filming is apparently happening in NYC). Of course, all this is just conjecture so let’s keep the fire going on and whoever comes up with the right answer will be given exclusive tickets to the premiere of the flick! (at a theater near you)