The latest James Bond film No Time to Die hits American theaters next month starring Daniel Craig in his final turn as the famous British espionage agent. Directed by Jane Eyre and True Detective auteur Cary Joji Fukunaga, the newest film looks set to continue the storyline set in place since 2006's Casino Royale reboot that introduced Craig and his controversial blond hair to audiences worldwide.
Year in and year out, Bond fights the world's most ingenious (some might say absurd) supervillains as they inevitably sacrifice what might have been successful plans for world domination in the hopes of capturing that incorrigible superspy. As mayhem and madness ensue, Bond sips martinis and seduces femme fatales in the comfort of his perfectly tailored tuxedos.
But whether or not Bond fans appreciate his locks, everyone can get behind the neverending parade of gorgeous cars that his blond Bond drives through each and every film, proving 007's commitment to expendable relationships with both people and inanimate objects. Luckily, in the real world, at least a few of the vehicles that each and every Bond puts through the wringer actually survive—and now, to celebrate the release of No Time to Die, as well as the 60th anniversary of the first film, Dr. No, the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles will open a new exhibit on September 25 featuring over 30 vehicles running the Bond gamut over the past six decades.
Bond In Motion
The Petersen invited me for a sneak peek as staff actively continued setting up displays all around. Entitled Bond in Motion and truly, still in motion throughout my visit, the large collection features vehicles driven by 007, his enemies, and minor characters that surround the evolving plotlines throughout the film series.
Celebrating Each Bond Movie—And Each Bond
Of course, the Aston Martin DB5 became synonymous with Bond when Sean Connery drove it through the Alps in Goldfinger, which was actually the second Bond movie to hit theaters. In the first film, Dr. No, Connery drives a Sunbeam Alpine for a few scenes and originally, when former intelligence agent Ian Fleming wrote the first James Bond novel, Casino Royale, the superspy actually preferred Bentleys. The Petersen's display celebrates each and every Bond movie and Bond actor, as shown in the collection of posters above (with No Time to Die squeezed in somewhat awkwardly on the left—I also didn't spot 1964's Casino Royale spoof, which starred Peter Sellars, Orson Welles, Woody Allen, Ursula Andress, and David Niven in the titular role).
A Single George Lazenby
Diehard Bond fans will never forget Sean Connery's portrayal of 007, often considered the epitome of witty snark, debonair attitude, and boyish charm—especially in scenes with Miss Moneypenny, originally played by Lois Maxwell. Maxwell oversaw the transition to the second actor to play Bond (or third, depending on whether you count Niven in the original Casino Royale), George Lazenby. Widely regarded as the worst out of all seven actors (including Niven) to have taken on the role over the 27 films (including both No Time to Die and Casino Royale), Lazenby did get to drive the Mercury Cougar XR7 seen above in On Her Majesty's Secret Service while sporting a ski rack during a snowy car chase throughout a Swiss ski resort.
Roger Moore Takes The Reins
After Lazenby's lukewarm debut—perhaps partially attributable to a plotline in which Bond actually falls in love, gets married, and then cries after seeing his new bride killed—a new actor took over for what would prove to be seven films. Roger Moore joined the Bond universe after receiving acclaim for his starring role in the TV series The Saint. But when Live and Let Die hit theaters in 1973, Moore was already 46 years old. That age might have been acceptable if he hadn't kept playing Bond for another 12 years, all the way through to 1985 when he looked far too old and stiff to play a secret agent. But at least along the way, the Lotus Esprit submarine nicknamed Wet Nellie made an appearance—it now belongs to Elon Musk, who reportedly wants to use an electric Tesla powertrain to turn the film prop into a functioning submersible craft.
The World's Most Ambitious Car Jump (At The Time)
Perhaps Moore's greatest single feat as James Bond came in his second movie, The Man with the Golden Gun, in which he steals the red AMC Hornet currently on display at the Petersen and pilots it for a harrowing chase through Bangkok, Thailand, which climaxed in one of the most incredible car stunts ever captured on film (at that time). Whether it's called a barrel roll or a 360-degree rotation, without a doubt, the real stunt took courage—reportedly, stuntman Loren “Bumps” Willert managed to nail it on the first take.
All The Way To Pierce Brosnan's Bizarre BMW Phase
After Roger Moore aged out of playing Bond (even though Connery returned for a final appearance in 1983 at the age of 52 during filming), Timothy Dalton got his chance to take on the role. He only lasted for two films, 1987's The Living Daylights and 1989's License to Kill, before the character passed over to Pierce Brosnan for Goldeneye, which hit theaters in 1995. With plenty of special effects and space-age technology, Goldeneye took Bond into an even more cartoonish realm—but perhaps the biggest surprise alongside Brosnan's suave portrayal was the appearance of a BMW Z3 in the Caribbean. Brosnan would go on to drive a number of BMW vehicles, including the Z8 and 7 Series above, in Tomorrow Never Dies and The World is Not Enough.
Bond Gets Back In An Aston Martin
For Brosnan's final film, Bond finally gets back behind the wheel of an Aston Martin, in this case, a muscular Vanquish done up by Q with a veritable armory and camera technology that renders it almost invisible. The Vanquish therefore turned into the Vanish—not so for Brosnan, who reportedly loved the car so much that he forced Aston Martin to give him a custom-made example under threat of avoiding press events with the coachbuilder's latest and greatest.
Boats, Planes, Submarines, And Even Scooters
Much like the Bonds before him, Brosnan also piloted plenty of plains, trains, and aquatic vehicles—many of which show up at the Petersen in addition to Wet Nellie. Visitors to the exhibit get a chance to peek inside and check out the cockpits, some of which look real and some that look 100% fake.
Revealing The Hollywood Touch
Of course, the truth is that most cars in most car chases these days receive plenty of computer-animated effects to make them look faster, more agile, and more easily jumpable. But for the long series of Bond films, much of the driving and stunts actually had to happen in real life—so the Petersen's exhibit gives guests a great opportunity to pull back the veil on some of the most famous cars ever to grace the silver screen. One detail I noticed repeatedly was the conversion to very bulky, bulletproof automatic gearshift levers and emergency brakes. Suffice to say, the shifter above definitely would never leave a Jaguar factory.
Poor Cars, Poor Women, Poor Bond
A few of the cars gathered for Bond in Motion even bear the scars of 007's rough-and-tumble life. The Z8 sawed in half by a helicopter (don't ask) isn't on hand but a few Aston Martins complete with faux bullet holes, plus real scrapes and broken glass, do reveal what goes into keeping the onscreen magic alive. After all, just imagine the physical and mental toll that a life of six martinis a day, six new cars a week, and six new women a month would take on a real secret agent. Luckily, the audience's collective suspension of disbelief allows Bond to live on forever, regardless of which actor appears onscreen. All that remains to be seen, as Daniel Craig bids farewell to a character he's played for even longer than did Roger Moore, is whether the sublime Aston Martin DB5 will outlive the femme fatales played by Lea Seydoux and Ana de Armas in No Time to Die.
Sources: petersen.org, imdb.com, 007.com, techeblog.com, and autoevolution.com.