15 Most Memorable Bond Cars
What is the most memorable Bond car? There’s a lot of stuff that made this series what it is. First, the beautiful women. They’re tough, and Bond learned pretty quick not to cross them. Next, it was the daring stunts that put it on the map. Finally, the gadgets really made you want your own personally Q to design cool stuff – even if you weren’t a spy. The cars were as much a gadget as anything else, but we don’t blame you if you want to count them as a separate thing. Once it’s all listed out, it’s no surprise that this became one of the best series in movie history.
James Bond has been around for over 50 years, and you don’t last that long without building a legend. Anyone that’s a fan of the series knows that the cars can be one of the most important pieces of the puzzle, but some are easier to remember than others. It doesn’t matter how old the movie is, we’re going to go over the best, worst, and the most, all-around memorable vehicles that scooted around with Bond in the driver’s seat.
We know that some of our choices don’t cover every car from the series, but these were the ones that popped up in our mind. Let us know which ones you think should be on the list. We know that some of them couldn’t be left out! Anyone else remember how hilarious the 1983 Bajaj RE was in the series?
1. 1962 Sunbeam Alpine
The Series II Sunbeam Alpine was one of the first cars that Bond drove, in Dr. No. After being invited to the mountain apartment of enemy spy Miss Taro, Bond drove this beautiful car along a dusty road and into a trap. We were happy to see that hearse get off Bond’s tail and leave the Alpine unscathed.
(image via Instagram)
2. 1935 Bentley 3.5 Litre
The Bentley 3.5 Litre only showed up very briefly during From Russia with Love, but it’s one of the coolest Bond cars ever. Unlike most of the other cars in Bond movies, this one isn’t made for speed. It’s pure style. That’s why it’s Bond’s personal vehicle, instead of some car chase spymobile. It may not have rocket launchers, but it’s still pretty high-tech. Bond takes a phone call from his car, in 1963!
(image via Wikipedia)
3. 1963 Aston Martin DB5
The DB5 may be the car most synonymous with James Bond – and one of the most famous cars in film history. Bond drives a DB Mark III in the book, but the newer model was picked for an appearance in Goldfinger. It was a huge hit, and its massive popularity led to a return in Thunderball before showing up for in the name of nostalgia (and coolness) in Goldeneye, Tomorrow Never Dies, Casino Royale, and the glorious 50th-anniversary blowout of Skyfall.
(image via Instagram)
4. 1967 Toyota 2000 GT
The Toyota 2000 GT is widely considered to be Japan’s first supercar. It was the obvious car of choice for Bond during You Only Live Twice, which was primarily filmed in Japan. While it was a little odd to see the tall Sean Connery sit in the driver’s seat of this little car, they made a custom open-top model just for the film. Perfect!
(image via Flickr)
5. 1969 Mercury Cougar
The Cougar showed up in George Lazenby’s sole outing as Bond in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. It actually7 wasn’t Bond’s. It belonged to his future wife, Tracy Di Vicenzo. Still, between Tracy’s driving and this car’s pedigree, it more than deserves a spot on this list.
(image via Instagram)
6. 1971 Ford Mustang Mach 1
Diamonds Are Forever may not be the most fondly-remembered Bond film, but the car chase that featured the Ford Mustang was one of the series’s best. Bond uses a loading ramp to turn the car sideways and drive through a narrow pedestrian walkway to escape.
(image via Instagram)
7. 1967 Lotus Esprit S1
The Esprit made it into The Spy Who Loved Me after Lotus dropped off a prototype with the production company. It’s become a Bond classic, but its most famous moment – its transformation into a submarine—isn’t exactly a standard feature.
(image via James Bond Fandom)
8. 1974 Hornet X Hatchback
Lots of cars have shown up in Bond through the magic of product placement, and the Hornet from The Man with the Golden Gun is no exception. At least Roger Moore got something cool to drive – check out that 360 mid-air corkscrew jump – before “embarrass Bond with a weird car” became a go-to comic relief move.
(image via Wikipedia)
9. Gondola Hovercraft
Let’s talk about the hovering Gondola from Moonraker. Yeah, sure, they could have kept the chase to the canals of Venice, but no. Straight out of the water and into Piazza San Marco. Depending on what you want out of your Bond flicks, this is either a fantastic scene or a symbol of everything wrong with the Roger Moore era – but either way, you’re not about to forget it.
(image via Wikipedia)
10. 1981 Citroen 2CV
Another Moore-era car humiliation, Bond is forced to take Melina Havelock’s Citroën 2CV after his Lotus Esprit Turbo explodes in The Spy Who Loved Me – the result of an overactive theft prevention system. Even after fitting the Citroën with a bigger engine, the filmmakers still had to speed up parts of the scene to pull off a “high-speed” chase with the underpowered car.
(image via Instagram)
11. 1983 Bajaj RE
Roger Moore runs into trouble while riding in this Tuk Tuk taxi in Octopussy. Seeing Bond drive a motorized rickshaw was already funny, but seeing it take off like a rocket after firing up Q-branch’s upgraded engine was even better. This may beat out Moore’s Gondola scene for “best comic relief car chase.”
12. 1962 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud II
Bond producer Cubby Broccoli bought this car himself to celebrate finishing Dr. No. While it has a cameo in a parking lot in Thunderball id didn’t really take center stage until 20 years later in View to a Kill.
(image via Wikipedia)
13. 1999 BMW Z8
BMW straddles the line between luxury and affordability—not always the first thing to come to mind in the midst of James Bond’s glorious excesses. But the Z8 roadster proved its mettle in The World is Not Enough.
(image via Wikipedia)
14. 2006 Aston Martin DBS V12
Casino Royale brought new life to the franchise after a five-year silence and a court case or two. Among the many things this back-to-basics reboot got right was bringing back the Aston Martin. After decades of cars loaded with rocket launchers and cloaking devices, this car took a toned-down approach—with nothing more complex than a defibrillator—to match Daniel Craig’s new approach to the role.
(image via Instagram)
15. 2015 Aston Martin DB10
After decades of being Bond’s favorite, Aston Martin stepped up to the plate and made a car just for the international superspy. The DB10 comes across like the ultimate Bond car because it was made specifically for Bond. With a strong V8 engine and a top speed of 190 miles per hour, the DB10 exemplified the exciting blend of old and new that made Spectre so much fun.
(image via Instagram)
