The series of James Bond movies are known for their flashy or exotic locations, the women featured in them, and the cars. Whether they are in a car chase scene and tricked out with gadgets and weapons or are simply what Bond drives around in, cars are at centre stage in both the movies and series of novels by Ian Fleming that the films are based on. Here we go through some of the most memorable cars featured in 007 movies that may just inspire you to re-watch your Bond favourites.
1. Aston Martin DB5
The classic Bond car has been featured in not one but seven films, from the classic Goldfinger to the newer Casino Royale and Spectre. What makes this such an iconic car? It’s tricked out in 007 fashion with features like a fax machine, champagne cooler, smoke screen, hubcaps with tire-slashing capability, and revolving license plate. Plus, it just looks cool.
2. Lotus Esprit S1
This futuristic sports car has one of the craziest features of any James Bond vehicle. It was in The Spy Who Loved Me, set on the island of Sardinia where it has a famous chase scene. And this sports car has a lot of other faces, including turning into a submersible. Its “extras” to be utilized underwater included surface-to-air missiles, torpedoes, contact mines, and a dye slick. And on the road, it could use its cement sprayer intended to impair the view of anyone coming from behind.
3. Jaguar XKR
Featured in Die Another Day from 2002, the car was actually driven by bad guy Zao. The convertible is no less tricked out than others, with guns, rocket launchers, ramming spikes, and thermal imaging available for use. It stood up well to the Aston Martin Vanquish that Bond drove in the film.
4. Aston Martin DB10
This bespoke 2-door coupe made a splash when it was unveiled before the movie premiere of 2015’s Spectre. The car was produced specifically for the movie and only 10 in total were produced with eight of them being used in the movie. Being one of the newest Bond cars, it also has some cutting-edge bad-guy-fighting features. You have flamethrowers, a driver ejector seat, a digital imaging system on the back window to use the rear machine gun, a roof that flies away in order to use the ejector seat, and body armour.
5. BMW Z8
You can see this roadster in the 1999 film The World is Not Enough. The car has fewer gadgets than others, but still features surface-to-air missiles that come out of the side vents. The missiles are controlled by a targeting display in the steering wheel. And like another BMW used in a Bond film, this one has a remote control.
6. Aston Martin V8 Vantage Volante
Another of the many Aston Martins, this one featured in The Living Daylights stands out for having lasers that shoot out of its hubcaps. It was called the first supercar in Britain when it was released in 1977, and the version used in the movie was tricked out with tire spikes, missiles, a rocket motor, a radio scanner, and a self-destruct button.
7. Toyota 2000 GT
This Japanese sports car is from You Only Live Twice, which was filmed in Japan. It was specially made into a convertible because the movie’s star, Sean Connery, was too tall to fit into the normal version.
8. Ford Mustang Mach 1
This souped-up version of the regular Ford Mustang can be seen in 1971’s Diamonds Are Forever. The muscle car is used during a chase scene through Las Vegas where it drives on 2 wheels through a narrow alley.
9. BMW 750iL
This rather ho-hum looking BMW from the 1997 film Tomorrow Never Dies has some tricks up its sleeve. It could be remote-controlled from a (then) state of the art mobile phone, had tires that could re-inflate, a roof-mounted rocket launcher, and a security system that dispensed tear gas and electric shocks if the car was broken into.
10. Renault 11
This decidedly unflashy car is notable not for its gadgets, but rather for a chase scene where it barely survives. The car was featured in A View to Kill, which takes place in France. As the car races through the French streets it loses its roof and its back half, but somehow keeps going.
11. Citröen 2CV
This French vehicle is no one’s definition of a James Bond car, but it was used by him as an escape vehicle in the film For Your Eyes Only from 1981. It has no bells and whistles but did help him escape after his Lotus Esprit S1 was destroyed.
