The Bond films are about violent action, evil supervillains, and beautiful love interests. But they also feature some of the most desirable sports cars ever crafted. Bond unique style of driving can be seen in nearly all the films. Often pursued by murderous enemy henchmen, fast cars are a crucial tool for 007. Here are the ten most iconic cars the ultimate British spy has ever driven.
10. Citroen 2CV
It certainly is not the most desirable car to look at, but the tiny Citroen 2CV is still an iconic Bond car. Owned by Bond girl Melina Havelock in 1981’s For Your Eyes Only, Bond is forced to take a ride in the French-made budget car after his own Lotus Espirit Turbo self-destructs. Despite receiving a battering, the 2CV (with Bond at the wheel) still outruns a posse of much faster and more expensive cars. Sales of the 2CV saw a resurgence after the film came out.
9. Toyota GT 2000
One of the few non-European cars Bond ever drove, the Toyota GT 2000 was Japan’s answer to the British and Italian grand tourers of the 1960s. A limited production run meant less than 400 were ever produced. Sean Connery takes a drive in one in 1967’s You Only Live Twice, which sees 007 travel to Japan to foil the evil plot of Ernst Stavro Blofeld. While it had nice looks, the GT 2000 never caught the imagination of Bond fans the way other great cars did. However, Daniel Craig still voted it as his favorite Bond car of all time.
8. Sunbeam Alpine II
The very first Bond car, the Sunbeam, may be quaint by modern standards. But it was stylish and looked great among the palm trees of Jamaica in the 1962 film Dr No. Boxy yet elegant, this car had none of the gadgets of the later outings. Bond still manages to wind up in a high-speed chase over the island’s mountains, but instead of gadgets must rely entirely on his driving skills. Naturally, he comes out on top, and, after seeing his adversaries crash and burn, comments that “they must have been on their way to a funeral.”
7. BMW 750iL
German manufacturer BMW produced most of the Pierce Brosnan-era Bond cars. While well-made and fast, they never really had the style and cool of the Aston Martins. However, the BMW 750iL featured in Tomorrow Never Dies takes number seven on this list for one simple reason – it could be remote controlled. Bond doesn’t even have to be behind the wheel to outdrive his pursuers.
6. Aston Martin V8 Vantage Volante
Timothy Dalton may not be everyone’s favorite Bond, but the car he drove in The Living Daylights certainly gave the film a shot of much-needed cool. The V8 Vantage Volante has to be one of the best-looking cars ever made. It is an ‘80s car but with timeless features and looks more beautiful than most modern sports cars. In the film, Bond had it equipped with skis to go off-road in snowy central European conditions.
5. Bentley Mark VI
In the original novels by Ian Fleming, Bond generally drives Bentley cars. The Mark VI was first produced in 1946, making it one of the oldest cars ever seen in a Bond movie. In From Russia with Love, Bond is never seen driving the Bentley. However, he does use the in-car telephone which was very unusual in 1963. But even though the Bentley never had to outrun pursuers, it certainly had the power to, as its Rolls Royce-designed engine packed a punch.
4. Aston Martin DBS
1969 saw a new Bond actor on the scene in the form of George Lazenby. He only starred in a single film, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, but still drove one of the top Bond cars to date. By the time the film premiered, the classic DB5 was showing its age, and the 007 producers turned once again to Aston Martin to supply them with a model worthy of Britain’s coolest spy. The DBS featured no special modifications (other than carrying a mounting for a telescopic rifle sight in the glove compartment) but still had the looks to keep On Her Majesty’s Secret Service interesting.
3. Aston Martin DBS V12
Casino Royale was Daniel Craig’s first and finest Bond film. Sticking reasonably close to the original Fleming novel, Bond aimed to bankrupt enemy agent Le Chiffre in a high-stakes card game at an illustrious casino. To look the part, he required a truly epic car in the form of the Aston Martin DBS V12. There are few gadgets apart from a medical defibrillator kit (which comes in useful after Le Chiffre poisons Bond at the card table). But the true value of the DBS V12 becomes apparent when Bond’s love interest is kidnapped, and he must take part in a high-speed chase to save her.
2. Lotus Espirit S1
Roger Moore certainly drove some unusual vehicles during his seven-film stint as 007. None more so than the incredibly beautiful Lotus Espirit S1 – a car that was at home underwater as on land. When Bond is on the trail of a deranged supervillain out to flood the world and create his own deep-sea kingdom, 007 is forced to put his driving skills to the test under the sea. Fortunately, Q Branch has given him the Lotus Espirit S1 – a sports car that can rapidly convert into a fully functioning submarine. The Lotus not only looks great, but it also features in one of the most memorable scenes from the franchise when Bond emerges from the water and drives up an Italian beach to the amazement of watching crowds.
1. Aston Martin DB5
The Aston Martin DB5 ranks as the undisputed ultimate Bond car. First seen in the classic early Bond film Goldfinger, the car was so iconic it was brought back multiple times. Despite first being built in the early 1960s, the car featured in Skyfall, Spectre, and No Time to Die. Aston’s DB5 had a short original production run (1963-1965), and its place in the Bond hall of fame made it the most desirable car Aston ever produced. Just over 1,000 were built, meaning the car was and is extremely rare.
Of course, Bond had the Q Branch upgrade the car in several deadly ways. In the 1964 film Goldfinger, Connery’s DB5 comes with an ejector seat and in Thunderball the car has been fitted with water cannons.
The DB5 remains the most regularly-seen car in the entire 007 franchise, making it firmly number one on this list.