Every Car James Bond Ever Drove

Written by Carly Hallman

Always sexy and always the pinnacle of current luxury car design and technology, all James Bond cars tend to have a calculated, alluring mystique that wows the audience almost as much as the spy himself. Nearly all of the 27 films feature an expensive vehicle, which often sports both real and fictional features. Here are some more fun facts about James Bond’s car fleet!

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Since 1962, the spy has been wooing beautiful ladies, killing bad guys, and looking really sharp. The original James Bond car was a comparatively humble Sunbeam Alpine. We’ve come a long way, haven’t we? That car was a rented one, though. The first car owned by Bond himself appeared in From Russia With Love and was a much sexier 1935 Bentley 3.5 Litre. (So for your next trivia night, those who suggest that 007 began exclusively with Aston Martin vehicles are wrong.)

James Bond’s Favorite Car

For most of the Sean Connery era, the list of James Bond cars mostly included Aston Martin vehicles, specifically the beloved, tricked-out DB5 of Goldfinger fame. This may be one of the most important vehicles out of all of the cars in James Bond movies. That brand shows up in 11 films and quite a few novelizations as well. Bond’s influence led to an overall growth in sales for the London-based car company.

Coolest Gadgets in 007 Cars

Cool luxury cars are great product placement and all, but a spy needs to make sure his car has some secret gadgets so that he can make a quick getaway. Gadgets in James Bond cars include the famous ejector seat, the license-plate-switching device, bulletproof windows, an oil spout in the back, machine guns, and the invisibility cloak in Die Another Day.

So Nerdy That They Had to Make it Real

One of the most famous tricked-out cars was the car that doubles as a submarine! The James Bond submarine car was actually a Lotus Esprit, and it’s probably one of the silliest Bond vehicles ever. That being said, nerds everywhere have been trying to make one after that movie. A $2 million submarine sports car has been modeled after Bond’s Lotus Esprit, and it can drive 75 miles per hour underwater.

Drinking and Driving

On a sobering note, one might be worried about Bond’s driving record. On average, he has a drink in the films every 10 minutes and 53 seconds; he reportedly has more vodka martinis than kisses. Maybe that’s why he wrecks his vehicles so much. In the filming of Spectre, Bond’s crew wrecked $37 million in Aston Martins. But it’s OK; blowing up cars is cool.

Which Brands Bond Likes

While it’s true that Bond loves the car company of his homeland, he’s not 100 percent loyal to only Aston Martin. He’s also purchased cars of other brands, like Bentley, Ford, Chevrolet, and Land Rover. The bad guys, though, tend to prefer a Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Rolls-Royce, or Jaguar for their henchmen. (However, it should be noted that Bond often steals and eventually drives said vehicles.)

What He Drives Now

For James Bond, new car decisions are a big deal because of the amazing product placement. Sales often go up after a model stars in a Bond movie, but companies often will need to donate numerous models, as they are so apt to be blown up. The new James Bond car of Daniel Craig’s era is a throwback to the classic DB5. It’s an Aston Martin, this time an Aston Martin DB10, which will appear in Spectre. Recently, he’s driven a DBS (Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace) and DB5 (Skyfall). How retro of him.

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