James Bond’s garage is a plethora of classic cars, as well as a few unusual entries. The collection ranges from the iconic Aston Martin DB5 to a Ford Mondeo. Bond’s skills are as versatile as his taste in cars, that’s for sure.
From Sean Connery to Daniel Craig, there are so many vehicles to choose from that it's hard to pick a favorite.
There have been many brands, models, and types of vehicles, but regardless, Bond has always found a way to get out of dodge in a hurry when he needed to.
“Wet Nellie” Lotus Esprit S1
The aquatic Lotus Esprit from Roger Moore’s The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) is Bond's iconic car of the Moore era. This car made a similar impact on the series as the Aston Martin DB5 did; when you think of Connery’s Bond, you think of the DB5, but with Moore, it’s the Lotus Esprit. Its nickname in the film is a reference to “Little Nellie” from Connery’s You Only Live Twice (1967).
The underwater scene with the car driving out of the sea while Roger Moore pulls the window down to drop a fish out is an iconic scene in film history, let alone the history of the Bond franchise.
Specs:
Engine: Inline-4 2.0 L | Power: 160 bhp | Weight: 899 kg (1,984 lbs)
Top Speed: 138 mph (222kmh) | 0-60mph (97kmh) in 7.5 seconds.
Aston Martin V8 Vantage Volante
For Timothy Dalton’s The Living Daylights (1987), Bond was a lone soldier compared to his predecessors Connery, Moore, and Lazenby. Dalton went against the orders from MI6 and went on the run. The Aston Martin name, however, remains in the series despite this drastic change in the usual story. The V8 Vantage also brings with it upgraded gadgets. Bond gets back his tyre slashers from the DB5 in Goldfinger (1964) but with a 1980’s vibe; the car gets lasers—yes, lasers—instead of spinning spikes. A reflection of how wacky the franchise was getting by this point.
The V8 Vantage is nicknamed the British Muscle Car making it one of two muscle cars Bond has come into contact with, the other being the Ford Mustang Mach 1 from Diamonds Are Forever (1971). At the start of The Living Daylights, the V8 Volante convertible model appears at the start of the film but gets "winterized" with a hard-top, making it the V8 Saloon model of the Vantage.
The V8 Vantage is set to make an appearance in the next Bond installment, No Time to Die (2021).
Specs:
Engine: Conventional V8 | Power: 380 bhp | Weight: 1,783 kg (3,930 lbs)
Top Speed: 170 mph (274 kmh) | 0-60mph (97kmh) in 5.2 seconds.
Ford Mondeo 2.5 L ST
Yes, you read it right. The Ford Mondeo.
The Mondeo was brought in for Daniel Craig’s first outing in the role of Bond in Casino Royale (2006) and it signified a change in the franchise. During the Brosnan era of Bond, the cars were wacky and over-the-top gadget cramped cars, from the remote-controlled BMW 7 Series (E38) to the ‘invisible’ Aston Martin V12 Vanquish (Tomorrow Never Dies, 1997 and Die Another Day, 2002), making the franchise feel fantastical. The Mondeo signified a return to normality, a more grounded Bond. To go further, the Mondeo is a car available to anyone, so, if you can go out and buy a car Bond drives, it’s fair to say that it’s pretty cool.
The Craig era has steered away from the gadget side of Bond, making the cars stand for themselves. With the stunning DB10 appearing in Spectre (2015), thus continuing the Aston Martin relationship with the franchise, which can only be a good thing for fans and the franchise.
Specs:
Engine: 5-Cylinder 2.5 L | Power: 220 bhp | Curb Weight: 1,435–1,611 kg (3,164–3,552 lb)
Top Speed: 152 mph (244kmh) | 0-60mph (97kmh) in 7.3 seconds.
Aston Martin DB5
But of course, the top pick for Bond’s collection has to be none other than the Aston Martin DB5. You simply cannot think of one without the other. It’s a car that has stood the test of time, as the Bond franchise changes through different actors and stories, the DB5 has stayed a constant.
Strangely, after being used in Goldfinger by Sean Connery, all of its gadgets and weaponry were removed and it was resold as a standard DB5. Roger Moore would never appear with the DB5 in the Bond franchise. Yet, the chassis ended up being driven by Moore in another film, The Cannonball Run (1981). Heartbreakingly, the original chassis model was stolen in 1997 at an Airport Hanger and hasn't been seen since. Thankfully, the other chassis used in Goldfinger are either in private collections or in museums.
The DB5 makes an appearance in a total of 9 Bond films (to date) spanning from the car’s launch in 1963/4 to 2021; Goldfinger, Thunderball (1965), GoldenEye (1995), Tomorrow Never Dies, The World is Not Enough (1999), Casino Royale, Skyfall (2012), Spectre and No Time To Die. Long may we continue to see it in the franchise!
Specs:
Engine: Inline-6 4.0 L | Power: 282 bhp | Weight: 1,502 kg (3,311 lb)
Top Speed: 145 mph (233 kmh) | 0–60mph (97kmh) in 8 seconds.