James Bond, aka Agent 007, is one of the greatest action franchises in movie history. There are the despicable villains, the cool and innovative gadgets, the high-stakes missions, and several female characters who interact with the secret agent. There are also the elegant and memorable vehicles that Bond drives, which make for great car chases and high entertainment value.
From the Aston Martins to the BMWs, Bond has driven some beautiful cars, several of them being well-equipped with machine guns, special weaponry, ejector seats, self-destruct mechanisms, bullet-proof glass, etc. However, there are some vehicles that don’t match up well with the man of espionage.
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Goldeneye-BMW Z3
Pierce Brosnan makes a brilliant impression in his first Bond filmGoldeneye. While Brosnan drives an Aston Martin DB5 at the beginning of the film (racing with nemesis Xenia Onatopp and her Ferrari), this Bond feature marks the first time the secret agent drives a BMW. The always hilarious Q shows Bond the BMW Z3 during the middle of the feature. The car has missiles and other guns behind the headlights (which are, unfortunately, not physically shown nor used in the film), along with a parachute (that ejects right on cue before the demonstration) and a GPS tracking system (revealed when friendly CIA agent Jack Wade is detected on an airplane right before meeting up with Bond in Cuba).
The blue BMW Z3 is a beautiful car, especially when Bond drives it with the female protagonist Natalya in Cuba. However, the car has very limited screen time (approximately two minutes or less) and the vehicle’s gadgets are never utilized in the action or plot of the film. This Bond car should have been given more use, but thankfully, the BMWs used by Brosnan later on in his Bond sequels are much better.
Spectre-Aston Martin DB10
Daniel Craigdrives some elegant Aston Martins in his Bond series, including the usual DB5 and the DBS V12. His DB5 contains the familiar gadgets and weaponry (which are used effectively inSkyfallandNo Time to Die) and the DBS V12 is effective in some high-speed car chases (Casino RoyaleandQuantum of Solace). The Aston Martin DB10 inSpectreis a cool but incomplete vehicle used during Bond’s car chase with Blofeld’s henchman, Mr. Hinx (Dave Bautista).
The car chase between Bond and Hinx is well executed and the vehicle itself is fast and stylish (along with a flamethrower and an ejector seat with a parachute). Unfortunately, there’s a gun without ammo and no other gadgets are included with it (since it’s a prototype from Q), making the car a letdown with limited screen time.
From Russia With Love-Bentley 3.5 Litre
Sean Connery drove some of the best carsduring his memorable tenure as Bond, including the Aston Martin DB5 inGoldfingerand the Sunbeam Alpine inDr. No. In one of his most famous Bond pictures,From Russia With Love, Connery’s secret agent doesn’t do as much driving compared to his other 007 features (aside from riding a Chevrolet flower truck during a helicopter chase). This is due to the fact that a lot of the action takes place on a train (and on a boat during the climax).
However, at the beginning of the film, Bond is shown having a romantic picnic with Sylvia Trench (who also appeared inDr. No) and has his Bentley 3.5 Litre parked on the side. Bond’s green Bentley is a nice car, but this vehicle has no special gadgets, barely has any screen time, and is only shown when Bond answers the car phone to report for duty. It would have been interesting to see Connery drive this Bentley with Sylvia or use the vehicle during a chase sequence.
For Your Eyes Only-Citroën 2CV
Some ofRoger Moore’s Bondcars are over-the-top and innovative, like the Lotus Esprit S1 (aka Wet Nellie) which transforms into a submarine inThe Spy Who Loved Me. He’s also driven some ordinarily elegant vehicles (like the red 1974 AMC Hornet inThe Man With The Golden Gun). InFor Your Eyes Only, when Bond’s Lotus Esprit Turbo self-destructs when bad guys try to break into the car, Bond drives the Citroën 2CV (which belongs to female protagonist Melina Havelock).
Bond and Havelock have a funny and high-octane car chase with the Citroën 2CV when fleeing from several henchmen. However, the yellow color of the car is unappealing, and the vehicle is also bulky and not as fast compared to other cars in the franchise. The bad guys also easily crash and bump toward the vehicle, with Bond and Havelock barely escaping.
Never Say Never Again-Renault 5 Turbo
Sean Connery’s seventh and final Bond film,Never Say Never Again(not produced by Albert R. Broccoli) is a welcome return for the original Bond actor (even though this film isn’t as strong asThunderballsince both resemble the same story). Connery shows that he still has the strength and charisma to play Bond, and has some entertaining fights and chase scenes (especially for his age), including a horseback ride and a submarine battle.
There is also a cool chase in which Bond chases femme fatale Fatima Blush (007 rides a motorcycle while Fatima drives a Renault 5 Turbo). The Renault 5 Turbo is not a bad car, but it lacks quality compared to the luxurious cars in other Bond films. The car’s red color and small size seem out of place for a Bond picture.
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