Log in / RegisterFrom his suave looks to his super spy skills and of course, his cool, futuristic gadgets – there are many things that make 007 the world’s best-loved spy. Yet, one of the most memorable features of a James bond movie is Bond’s latest set of wheels. So today we decided to take a ride into the glamorous world of espionage and list our picks for the best James Bond cars in history.
Design, power and gadgets are all factors we’ve taken into account when making our selection, but memorability and importance in the James Bond universe were the key decision-makers. Time to rev your engines and let’s go!
Aston Martin DB5
No list of the best James Bond cars can go without the Aston Martin DB5. First seen in Goldfinger (1964), the DB5 reappears again in 2012’s Skyfall. It’s said to be Daniel Craig’s personal favourite amongst all of the James Bond rides ever made.
So, If there is one car that even casual moviegoers recognise as a Bond vehicle, this is it. Yet, the iconic status of the DB5 is largely due to its lead role in the Goldfinger movie. While stunning to look at, the inimitable character of the car doesn’t necessarily translate to its performance on the road. The Aston Martin DB5 isn’t as smooth-riding or as fast as some of the other models produced by the British manufacturer. That being said, the car gained such a popularity due to its role in the movies that in 2020 Aston Martin invested in producing a batch of 25 DB5 continuation cars.
The new vehicles are packing all the gadgets Sean Connery’s version in Goldfinger did, including battering rams, machine guns, a bullet-resistant shield, a smoke machine, revolving number plates and a water-propelling oil slick. None of these is functional, of course, and the car isn’t even legal to drive on the road. Nevertheless, the new Aston Martin DB5 continuation comes with a hefty price tag of £3.3 million. This comes to show the legendary status of the car, which is what puts it on our list of the greatest Bond rides today.
Lotus Esprit E1
A spy car that goes underwater – it doesn’t get any more James Bond than this! When Sir Roger Moore’s James Bond drove his Lotus Esprit E1 into the water to escape infamous Bond villain Jaws in 1977 hit The Spy Who Loved Me, an instant classic was born. The real road version of the Lotus Esprit E1 may not be a fully-working submarine equipped with missiles but the submarine used in the filming of the movie was real and it was made out of a Lotus Esprit E1 shell, so we’d say it’s close enough.
Image Source: IMDB; Photograph by Archivio Farabola
The real-life story of the Lotus Esprit E1, which had Sir Roger Moore behind the wheel, is also rather curious. Back in 1989, the vehicle had ended up under a cover in a blind auction where it was won for a bid of just $100 by a couple from Long Island. Even as the cover came off, the lucky owners didn’t have a clue what treasure they had stumbled upon as they weren’t James Bond fans and hadn’t seen the movie at all. In fact, the husband later said that he was planning to repair the dents and scratches on the car until he was told by other motorists that he was actually in the possession of a spy car.
Nearly a quarter of a decade later (in 2013 to be precise), the Goldfinger vehicle found a new owner. It was bought back from the previous owners at the staggering price of $997,000 by none other than Tesla’s inventor, Elon Musk. That’s what we call a profit..and a great story!
Aston Martin V8 Vantage
Here’s a James Bond car that was actually a bestseller before its movie glory. The Living Daylights, starring Timothy Dalton, didn’t come out till 1978 but in 1977 the Vantage had already been nicknamed “Britain’s first supercar”. With the incredible for its time top speed of 170 mph (270 km/h) and with acceleration from 0–60 mph (97 km/h) in 5.3 seconds, it was actually a tenth of a second faster than the Ferrari Daytona, so yes – we’d say that nickname was fully deserved.
Image source: James Bond Fandom Wiki
The V8 Vantage was also the first Aston Martin car to be featured in the James Bond franchise after an 18-years-long hiatus. The last Aston Martin before that was the DBS driven by George Lazenby in Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969) and the design was visually very similar to that of the V8 Vantage. In fact, the Vantage was the last model based on the original Aston Martin look.
Image Credit: © Chris Jackson/ Getty
Fun fact from behind the scenes: The person who pressed the button to launch those missiles off-camera wasn’t some random production crew member; no, it was actually Charles, Prince of Wales. The Prince was such a huge Bond fan that he even bought his own Vantage Volante the same year the movie was released and he asked for it to be customised with similar design features (minus the weapons) that the James Bond car did. The Royal order included specs, such as wide arches, front air dam and side skirts. A mini-series of 26 cars was later produced using those same specs. Needless to say, those are some of the priciest Vantage cars of the 80s sold today.
BMW Z8
BMW isn’t really considered a James Bond brand per se, with only five BMWs making it in the 50+-year-old franchise. There is a lot of controversy amongst the Bond fandom regarding the earlier BMWs featured in the movies with mixed reviews all around. However, there is one BMW car that Bond fans across the world (almost) unanimously recognise as a worthy 007 ride and that’s the BMW Z8.
The 007 films had suffered a dip in popularity after Timothy Dalton’s second Bond movie License to Kill (1989) underperformed at the box office, causing the franchise to take a six-year break. BMW sponsored a Bond franchise reboot in 1995 with Pierce Brosnan behind the wheel of a BMW Z3 in Goldeneye. The BMW Z8 made its appearance in the third Pierce Brosnan James Bond movie – The World Is Not Enough, back in 1999, following the appearance of the V12 750iL in Tomorrow Never Dies (1997).
Image source: James Bond Fandom Wiki
Bond’s sleek new Z8 comes on screen only at the end of the movie but the chase scene is, ahem, rather intense, shall we say. The beautiful bodywork of the BMW Z8, combined with the usual Q upgrades, such as a bulletproof Titanium layer and missiles, were definitely up to the 007 standards. However, the image truly engraved in the fans’ minds is the tragic demise of the vehicle, which got chopped in half by a couple of buzzsaw-wielding helicopters by the seaside. Sad but memorable!
Aston Martin DBS V12
The Aston Martin DBS V12 is another James Bond car that marks a turning point in the character’s journey, which makes it a key element in the franchise. DBS V12 was a nod to the classic 007 style with a sophisticated Aston Martin look, yet it was more subtle and believable when it came to gadgets, placing it in line with the renovated, darker and more realistic version of the Bond character, as portrayed by Daniel Craig.
Image source: James Bond Fandom Wiki
First featured in the famous seven-spin stunt in Casino Royale (2006), the Aston Martin DBS C12 makes a second appearance in Quantum of Solace (208) in a high-speed chase to the stunning backdrop of the scenic Lake Garda in Italy. There’s a good reason why 007 goes back to this particular vehicle – the DBS V12 is the fastest James Bond car ever. It has a maximum speed of 183 mph with a 4.3 acceleration from 0-60mph. No wonder it’s a go-to vehicle for the greatest spy of all time, who also happens to habitually get into dramatic car chases with villainous characters from around the globe!
The Aston Martin DBS V12 also makes appearances in various games including Quantum of Solace, Blood Stone, 007 Legends and most recently – Forza Horizon 4: Best of Bond Car. It’s great info in case you want to give this speedy Bond car a test drive (be it a virtual one).
With this luxurious Aston Martin piece, we end the first part of our best James Bond cars list. Yes, that’s right – Part 2 Coming Soon with even more iconic 007 vehicles from the decades. Until then, here’s our article on the James Bond cars in Spectre.