8 of the Best Bond Cars
James Bond films are known for a number of things, chiefly among them the awesome cars. While some of the modern films have featured impressive vehicles, many of the best have been from the series’ past.
Th James Bond books and movies contain many memorable items but many will argue that the vehicles of the James Bond movies were the most iconic. From the classic Aston Martin to the AMC Hornet, there are many classics. So what is the best James Bond car? We’ve narrowed down our top eight favorites.
8. Sunbeam Alpine Series II
The first car James Bond drove on the screen is worth mentioning, because it started the tradition of the spy ripping through the streets of different countries in pursuit of the bad guys, or being pursued by others.
While the Alpine Series II only boasted 80 horsepower and no flashy looks, plus it wasn’t outfitted with all kinds of high-tech hardware, it still wasn’t a bad-looking vehicle for James Bond to be driving. Sure, there are plenty of more impressive Bond cars, including everything else on this list, but this vehicle’s status as the first makes it worthy of being here.
7. Toyota 2000GT
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So often we associate Agent 007 with British cars because he’s a British spy. But he’s driven plenty of non-British vehicles, including a completely awesome Toyota 2000GT. As the first supercar to come out of Japan, it was the perfect fit for the Bond movies.
If you watch You Only Live Twice, you’ll notice the Toyota is a convertible, which people who know the 2000GT are aware wasn’t an option when the car was produced. This customized design actually came about because Sean Connery was so big he couldn’t fit inside the 2000GT unless they chopped off the roof. Two vehicles were used in the film, and both are big collectors’ items today.
6. Aston Martin V12 Vanquish
One of the best parts of Die Another Day is this beauty, which also marked Bond’s return to driving the iconic brand. Not only was the V12 Vanquish in the movie beautiful, giving it great on-screen presence, it was loaded with the usual hardware: rocket launchers, machine guns, spiked tires, etc.
Another interesting fact about this Aston Martin: it was the first car in the Bond series that had CGI applied to it. That shouldn’t be shocking, because tricks like making it turn invisible isn’t exactly a factory option.
5. BMW Z8
While British roadsters from back in the day were great and all, the Germans have done a good job of keeping that feeling alive, without the unpleasant experience of bolts backing themselves out as you travel down the freeway.
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James Bond climbed behind the wheel of the BMW Z8, a super roadster everyone still drools over, in The World is Never Enough. In the spirit of the franchise, just being an incredibly fast little drop-top wasn’t enough, the car was also outfitted with surface-to-air missiles and titanium armor. It also featured a remote control feature, which is pretty funny since the new 7 Series can do a little of that with a smartphone.
4. Lotus Esprit S1
The Esprit S1 was a beautiful car, making it great in its own regard, but what filmmakers added through special effects was just plain unforgettable. This submarine car fascinated audiences when the Spy Who Loved Me debuted, because who hasn’t fantasized about driving up on the beach in a Lotus, with people staring in amazement?
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To make the underwater special effects work, filmmakers had to use three different Esprit S1 bodies. Perry Submarines was hired to do the seemingly impossible job, with highly trained frogmen piloting the cars. Needless to say, it was a difficult task that paid off big time, and the submarine cars are still highly sought after.
3. Ford Mustang Mach 1
Of all the cars James Bond drove, one of the very best was an American muscle car. In Diamonds Are Forever, the spy uses a Ford Mustang Mach 1 to tear through the Las Vegas Strip as a bunch of cops chase him, making for a great scene.
One of the best parts is when he heads down an alleyway that’s too narrow for the car to fit, tips it onto two wheels, and keeps driving as the cops crash.
Funny enough, if you watch the scene carefully you’ll notice the Mach 1 is tipped to one side when it first goes down the alley, then is tipped to the other side when it exits. Apparently someone forgot which side they started out on when filming, but it’s a great scene so we’ll let that little flub go.
2. AMC Hornet
Another American car, the AMC Hornet, was also featured in a James Bond movie. It was in The Man With the Gold Gun when the spy was in Thailand that he tore it up with this little compact vehicle. Bond was chasing Scaramanga when he jumped the car over a river in one of the most memorable scenes from the entire film series. The Hornet rolls a full 270 degrees while traveling 40 feet, and the whole sequence was real (because CGI wasn’t around back then).
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What most people don’t know is that filmmakers used a computer model to ensure the jump didn’t end in tragedy. It was the first time a stunt had been plotted using computers of any kind.
The stunt captivated audiences, many of whom had never seen anything like it before. It was set up as a nice publicity stunt for AMC, but the move wasn’t enough to help the automaker survive too much longer.
1. Aston Martin DB5
What would a list of the best James Bond cars be without this one? The DB5 was the vehicle that started out this whole trend of cool cars, so we have it to thank for all those crazy, good times. Filmmakers went with a real looker, instead of trying to modify a production car to look good. In all honesty, the DB5 would have been a classic without the Bond series, but having it driven by James Bond helped spread its fame far and wide well beyond the automotive community.
Producers actually had to do some finagling to get the DB5 from Aston Martin, which was a little unsure about having its vehicle star in an action flick. Thanks to some movie magic, plenty of hidden weaponry, and dramatic scenes, the DB5 isn’t just one of the greatest Bond cars, but one of the most iconic vehicles to ever appear in a film.
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