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The Best Cars from the World of James Bond

James Bond is a man of many tastes. He likes shaken martinis, well-tailored suits and vehicles outfit with just the right amount of outrageous gadgetry to get him out of a jam (or three). But while the cocktails and suits remain largely similar from movie to movie, his choice of automobile always changes – with 25 films comprising the franchise, Bond’s driven just about everything, including a tank.

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From vintage Aston Martin’s to rare supercars, Bond doesn’t discriminate. If it has four wheels, handles itself well enough in a car chase and features plenty of room for a mounted rocket launcher, it’s fit for the MI6 agent. Here are the best cars from the James Bond franchise.

Aston Martin DB5

Simon Clay ©2019 Courtesy of RM Sotheby's

The Aston Martin DB5 is an iconic fixture in the James Bond franchise. About as well-known as the British spy’s cocktail of choice, this classic appears in Bond films like “Casino Royale,” “Goldfinger,” “Thunderball” and “Tomorrow Never Dies.” The DB5 is a vintage, two-door grand tourer that’s often outfit with enough guns, gadgets and gizmos to get Mr. Bond out of whatever precarious situation he finds himself in. Its real-life counterpart was manufactured by Aston Martin from just 1963 to 1965 and can owe much of its lasting popularity to its time on the silver screen.

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Lotus Esprit S1

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A James Bond movie wouldn’t be a James Bond movie without some over-the-top flair, and the Lotus Esprit S1 from “The Spy Who Loved Me” is a perfect example. What at first appears to be a normal Lotus Espirit soon flips the audience’s expectations on its head by turning out to also be a submarine. Because, why not? The car slash submergible predictably partakes in a land and sea chase, and features everything from on-board missiles to underwater torpedoes.

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Aston Martin V8 Vantage

Aston Martin

This classic Aston Martin first appeared in the Timothy Dalton-helmed Bond flick, “The Living Daylights,” and brought back the tradition of being chock-full of gadgets for Bond’s disposal. It featured deployable spike strips, wheel-mounted lasers and outrigger skis which proved highly useful during the film’s car chase on a snowy mountain. The classic also plans on making a comeback in the upcoming Cary Fukunaga-directed, Daniel Craig-starring Bond movie, “No Time to Die.”

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BMW 750iL

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The Pierce Brosnan-led Bond films went heavy on the BMW features and while the Z3 in “Goldeneye” left much to be desired, the 750iL from “Tomorrow Never Dies” was a home run. Though it featured a rather plain body style for someone as stylish as James Bond, the 750iL made up for it in on-road prowess and on-board tech. Under the hood it packed a 5.4-liter V12 engine, along with roof-mounted rockets, electrified door handles, re-inflating tires and, perhaps its best feature, the ability to be controlled via Bond’s cellphone. There’s even an entire chase scene where Bond controls the car from the back seat.

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Toyota 2000GT

Darin Schnabel ©2017 Courtesy of RM Sotheby's

The Toyota 2000GT’s appearance on this list has more to do with just how rare the vehicle is than its time spent on-screen – though it still made quite an appearance in 1967’s “You Only Live Twice.” Only 300 2000GTs were manufactured in real-life and none of them featured the convertible top seen in the film, an alteration done to accommodate Sean Connery who was just a bit too tall for the standard version. It’s not actually Bond’s car either but its driver, a Japanese SIS agent named Aki, dramatically saves the stylish lead not once, but twice, so it’s as important to the series as any.

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Ford Mustang Mach 1

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The Ford Mustang Mach 1 was one of a few outliers Mr. Bond found himself behind the wheel of, but fit so perfectly in 1971’s “Diamonds Are Forever.” You can’t deny the spectacle that was an American muscle car ripping around flashy Las Vegas. Plus, who could forget when Bond decides to flip the car onto just its passenger-side tires to get through a tight alleyway? Bond movies thrive on stylish absurdity and the inclusion of the Mustang Mach 1, and its ensuing jaunt through Sin City is a prime example.

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BMW Z8

Erik Fuller ©2015 Courtesy of RM Sotheby's

BMW returned to the Bond franchise yet again for the final Pierce Brosnan-led film, “The World is Not Enough.” This time around it was the vintage-looking Z8, outfit with a V8 engine, surface-to-air missiles, machine guns in the front grill and an electromagnetic shock generator. It also featured the same remote-controlled feature as the 750iL, though the Z8’s remote wasn’t a phone but rather Bond’s keychain. While the car itself was a stunner, its destruction might have been even more jaw-dropping as a helicopter cut it in completely in half. As Bond mentions in the film, Q likely wasn’t very happy at the outcome.

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James Bond movies are hardly films about cars yet each of the 24 (soon to be 25) movies features some form of a show-stopping vehicle. There are cars that turn into submarines, exotics outfit with missile launchers and luxury sedans controlled via a mobile phone – nothing is ever too outrageous or too unlikely for James Bond and his choice of wheels. Like his shaken-but-not-stirred martini and clean-pressed tuxedos, they’re staples of the franchise.

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Rick Stella, Khareem Sudlow