It’s been 60 years since James Bond went from the book to the big screen, taking viewers on adventures rich in dream cars and unusual cars that often end up in memorable chases.
The British spy James Bond, number 007, was born in 1953 under the pen of the writer Ian Fleming who had himself worked for the intelligence services of the crown. But the current popularity of this fictional secret agent owes a lot to the big screen. James Bond has been a movie hero for 60 years now. From the outset, cars figured prominently in the secret agent’s on-camera exploits.
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James Bond first drove a Bentley
In the first written adventures of James Bond, 007 drives a Bentley, a brand of which he is a fan in the same way as its creator, owner of several models of the Crewe firm throughout his life. When the public discovers the paper character in Casino Royale, this one drives a Bentley Blower 4½ Liter from 1931. He later sets his sights on an R-Type Continental. But in 1959, in Goldfinger, readers find Bond at the wheel of an Aston Martin DB3. The legend says that this change was inspired in Fleming by the suggestion of a fan.
Martin, Aston Martin
The character created by Ian Fleming made his film debut in 1962 in James Bond 007 versus Dr No, portrayed by Sean Connery. His first screen car was a Sunbeam Alpine. The following year, in the film Bons Baisers de Russie, 007 drives a Bentley 3 ½ Liter Drophead in reference to his automobile loves in literature.
In 1964, when Goldfinger is adapted for the screen, the production opts for a more contemporary Aston Martin DB5 than the DB3 in the book. And when James Bond discovers his new car, he first asks where his Bentley has gone.
This opus marks the beginning of a long life together between James Bond and Aston Martin. Over the course of the episodes and the actors who follow one another in the role of the secret agent, the latter drives in DBS, in V8, in Vanquish and even in Valhalla, a model not yet marketed, in Dying can wait released in 2021. Even more exclusive: for Spectrum in 2015, Aston Martin created the DB10. Ten examples of this coupé were produced, exclusively for the film. In the manufacturer’s commercial range, the DB11 succeeded the DB9 in 2016.
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Dream cars, unusual and stunts
In addition to the Aston Martins, many prestigious cars have had their moments of glory at the hands of the hero. Let us quote the amphibious Lotus Esprit of The Spy Who Loved Methe Toyota 2000GT transformed into a convertible for You only live twice or even the BMW Z8 of The world is not enough. And let’s not forget those that other characters drive in the saga: Jaguar C-X75, Ferrari F355 GTS, Ford Mustang and Rolls-Royce Phantom III to name but a few. The film franchise also gives pride of place to more unusual vehicles, starting with the Citroën 2CV of Just for your eyesthe Renault 11 of dangerously yours or the AMC Hornet from The man with the golden gun. Many Jaguars, BMWs and other Land Rovers are also in the cast.
Beyond the vehicles themselves, it is through the staging of these that the Bond saga knows how to make people talk about it. We remember the pursuit in Rome between the DB10 and the C-X75, the friendly race between DB5 and F355 GTS on the Côte d’Azur, the 2CV hurtling down a mountain, the Hornet and its aerial barrel in Thailand , of the Renault 11 which lost its roof in Paris…
It entered the specifications: each opus contains an iconic sequence centered on one or more vehicles. But in the end, 007 always ends up returning to his Aston Martin DB5, abused, armored, destroyed, rebuilt, but now inseparable from the character.
For those who would like to relive these 60 years and 25 official films devoted to James Bond; Canal + is currently broadcasting the saga up to its latest opus, Dying can wait offered to subscribers exclusively from April 16, 2022.
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