50 years of James Bond cars (Part 2)

Fire and ice and Aston Martin

It was fifty years ago that the first James Bond movie reached the cinemas and a perfect excuse for us to look back of the cars driven by 007. The Aston Martin DB5 was indisputably the most famous, but is was not the only car made by the British manufacturer to see deployment on Her Majesty’s Secret Service. (Sebastian Viehmann, Jessica Fischer , 25.01.2012)

Connery unmatched

At the end of the sixties the adroit secret agent James Bond faced crisis. Actor Sean Connery hung up his Walther PPK and abjured further Martinis… shaken, not stirred… having become fed up with playing the role. Connery’s successor was George Lazenby, a one-time car salesman, fashion model and… to the horror of many Brits… an Australian. Lazenby was given the part largely due to his similarity to Connery.

When in 1969 in the film ‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service’ George Lazenby was introduced as the ‘new’ Bond he was also given a new car, the Aston Martin DBS.

Aston Martin DBS without extras

When in 1969 in the film ‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service’ the ‘new’ Bond was introduced he was also given a new car, the Aston Martin DBS. The successor to the DB6 had an entirely new design with a carosserie which could be described as boxy. At first the DBS was powered by a six-cylinder engine although by 1969 there was a powerful V8 under the bonnet. The car, however, brought the new 007 little luck. Unlike Sean Connery’s DB5 it had no gadgets on board… in the film’s tragic ending the secret agent’s fiancée was shot in the auto… ‘Q’ had not even provided bullet-proof windows. If the car had little luck it wasn’t much better for the actor Lazenby. For the next film in the series, ‘Diamonds Are Forever’, Sean Connery was once again engaged. And then came the Roger Moore era.

When called upon to make the car fit for wintry the solution proposed by ‘Q’ was the coupé version of the Vantage. The car was given not only an arsenal of rocketry but also retractable sleigh runners.

V8 Vantage with rocket launchers

When it came to the third Bond Aston Martin the special effects crew were given a free hand. However in the seven films starring Roger Moore the secret agent had to do without Astons and was seen in two movies at the wheel of the uncompromising Lotus Esprit. But in 1987 when Timothy Dalton made his debut as Bond in ‘The Living Daylights’ it was once again time for Astons to co-star. At the start 007 was seen cruising in an open V8 Volante. But when called upon to make the car fit for wintry Czechoslovakia the solution proposed by ‘Q’ was the coupé version of the Vantage. The car was given not only an arsenal of rocketry but also retractable sleigh runners. Spikes on the tyres provided grip on snow and ice and Bond was also able to use a laser beam to separate the body of a pursuing police Lada from its running gear!

The car was given onboard machine guns, infra-red heat seeking rockets could be launched from the radiator grille and it was completely armour plated. As a homage to the good old DB5 there was even an ejector seat installed.

From BMW to V12 Vanquish

Pierce Brosnan, too, had his moments having driven various BMW models in ‘Die Another Day’ (2002) when he was once again at the wheel of an Aston. ‘Q’ had given him the keys to a V12 Vanquish, the luxury super sports car model with its carosserie in aluminium and carbon composite materials, 460 horsepower and the ability to reach over 300 kilometres an hour. Aston Martin made seven Vanquish models available for the film work and the props specialists then got busy. The car was given onboard machine guns, infra-red heat seeking rockets could be launched from the radiator grille and it was completely armour plated. As a homage to the good old DB5 there was even an ejector seat installed although Bond used this device in an unusual manner. When the Vanquish flipped over on an icy surface he used the rocket power of the ejector seat to turn the car back over to rest on its wheels. In this movie there was one gadget which could only be created through digital trickery… an adaptive camouflage made the Vanquish invisible at the touch of a button… which was why ‘Q’ preferred to refer to the Aston as the ‘Vanish’ model.

The Aston Martin most recently driven by 007, played by Daniel Craig in ‘Casino Royale’ (2006) and ‘Quantum of Solace’ (2008). The latest DBS V12 made its first appearance on the silver screen before it even came onto the market… a sign of just how importantly the British marque is embedded in the Bond universe.

Daniel Craig in a DBS V12

The Aston Martin most recently driven by 007, played by Daniel Craig in ‘Casino Royale’ (2006) and ‘Quantum of Solace’ (2008), is the latest DBS V12. It made its first appearance on the silver screen before it even came onto the market… a sign of just how importantly the British marque is embedded in the Bond universe. The 517 horsepower sports model based on the DB9 was subjected to considerable punishment in the movies. In ‘Casino Royale’ the DBS underwent a spectacular crash and rolled over seven times before coming to a standstill. The stunt team was obliged to use an air pressure pump in order to get the car back on an even keel. A first attempt failed with the car not tipping over but just sliding further along the asphalt… the movie makers had not reckoned with the extremely stable road holding of the car. And during the filming of action scenes for ‘Quantum of Solace’ there was worse to report when two stunt drivers were seriously injured.

Bond car of tomorrow

It is not yet known what James Bond will be driving in the 23rd film of the series with the title ‘Skyfall’. But anything other than an Aston Martin would hardly be fitting for the discerning secret agent who generally tends to go for the very best… whether in respect of women, drinks, tailoring or automobiles. If one find day fatherhood overtakes James Bond… one never knows, after all he was nearly married once… then the British manufacturer would have the right car for him, the Aston Martin Rapide with four doors.

Bild in höherer Auflösung:  1366x768  1600x900  1920x1080

Bild in höherer Auflösung:  1366x768  1600x900  1920x1080

Bild in höherer Auflösung:  1366x768  1600x900  1920x1080

Bild in höherer Auflösung:  1366x768  1600x900  1920x1080

Bild in höherer Auflösung:  1366x768  1600x900  1920x1080

Pierce Brosnan had driven various BMW models in ‘Die Another Day’ (2002) before he was once again at the wheel of an Aston. ‘Q’ had given him the keys to a V12 Vanquish, the luxury super sports car model with its carosserie in aluminium and carbon composite materials, 460 horsepower and the ability to reach over 300 kilometres an hour. Picture 1 of 5