For 25 movies, James Bond has been behind the wheel of some of the fastest and most stylish cars in the history of big screen driving. From small gadgets such as the ability to drop studs to slow down pursuers to large-scale transformations that turn road vehicles into submarines, 007’s Q’s car gadgets have saved Bond many times and are always a source of joy for him. It has become. Viewers since 1964 goldfinger.
aston martin db5 goldfinger (1964)
Hoping to reunite with his trusty Bentley, Bond (Sean Connery) is surprised when Q (Desmond Llewellyn) presents him with an Aston Martin DB5 that boasts many hidden perks. The idea for a gizmo-filled Aston Martin first appeared in an Ian Fleming novel, but was further developed by production designer Ken Adam. “My Jaguar kept getting damaged from parking violations,” he recalled. “Having a gun in the back of an Aston Martin and an overrider that looked like a boxing glove was part of how I let out my frustrations.”
Q Fact: The front-mounted machine gun is hidden behind the indicator light. Rotating number plates valid in the UK, France and Switzerland (the idea came from director Guy Hamilton, who fantasized about getting away with parking tickets). powerful oil jet. Rear smoke screen. Rotating tire slasher. Onboard radar display. Center armrest weapon panel. And most famously, the ejector seat is operated by a button hidden in the gearstick knob. skyfallBond threatens to use it on M (Judi Dench).
aston martin db5 thunder ball (1965)
later star goldfingerthe Aston Martin DB5 returned for Bond’s fourth outing. This car plays a pivotal role in Jacques Boitier’s escape from the castle and his high-speed chase with Fiona Volpe (Luciana Paluzzi).
Q Fact: The hero’s gadget on display is a water cannon hidden in the back of his car to keep pursuing henchmen at bay.
Aston Martin DBS About Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969)
The new Bond (George Lazenby) gets a new car and plays a key role in the beginning of the film (when Bond rescues Tracy) and the tragic ending. The car is seen being repaired in Q’s workshop. diamonds are forever.
Q Fact: Telescoping rifle built into the glove.
lotus esprit the spy who loved me (1977)
Bond (Roger Moore) and Anya Amasova (Barbara Bach) in a Lotus Esprit Spirit known as “Wet Nellie,” the underwater counterpart of Q’s gyrocopter “Little Nellie,” break away from Stromberg’s men and, at the flick of a switch, It turns into a high-speed submarine. . “The Lotus Esprit had a very streamlined body and was beautifully suited to function as a submarine,” says production designer Ken Adam. The car jumped off a pier in Sardinia, while the underwater Lotus was photographed in the clear waters of the Bahamas. Special effects designer Derek Meddings recalled, “It was pretty funny because we almost got run over by the electric Lotus several times when we were filming underwater.”
Q Fact: On the road, a car fires a cannon from behind its license plate, spraying cement into the windshield of a pursuing car. Under the sea, the wheel arches transform into fins and a propeller extends from the rear. Bond navigates through a small periscope and uses forward-mounted rockets, limpet mines, and radar-guided surface-to-air missiles to fend off assailants. Russian spy Anya was not surprised by this. She had stolen car blueprints before.
lotus esprit turbo For Your Eyes Only (1981)
After intrusion moonrakerthe Lotus Esprit returned for Roger Moore’s third appearance. Even in the movie where the hardware was restored, the Lotus still had an explosive device built into it.
Q Fact: When Cuban hitman Gonzalez’s henchmen try to break into a disabled Lotus, they smash a window and set off an explosive device that blasts the thugs into oblivion. Perhaps they should have paid attention to the “Burglar Protected” sticker.
Aston Martin V8 living daylights (1987)
“We’ve made changes to Bond’s cars over the years, but in introducing the new Bond we wanted to bring back a classic Aston Martin, which is a real bonus for many Bond fans.” said co-writer and producer Michael. G. Wilson. 007 (Timothy Dalton) joins up with musician Karla Milovy (Mariam d’Abo) and uses a variety of tools in his car to escape from the KGB and Czech police, before slipping into Austria due to the cello incident.
Q Fact: Laser Beam Tire Slasher ( goldfinger) Remove the police car from its axle. Retractable skis and spike tires. Police band radio. Bulletproof windows. Rockets behind the fog lights (the missile display is on the windshield). and a rocket booster that allows Bond to jump through the blockade. like For Your Eyes OnlyThe Lotus, V8 also has the ability to self-destruct to avoid falling into enemy hands.
aston martin db5 golden eye (1995)
The DB5 makes its triumphant return and Bond engages in a thrilling weasel-and-mouse chase with Ksenia Onatop (Famke Janssen) before parking the car outside the Monte Carlo casino in true 007 style.
Q Fact: Q’s gadgets here are probably best described as utilitarian. Fax and mobile phone voice communication system in the dashboard. There is also a refrigerator compartment where you can store chilled bottles of Bollinger.
BMW 750IL Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
The BMW 750IL may be the most gadget-laden car in series history. Bond comes into his own when he has to escape from the German parking lot of the Atlantic Hotel.
Q Fact: A rocket shoots out of the sunroof. Tires that reinflate automatically. A chain cutter that comes out of the hood. Bulletproof glass and bodywork. Electronic protection system with 20,000 volt shock. Magnetic flash grenade. Tear gas mechanism. A metal spike dispenser and a safe are hidden in the glove box.
But the most impressive cutting-edge technology is the ability to drive the BMW with a remote control from Ericsson’s mobile phone, allowing Bond to drive the BMW comfortably and safely from the back seat. “We had 17 aspic silver BMW 750ILs,” says special effects technician Chris Corbould. “Four were adapted into so-called ‘hidden driver cars’ to give the effect that Bond was using a remote control.”
With BMW Z8 the world is not enough (1999)
Introduced to the car by Q’s assistant (John Cleese), the Z8 transports Bond from an oil pipeline in Azerbaijan to a caviar factory in the Caspian Sea, where he meets a tragic end.
Q Fact: A remote control keychain that allows 007 to start the engine from a distance, and two masked surface-to-air missiles. Unfortunately, there is nothing in the arsenal to prevent being cut in half by a rotating blade hanging from a helicopter.
Aston Martin V12 Vanquish Die Another Day (2002)
Its adaptive camouflage mode, which makes it virtually invisible, earned it the playful nickname Vanish by Q.
Screenwriter Robert Wade said, “When we first proposed it, we weren’t sure that everyone would buy into it.” “The idea is that you can’t see it in Iceland or the desert if there’s not a lot of contrast in the background, but you can see it in an urban environment.” Co-screenwriter Neil Purvis said, “Q is ‘as good as invisible.’ “I say so,” he added. It’s camouflage, not a concealment device. ”
Q Fact: In addition to being invisible, the car also had thermal imaging capabilities (provided by the CD player). Shotgun searching for target. Machine gun. and a torpedo that comes in handy when Bond is chased across a frozen lake in Iceland by General Zao (Rick Yune). Bond also nimbly deploys the ejector seat to flip the car in the right direction as it skids on the roof. The spiked wheels also allow 007 to stick to the cave walls and avoid Zao’s charging jaguar.
aston martin db5 casino royale (2006)
M sends a fake passport, weapons, and Q’s latest Aston Martin DB5 to Bond in Montenegro. The car followed Le Chiffre to a spectacular end, flipping over seven times after veering off course. stunt accomplished Guinness World Record for most rotating cannons in a car set By stuntman Adam Curley at Millbrook Proving Ground in Milton Keynes.
Q Fact: Secret compartment containing Bond’s Walther PPK and a small box. A defibrillator and medical kit save 007’s life in a tense moment when he is drugged. casino royale.
Aston Martin DB10 Specter (2015)
The DB10, specially developed by Aston Martin, which built 10 cars for the film, was reassigned from 007 to 009 for Bond’s unauthorized mission in Mexico. Bond steals a car and follows the Pale King to Rome, where he is pursued at high speed by Hinx (Dave Bautista) in a Jaguar C-X75. However, Bond, who is not familiar with cars, must escape from Hinx while negotiating an unknown set of gadgets.
Q Fact: The rear machine gun was operated by the BACKFIRE button and the rear windshield sight, but I realized there was no ammunition in the car. Pressing the “EXHAUST” button will fire the rear flamethrower, slowing Hinx’s progress. Meanwhile, pressing the “AIR” button activates the ejection seat and parachute, pulling Bond to safety as the car plunges into the river. But perhaps most surprising is the ATMOSPHERE switch, which plays 009’s preloaded playlists. So, in the heat of the chase, Bond faces the opening tension of Frank Sinatra’s New York, New York.
Aston Martin DB5 (2021) no time to die
In Daniel Craig’s final outing, Bond reunites with the classic Aston Martin DB5 and races through the hilltop town of Matera with Madeleine Swann (Léa Seydoux) before being cornered in the ancient town square.
Fact: DB5 gadgets have come a long way since Bond’s first Aston Martin in 1964. Among the updates is a rotating license plate with LED screen. Mini mines scattered from the trunk. And behind the headlights was a gun firing 1000 rounds per minute. “We really wanted to create a great final moment,” said production special effects supervisor Chris Corbould. “So we came up with the idea of moving around in a donut shape, spraying bullets from 360 degrees, and shattering walls and buildings. When Bond gets hit by the smoke bomb, within seconds the plaza is completely filled and Bond runs away. You will be given an opportunity.”
007 Science: Inventing the World of James Bond Griffin Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago is open until October 27, 2024.
The International Spy Museum’s Bond in Motion is open until April 2025.
007 Action opens in Vienna on September 7, 2024. Metastadt Convention Center.
