The Name’s Bond…

Who doesn't want to be like the suave and sophisticated spy? And who says you have to buy an Aston. He drove lots of other car you know...

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Chris Pollitt

Everybody wants to be like James Bond. He’s cool, he’s suave and he often finds himself behind the wheel of some wonderful machines. With that in mind, you might think this is going to be a story on the Astons and Lotuses (or should that be Loti?) that he drives. Well, it’s not. Instead, we’ve scoured our classifieds to find the other cars he drove. Bond’s automotive hijinks weren’t the exclusive reserve of Aston Martins you know? He’d keenly jump behind the wheel of just about anything, and as such, it means you can get yourself a genuine Bond motor for a fraction of the cost of an Aston.

The 2CV from ‘For Your Eyes Only’

For your eyes only, James Bond, Citröen 2CV, 2CV, Bond car

For your eyes only, James Bond, Citröen 2CV, 2CV, Bond car

When it comes to cars, Bond doesn’t discriminate. If there are available wheels, he’ll employ them no matter what they are. He doesn’t need automotive exotica all the time.  A perfect case in point would be the bright yellow Citröen 2CV that was the star of the chase in 1981’s ‘For Your Eyes Only’.

The little Citröen was the car of Bond’s love interest, Malina Havelock. It was minding its own business until the bad guys showed up in a fleet of black Peugeot 504s. Had Bond been in an Aston, he probably would have made light work of the Peugeots, but as he was in Melina’s 2CV, he had to improvise – what Bond does best, then.

The little 2CV jumps, it rolls over and yet it keeps going throughout. It even served to dispatch some of the bad guys and their cars. It truly earned its stripes as a Bond car. And you can enjoy it too, or one like it. We found this beautiful and colour correct 2CV down in Spain, which is fitting as the scene in the movie was set there. Just keep an eye out for any black Peugeots on the way home!

The Alfa Romeo GTV6 from ‘Octopussy’

James Bond, Octopussy, Alfa Romeo, Busso V6, GTV6

James Bond, Octopussy, Alfa Romeo, Busso V6, GTV6, Roger Moore

Roger Moore’s Bond was at it again in 1983’s ‘Octopussy’, and by at it again, we mean stealing the wheel from a lady and her car. This time though, it was something a bit more potent than a humble 2CV. Instead, it was a mighty Alfa Romeo GTV6, which could well be one of the best Alfas ever made.

Bond needs to get to a military base to diffuse a bomb, but having fallen off a train – as one does – he needs a ride. Enter stage left the GTV6. He commandeers it from an unsuspecting woman before shredding tyres and hitting high revs in a bid to get to the bomb on time. It makes for a glorious scene, what with the Alfa’s V6 singing the most beautiful of songs. Plus, there’s a healthy dose of sideways action, too. Never a bad thing.

We found a GTV6 over in the Netherlands. Yes, it may well be a fair old way to travel, but it’s worth it. The GTV6 in question is pretty much the exact specification of the car used in the film, but thankfully without the big dent in the B-pillar. Buy this, and there will be no mistaking its silver screen links.

The Renault 11 from ‘A View to a Kill’

View to a kill, James Bond, renault 11, Renault stunt, Paris, Bond car

View to a kill, James Bond, renault 11, Renault stunt, Paris, Bond car

Seriously, what is it with Roger Moore’s Bond stealing cars from innocent motorists? This is the third one now. Pack it in, Bond. Though that said, the taxi driver who Bond stole this Renault 11 from was a bit surly, so perhaps Bond stealing it was some form of karma? Whatever the justification, the fact remained that Bond needed a ride so he could pursue the mysterious parachuting baddie. The Renault 11 was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Most cars driven by Bond suffer some sort of damage – he’s not the most careful of drivers. The Renault 11 ‘taxi’ took things to a new level. First, Bond decapitated it by driving it under what we can only assume to be the world’s toughest barrier. Then the poor thing gets hit on the rear and the entire back end comes off. We’re going to believe that’s cinema magic rather than an observation of Renault build quality.

The car in the film hard a hard time of things, so if you are going to buy one, get a tough one. This track-prepared Turbo we found in Germany could well be Bond-proof. It’s fast, it has bucket seats and it also has a roll cage, so the roof should stay on it with any luck.  

The Aston Martin V8 Vantage/Volante from ‘The Living Daylights’

The Living Daylights, Timothy Dalton, Aston Martin, Aston Martin V8, V8, Bond car

The Living Daylights, Timothy Dalton, Aston Martin, Aston Martin V8, V8, Bond car

Now we’re talking, this is a proper Bond car. And yes, we’re still sticking to our guns by choosing unusual Bond cars, despite this being an Aston Martin. You see, this particular car is often overlooked, not only because it wasn’t hugely popular, but also because people are keen to forget the Timothy Dalton Bonds. More fool them we say, as Tim was excellent in our eyes.

Anyway, back to the car. It’s a difficult one to pinpoint. It was portrayed as a V8 Volante at first, but then it got a roof when Q ‘winterised’ it, and in turn, it seemed to become a V8 Vantage. In reality, normal V8s were used for filming, along with four fibreglass replicas. Also, this was a proper Bond car in that it was loaded with gadgets. It had rockets, it had skis and it even had lasers that Bond used to cut a Lada in half!

The Vantage of this era is now a £300,000 car, and that’s at the cheap end. So instead, we’ve gone for this more traditional V8 automatic. It’s the right colour, it has the right ‘Oscar India’ body-style (a slight lift at the rear, including a lip for aero) and at £115,000, it’s a little more affordable than the Vantage, relatively speaking.

The BMW 750Li V12 from ‘Tomorrow Never Dies’

E38, E38 BMW, James Bond, Tomorrow Never Dies, Bond Car, 750iL, BMW 750iL

E38, E38 BMW, James Bond, Tomorrow Never Dies, Bond Car, 750iL, BMW 750iL

This one, like the Aston above, was a proper Bond car in that Q had loaded it with kit. It had taser door handles, re-inflating tyres, it had rockets in the roof and it could drop spikes from its rear bumper. Oh, and best of all, Bond could control it with his fingertips via an interface on his Sony Ericsson mobile phone. Cutting-edge stuff for 1997.

The car’s big movie moment unfolded in a concrete multi-story car park. At first, the bad guys got their fingers zapped as they tried, fruitlessly, to break into it to obtain the nuclear codes Bond had stolen. Then it turns into a full-on car chase with Bond controlling the E38 remotely, before jumping in the back and driving it, on his phone. Finally, after the E38 and its toys dispatch numerous henchmen and their cars, Bond jumps out before inexplicably launching the poor E38 off the roof of the car park and into the shop window of an Avis office.

The car we’ve found doesn’t have the toys, but it does have that wonderful, smooth V12 engine, and that’s what really matters. It’s also only got 35,000 miles on the clock, which is nothing for a car like this. Imported from Japan, it’s had a pampered life and looks to be mint. Just don’t launch it off a roof, please.

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