Top 10 Bond cars

The world’s best-known spy is back on our screens again. Yes, James Bond is thrust into action once more, this time in Casino Royale. It is the 21st film in the series and no doubt the super-sleuth will be up for more of the usual planet saving, bed-hopping and death-defying car stunts.

Click images to enlarge: New Bond Daniel Craig with the equally-new Aston Martin DBS

Bond is played by blonde actor Daniel Craig who, it transpires, will drive the new Ford Mondeo in the film. If this sounds more like your next door neighbour than a sharp-shooting secret agent, the good news is his main Bond wheels will have an Aston Martin badge on the bonnet. The car in question is the DBS. Based on the DB9, and packing a walloping 6.0-litre V12, the limited edition £160k supercar produces a healthy 530bhp making it, ignoring the tank in Goldeneye, the most powerful Bond car ever. But will it be the greatest? Who knows, because we’ve rounded-up the best Bond cars of all time and rated each one with an elusive ‘Bond Factor’ scoring out of 10. The DBS will have its work cut out to fend off this lot.

Aston Martin DB5 – Goldfinger - Sean Connery

Classic Bond: Sean Connery poses with the Aston Martin DB5 at Stoke Park golf club, Berkshire, where Goldfinger was partly shot

Of all the cars Bond has had the pleasure of driving over the years none stick in the mind quite like the Aston Martin DB5. The date was 1964. The film was Goldfinger. And Q-Branch had a car Bond could finally lust after. Rotating number plates, machine guns that pop out of the bodywork, an oil slick maker, telescopic tyre slashers, smoke screen, bulletproof glass and a radar screen – it had everything the spy about town needed. In Simon Cowell speak, it has the ‘Bond Factor’. However, the passenger ejector seat was the ultimate optional extra. The car chases were some of the best of any Bond flick; there’s a memorable Alpine dust-up with a young blonde woman in a Ford Mustang that sees him put his tyre cutters to good use.

He keeps the rest of his toys for several nail-biting scenes around Goldfinger’s ‘Auric Enterprises’ factory, but the DB5 meets a sticky end during a run-in with a couple of sinister-looking black Mercedes saloons and Bond is knocked unconscious. However, it isn’t the end of the DB5 – or Bond. The car makes an appearance in Thunderball, Goldeneye, Tomorrow Never Dies and will also star in the forthcoming Casino Royale making it the most popular Bond car of all time. However, to drive this car in reality would be a rather nail-biting experience. Although today it wouldn’t feel that potent, 0-60mph in 8.1secs and a top speed of 143mph is pretty special for a ‘60s car with a 4.0-litre 282bhp straight six engine.

• Aston Martin DB5 Bond Factor: 10/10

Toyota 2000 GT convertible - You Only Live Twice - Sean Connery

The car that wouldn't fit: Connery and the specially-built Toyota 2000 GT convertible

Back in the late ‘60s the Toyota 2000 GT was a really special, genuinely futuristic car. With a production run limited to 350 coupés and a construction that made use of advanced engineering techniques like independent suspension, disc brakes on each wheel and a six-cylinder engine, it made the perfect Bond car. The trouble is it didn’t quite fit the bill, literally. Apparently Connery was too tall for the coupé so Toyota produced two convertible prototypes for You Only Live Twice – and never made any more. That makes the 2000 GT convertible one of the rarest cars in the world – but does it give it the ‘Bond Factor’?

Not really. Some critics got upset that Bond was driving a Japanese car, yet few people can deny that the 2000 GT is a beautiful piece of machinery. In the film, the car belongs to Japanese secret agent Aki and the only gadget it is fitted with is a TV screen and cameras in the bumpers, which Bond uses to spy on a load of villains who are being dropped from a helicopter. As for where the two remaining convertibles are now, one is in a Japanese museum and the other is rumoured to be in the private collection of a Toyota executive.

• Toyota 2000GT convertible Bond Factor: 4/10

Ford Mustang Mach 1 - Diamonds are Forever - Sean Connery

Connery showing off in the Ford Mustang

The Ford Mustang Mach 1 might seem like an unlikely Bond car after reading about the high-tech Aston Martin, but boy did it put in a top appearance in Diamonds Are Forever. The coupé, which was born in 1969, defined muscle car, sporting a choice of two potent V8s – a 5.7-litre or 7.0-litre. In the film Bond upsets the local cops and he seems to have chosen the right getaway car, where he uses its famed handling prowess to lose the cops in daring style through the busy streets of Las Vegas.

But it’s when Bond is faced with a narrow alleyway that he really shows what the ‘Stang can do. Flipping it onto its side, he squeezes through with inches to spare. It lacks ‘Bond Factor’ simply because it’s rather sparing in the cool gadgets department, but it does score some kudos for that big, thunderous engine and driving ability. Keen-eyed fans will notice a glaring continuity error, though. Going into the alley the car is titled to the left, yet when it comes out it is driving on the opposite side. However, some clever editing saves the scene from the cutting-room floor.

• Ford Mustang Mach 1 Bond Factor: 5/10

Lotus Esprit S1 - The Spy Who Loved Me - Roger Moore

Roger Moore takes a wrong turn in The Spy Who Loved Me

Q and his boffins excelled themselves when they took on the project of making the Lotus Esprit S1 Bond proof. Apart from the Aston Martin DB5, the white Esprit from The Spy Who Loved Me is without doubt the most recognised Bond car ever. It isn’t difficult to see why. There’s the classic scene where Bond is being pursued by a missile-firing helicopter. To escape, he launches the car off a pier and into the sea in what appears to be a fit of utter madness. But it’s what happens next that is even more unbelievable.

The Lotus sprouts fins, the doors and windows seal tight and the Esprit turns from mere Lotus to submersible. Bond then fires a rocket and knocks the heli out of the sky before zooming off to fight more underwater baddies. The waterproof Esprit then emerges on a packed beach and a very smug (and dry) Bond drives off. Classic stuff and only the DB5 beats it in the ‘Bond Factor’ stakes.

In reality, though, the Lotus Esprit, especially an early one like Bond’s, was pretty ropey. Yes, it looked absolutely fantastic, but it was much too cramped and the non-turbo versions had a not-terribly-potent 2.2-litre engine. Roger Moore peddled another Esprit in For Your Eyes Only, this time a turbo version, but the car was soon put out of action when a thief tried to steal it and Q’s clever anti-burglary device blew it to smithereens. The Esprit was rebuilt and returned later in the film in a copper-colour and with a ski-rack attached to the back but only sticks around for a brief driving scene.

• Lotus Esprit S1 Bond Factor: 9/10

Citroen 2CV - For Your Eyes Only - Roger Moore

The Citroen 2CV, the unlikely hero

With the Lotus out of action and Bond and his partner Melina requiring a speedy retreat, a canary-yellow Citroen 2CV sitting by the roadside suddenly looks very tempting. But for any true petrolhead, seeing Bond swap that gorgeous Lotus for a clapped-out 2CV is heart-wrenching, especially as it gets a paltry ‘Bond Factor’ of one for its lack of gadgets. What follows is an exhilarating car chase along the traffic-clogged roads of Corfu in Greece. And as this isn’t a true Bond car, complete with the usual Q refinements to keep him out of trouble, JB has to get rid of his pursuers through good old-fashioned driving skill.

The 2CV might not be fast – in fact, the car in the film had a more-powerful flat-four engine fitted just to make it half decent – but it’s extremely light and the unique four-wheel independent suspension means it is extremely manoeuvrable. As we see when he ducks and dives his way out of danger, launches the 2CV down some steps and jumps over the pursuing cars. In reality, the 2CV was originally developed to provide farmers and doctors with a cheap and reliable means of transport – and interest was so high that initial orders only went to these people. To prove its worth as a farming car the 2CV needed to pass the eggs-in-the-basket test. Basically, it needed to cross a field without breaking any of the delicious hen produce inside. Of course, it passed with flying colours thanks to that independent suspension system.

• Citroen 2CV Bond Factor 1/10

Aston Martin V8 Volante - The Living Daylights - Timothy Dalton

Timothy Dalton his co-star Maryam D'Abo and an Aston Martin V8

The Aston Martin V8 is one of the most important cars in the British firm’s history. This was the car that marked the start of eight-cylinder Astons and it ran in one form or another from 1969 to 1990. The two-door coupe and convertible uses a 5.3-litre V8 engine which will propel it to 60mph in 6.1secs and on to a top speed of 162mph – impressive for a car tipping the scales at almost two tonnes. And its brutish styling and big-block V8 give it genuine muscle car status. Timothy Dalton used a V8 in The Living Daylights, although at the beginning we see the Volante – or convertible version – and towards the end it’s been winterised with a hardtop.

As usual, it’s fairly well packed with goodies, from lasers in the front wheels which Bond uses to slice a cop car in half, to missile launchers hidden behind the headlights, re-inflating tyres, a police scanner, built-in skis, jet-propulsion and a windscreen that can track targets. As Bond cars go, it isn’t bad and it sits fairly high on our ‘Bond Factor’ chart. It also has a self-destruct facility which Bond unfortunately puts to good use later on in the film, not before a spot of ice-skating with some Lada police cars.

• Aston Martin V8 Volante Bond Factor: 7/10

T-55 Russian tank – Goldeneye - Pierce Brosnan

Pierce Brosnan regrets flunking his tank-driving test

Stifle your laughter if you can. We know the T55 Russian tank is hardly the fastest, sleekest machine in Bond’s garage, but as unlikely a Bondmobile as it sounds, the T55 proved its worth in Goldeneye. Brosnan’s official set of wheels in the film was a BMW Z3, but it couldn’t quite live up to the task at hand. The scene for the tank showdown is set in St Petersburg and Bond’s sidekick Natalya Simonova is kidnapped by General Ourumov. Handily, Bond just manages to find a Russian tank in which to pursue them. He soon masters the controls before racing, well trundling, through the streets giving chase.

Of course, you don’t need to be a Hollywood screenwriter to know what happens next. Bond takes out lots of bad guys who are trying to stop him, which isn’t that difficult when he’s packing the firepower of a small army – and all they have at their disposal is ancient Russian weapons. In an effort to cause as much carnage as one man in a tank can do, JB drives over cars and through buildings on his mission to save Natalya from the General’s evil clutches. Incredibly, Bond manages to keep up with the leaving committee and tracks them down to Alec Trevelyan’s armoured train, whereupon he fires a missile and the train slams into the tank. He rescues Natalya. The end. The tank, in passing, is quite a beast. It boasts a 100mm cannon, two machine guns, a 580bhp engine and weighs a hefty 40 tonnes. A Bond car of much respect but not iconic enough to get a 10/10 ‘Bond Factor’.

• T55 Russian Tank Bond Factor: 5/10

BMW 750iL - Tomorrow Never Dies - Pierce Brosnan

"Now listen up, Bond", asks Q, as he demonstrates the BMW 750iL

An unlikely partnership with BMW sees Bond swap his usual British-owned sports cars for an altogether more unlikely BMW 750iL in Tomorrow Never Dies. It was a decision so obscure that Jeremy Clarkson famously said the 750iL is the sort of car German cement executives drive. It caused a bit of a stink among Bond fans too, who roared that the secret agent shouldn’t be seen driving an executive saloon. Still, whatever your feelings are on Bond driving a 750iL, there’s little doubt that the V12-engined super saloon is a great car. Fast, refined, superb handling – on reflection it’s the perfect non-descript choice of wheels for the spy who doesn’t want to rouse suspicion. But it doesn’t go far enough to get the ultimate ‘Bond Factor’.

Among the car’s impressive array of gadgets are Stinger missiles hidden in the sunroof, a metal cutter hidden behind the BMW badge and re-inflating tyres. But the bit we love most is that it can be controlled remotely – as Bond kindly demonstrates from the back seat when being chased through a multi-storey car park. Unfortunately the car doesn’t survive the impact of being launched several hundred feet into the air and ultimately through a shop window.

• BMW 750iL Bond Factor: 6/10

BMW Z8 - The World Is Not Enough - Pierce Brosnan

The ultra rare BMW Z8 and the impeccably cool Pierce Brosnan in a scene from The World Is Not Enough

The BMW 7-Series wasn’t the end of the Bond-BMW tie-up and the retro-styled Z8 appeared in The World Is Not Enough. This may have pleased the fans who accused the 750iL of being a bit too flaccid for the world’s least discreet secret agent. The Z8 roadster is a rare and beautiful car – but an expensive one. At launch it cost a whopping £86,650 – which cynics might say is a lot for a big Z3 – although the Z8 is a lot more special than that. Its 400bhp V8 engine, lifted from the previous M5, sits in a lightweight aluminium frame which endows it with a tremendous power-to-weight ratio; it can sprint from rest to 62mph in 4.7secs before hitting its electronic brick wall at 155mph. And a secondhand one these days will still set you back about £70k. Ouch.

As a Bond car, it was pretty special too – but not so special that it gets the full 10/10 ‘Bond Factor’. There are missiles hidden in the side vents, body armour, a long-range eavesdropping device and a windscreen that doubles as an information display. Like the 750iL, the Z8 could also be operated by remote control. The car sequences in Tomorrow Never Dies weren’t particularly spectacular but Brosnan does show off its remote abilities and takes a helicopter out with the missiles. The Z8 meets a sticky end when it gets chopped in half by another chopper with a circular saw.

• BMW Z8 Bond Factor: 7/10

Aston Martin Vanquish - Die Another Day - Pierce Brosnan

Skating on thin ice: Bond, in the Vanquish, takes on Zao and his weaponised Jag in Die Another Day

The Aston Martin Vanquish, with its sublime 460bhp V12 engine and aggressive styling, is the modern-day successor to the DB5. And like that early Aston, the Vanquish is also one of the most gadget-packed Bond cars ever. Q must have forseen a full-blown assault when fitting-out the car for Die Another Day because it’s so well armed it could fight a small war. There’s 9-mm machine guns behind the front grille, a passenger ejector seat, heat-seeking missiles and two guns in the bonnet – but the best feature has to be the Vanquish’s ability to become invisible. ‘Bond Factor’? This car oozes it.

Then again, Brosnan does face an indomitable foe with Bond-style gadgets of his own in the form of Zao, who has an equally impressive car in which to house them – a Jaguar XKR Convertible. Bond and Zao then fight it out on a frozen lake, but Bond outwits his opponent by flicking the invisible switch and Zao falls into the misty waters below. Bond then engages the spikes in his tyres and climbs up a wall, as you do…

• Aston Martin Vanquish Bond Factor: 9/10