Top ten Bond cars

10. AMC Hornet – The Man with the Golden Gun, 1974
One of Bond’s rare outings in an American-made car, which featured in not only one of the most famous scenes in Bond’s history but also received a world record for the first astro spiral used in a movie; a computer-designed stunt captured in one take when Bond performs a corkscrew jump over a broken bridge in Thailand.

9. Lotus Turbo Esprit – For Your Eyes Only, 1981
For Roger Moore’s fifth outing as Bond, filmmakers wanted a more traditional return to form after the sci-fi plot of Moonraker and decided to feature not just one, but two British-made Lotus Esprits.  A white one which features an anti-theft self-destruct feature (handy), and the second, a more iconic copper model which Bond drives to Cortina in Spain. Originally white like the first, filmmakers sent it back to Lotus who repainted it copper with gold stripes so it would stand out against the snow better.

8. BMW Z8 – The World is Not Enough, 1999
Although this car is most famous for being spectacularly sliced in half in half by a helicopter wielding an enormous circular saw, the German-made Z8 is actually a rather lovely and stylish model. With titanium plating and armour it was equally swanky on the inside with a steering wheel target display, a remote-control keyring and that ultimate essential, six different cup holders.

7. No10 Sunbeam Alpine series II – Dr. No, 1962
Bond wasn’t always about the Bentleys and Aston Martins; in fact 007’s first-ever car was a humble, British-made Sunbeam Alpine that he rents in Jamaica in Dr. No. On a leisurely drive up to the lovely (albeit double-crossing) Miss Taro’s house in the Blue Mountains, Bond is pursued by the Three Blind Mice assassins in a hearse but upon coming across a crane in the road, the nifty Sunbeam darts underneath, outwitting the hearse, which careens down the mountain to a fiery end.

6.Aston Martin V8 Vantage – The Living Daylights, 1987
This modern classic was of the last generation of Aston Martins to be based on the original DBS design. Elegant, with gun-metal finish and curves in all the right places, even without Q’s ingenious flourishes the car is a masterpiece, and the gadgets are pretty amazing too…

5. Aston Martin V12 Vanquish – Die Another Day, 2002
Product placement at its peak, the grand tourer V12 Vanquish was the official car of Die Another Day.  The front-firing rockets, two machine guns and spike-producing tires were sadly not included in the standard model. The car also featured a cloaking device and passenger ejector seat which Bond uses in a moment of inspiration to flip the car when it has overturned in a chase.

4. Ford Mustang Mach 1 – Diamonds are Forever, 1971
Ever the trendsetter, Goldfinger was the first film to feature the Ford Mustang when Tilly Masterson drove it in through the Swiss Alps – it later became famous for its role in the ten minute San Francisco car chase in the Steve McQueen heist epic Bullitt. In Diamonds are Forever, Bond took the Mustang to new levels when, during a police car chase in Las Vegas, he drives the car up a ramp and on only two wheels manoeuvres it down a narrow alley.

3. Lotus Espirit (submarine edition) – The Spy who Loved Me 1977
In underwater romp The Spy Who Loved Me, Roger Moore’s Bond is on a mission to trace several Soviet Ballistic-missile submarines which have mysteriously disappeared, encountering vicious assassin Jaws and Bond babe Anya Amasova (Barbara Bach) along the way. In one particularly memorable chase scene, Bond is seen driving his trusty Lotus Esprit in Sardinia. With baddies on his tail from land and sky it looks like all hope is lost, but thanks to Bond’s incredible driving skills and the fact that Q, in a moment of pure genius, has installed a ‘submarine’ feature, Bond makes his great escape underwater. The car was built and driven in the scene by an ex-Navy Seal and cost $100,000 to convert.

2. Aston Martin DB10 – Spectre, 2015
He may get bored of women pretty quickly, but Bond’s love affair with Aston Martins endures. A bespoke, two-door coupé has been designed especially to celebrate the 50-year-collaboration between the British brand and the Bond franchise. Only ten of the DB10 have been made, eight for the film and two for archive purposes. It won’t be made available for general sale, sadly.

1. Aston Martin DB5 – Goldfinger, 1964
In one of the greatest scenes in 007 history, and really the beginning of it all for Bond and his kitted-out Astons, Q patiently explains all the modifications he has made to the DB5, including a smoke screen and oil slick tool and the ubiquitous ejector seat. The magic lies in the anticipation of not knowing when Bond will unleash the gadgets on unsuspecting bad guys.

The new James Bond movie Spectre opens at cinemas nationally on November 12.

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Published : Sunday, 8 November 2015

Top ten Bond cars