15 cars driven by Bond baddies

Bond baddies’ best cars

Think James Bond and you cannot help but think of Bond cars. There’s no denying that the world’s longest-serving secret agent has found himself behind the wheel of some pretty tasty metal over the years. And no wonder, what with well-funded evil geniuses hounding his every step.

So, what’s a baddie to do? Well, invest in some cool (but not that cool) metal of their own. As we’ll see, the Bond villains have also had their share of nice classic cars, as well as some rather more prosaic vehicles along the way.

And the good news is that if you fancy living it up as a cinematic henchman, many are available to buy at reasonable prices.

1. Chevrolet Bel Air (1954-’57)

Dr No, 1962

The Chevrolet Bel Air actually has the honour of being the first Bond car, because it’s the vehicle in which he is picked up from a Jamaican airport by Expendable Henchman Number One.

Once Bond has rumbled the beige-suited miscreant, a struggle ensues, and the bad guy kills himself using a cyanide-filled cigarette. So, Bond has no option but to jump in the big Chevy.

Chevrolet Bel Air (cont.)

The Bel Air was nicknamed the Hot One in Chevrolet’s marketing campaign, so was at home in Jamaica. Early cars had a Ferrari-style front grille, but this was later replaced with a full-width chrome affair. Engines ranged from a 3.5-litre straight-six to a 4.6-litre V8, which was much more in character with the car’s languid dynamics.

The Bel Air is fêted as one of the most recognisable American cars ever, and is heralded as a ’50s icon alongside Elvis and Marilyn Monroe.

2. Citroën 11 (1934-’57)

From Russia with Love, 1963

It’s a shame that such an elegant car is the vehicle of choice for some unsavoury types, but what can you do.

The Citroën 11, which is also known as the Citroën Traction Avant (literally front drive), is used by some Bulgarian agents to trail Bond and his driver from the airport in Istanbul.

Citroën 11 (cont.)

When launched in 1934, the car’s independent front suspension was exceptionally advanced, as was the unibody construction, in which the body and chassis were one unit. Most cars of the time had separate bodies welded onto a chassis.

However, the car’s strength was proved when it was subjected to a very early crash test, which involved the car being driven off a cliff…

3. Rolls-Royce Phantom III (1936-’39)

Goldfinger, 1964

The Rolls-Royce Phantom III was introduced in 1936 and was the last of the brand’s vehicles that Henry Royce ever worked on. Indeed, it was also the last V12 Rolls-Royce car until the brand built the 5.4-litre Silver Seraph in 1998.

The Phantom III’s 7.3-litre V12 also had two distributors, two coils and no fewer than 24 spark plugs.

Rolls-Royce Phantom III (cont.)

In the film, the car is used to smuggle illicit gold across Europe, driven by the evil Oddjob, the man with the world’s deadliest bowler hat.

In reality, the car was built in 1937 for British peer Urban Huttleston Rogers Broughton, 1st Baron Fairhaven, who sold the car to film company Eon in 1962.

4. Toyota Crown Deluxe (1962-’67)

You Only Live Twice, 1967

Talk about a supporting role. The Toyota Crown Deluxe is used by the bad guys in a missed-hit as Bond leaves the HQ of Osato Chemical Engineering, but Bond is saved by his partner, who happens to be driving an open-top Toyota 2000GT, which immediately takes up the starring role.

The Crown Deluxe does a good job of keeping up with the fleeing Bond, until it is grabbed by a helicopter with a huge magnet and dropped into the sea. The anti-corrosion warranty might not have covered that.

Toyota Crown Deluxe (cont.)

The second-generation Crown was introduced in 1962 with styling that had been strongly influenced by the Australian Ford Falcon of the era.

It also holds the distinction of being the first Toyota to be exported to Europe, after 190 examples were shipped to Denmark, although it was also available in the United States.

5. Mercedes-Benz 600 (1963-’81)

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, 1969

Back in the 1960s, the Mercedes-Benz 600 positively reeked power and influence. It was used by world leaders, royalty and, as is well known, a number of politicians with dubious reputations.

The car was actually in production for 17 years, but during that time Mercedes built only 2677 examples, which gives you some idea of not only how expensive it was, but also how much care was put into its construction.

Mercedes-Benz 600 (cont.)

It had so many power-sapping hydraulic accoutrements that Mercedes had to develop a larger and more powerful engine just to take the strain, so under the bonnet lies a 6.3-litre V8, which is enough to be going on with.

Its starring role came at the end of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, when assassin Irma Bundt shot Bond’s new wife from the back seat of the passing Mercedes.

6. Ford Thunderbird (1967-’71)

Diamonds Are Forever, 1971

Back in the middle of the 1960s, the Ford Thunderbird had a bit of a problem. It was facing some serious competition – from another Ford. The Ford Mustang was pinching buyers left, right and centre, so for the fifth generation Ford chose to move the car upmarket, with a great deal more space and lots of luxury kit.

The company also did away with the drop-top and introduced a four-door.

Ford Thunderbird (cont.)

None of that concerned evil duo Mr Wint and Mr Kidd, who drive a two-door landau model in Diamonds Are Forever, although Bond would have been grateful that Ford had made the car bigger, given that he was dumped unconscious into the boot, to be taken out and dumped in a pipe at a desert construction site.

Still, he survived, telling the construction workers the next day that he’d been out taking his rat for a walk and had got lost.

7. Chevrolet Nova (1972-’74)

Live and Let Die, 1973

The Chevrolet Nova has more than one starring role in Live and Let Die, because a couple of the four-door saloon models are driven by the police on the fictional Caribbean island of San Monique, as they undertake a hapless pursuit of Bond and Solitaire’s high-performance escape… bus.

Various Novas appear again in the film, driven by the bad guys as they chase Bond’s stolen Cessna around a New Orleans airport.

Chevrolet Nova (cont.)

The Nova certainly had something for everyone, with four-door saloon and two-door coupe body styles, plus a newly introduced three-door hatchback. The engine range was comprehensive, too, starting with a 2.5-litre ‘four’, rising through various straight-sixes and V8s, culminating in a 6.6-litre V8. However, as the oil crisis deepened, buyers shunned the big V8s, and it was the ‘sixes’ that flew out the showrooms.

In 1974, the car also featured a device that wouldn’t allow it to be started unless the driver was wearing a seatbelt. But this was swiftly dropped.

8. AMC Matador Coupe (1974-’78)

The Man with the Golden Gun, 1974

Crikey, that Bond chap is tenacious. Just when you think you’ve managed to evade him by sneaking over to the other side of a river, he then goes and performs one the greatest car stunts ever by doing a corkscrew jump over the water.

Something special is required to continue your escape, especially if you’re driving an AMC Matador, which might be comfortable but is no performance machine.

AMC Matador Coupe (cont.)

There’s only one thing for it – drive it into your conveniently located barn, attach numerous bits and bobs, and turn it into a plane.

They really did, but the car could only fly for 500 metres, so the actual take-off and flight sequence featured a radio-controlled model.

The svelte-looking Matador coupe looks very different indeed from the four-door and estate models, which had angular styling, and road tests of the time were full of praise for how it drove. Not much reference to how it flies, though.

9. Ford Cortina/Taunus TC2 (1976-’79)

The Spy Who Loved Me, 1977

Picture this. You’re a multi-squillionaire hellbent on ruling humanity, but the world’s peskiest secret agent has just pitched up in your backyard, and he’s making his presence felt by nipping around your base in an under-the-radar two-door supercar. In white.

Probably best that you send your most evil of henchmen after him in a high-performance pursuit vehicle.

Ford Cortina/Taunus TC2 (cont.)

Well, the race chase car must have been in the garage the day Bond turned up, because Stromberg’s baddies go after Bond’s Lotus Esprit in a Ford Cortina. A 2.3-litre V6 Cortina, but a Cortina, nevertheless. They never really stood a chance, did they?

The Cortina MkIV/Taunus TC2 was much better suited to ploughing up and down the motorways of the land, helping the salesmen of the day cover huge territories, earning commission with every mile, although most people opted for the more economical 1.3-, 1.6- or 2.0-litre models.

10. Peugeot 504 (1968-’83)

For Your Eyes Only, 1981

The Peugeot 504 had been on sale since 1968, so was undeniably getting towards the end of its life, and therefore perhaps wasn’t the ideal choice of vehicle for evil-doers bent on doing Bond harm.

Probably just as well that our hero’s somewhat enforced choice of escape vehicle was a Citroën 2CV6, which was unlikely to give the adrenalin glands a hard time, even with gun-toting bad guys in pursuit.

Peugeot 504 (cont.)

Still, the Peugeot 504 was known for having long-travel suspension, which made it extremely comfortable.

The sumptuous suspension set-up also made the 504 able to deal with rough surfaces, which meant it was a popular choice in numerous far-flung lands.

In addition, it made it quite a good car for chasing Bond down a mountainside, even if the pursuit was ultimately fruitless.

11. VAZ-2106/Lada 1600/Riva (1976-2006)

The Living Daylights, 1987

Ah, the Cold War. Back in the middle of the 1980s, the world was riven by a them-and-us attitude that proliferated at the highest levels of government on both sides of the Iron Curtain.

Both sides sought to gain every advantage, including in popular culture, which is why Russian police were usually depicted driving low-powered, noisy and uncomfortable cars such as the VAZ-2106, better known in the UK as the Lada 1600, and later the Riva.

VAZ-2106/Lada 1600/Riva (cont.)

It had a grand total of 78bhp, a top speed of 93mph and could accelerate to 60mph… eventually. There wasn’t much that it could catch, and it certainly couldn’t outrun the tin worm.

When 007 was driving a V8 Aston Martin, it just didn’t seem like a fair fight, and his wheel-hub-mounted lasers certainly had no trouble getting through the salt-corroded bodywork to disable the rozzers’ Lada at the start of the chase sequence in The Living Daylights.

12. Range Rover (1994-2001)

Tomorrow Never Dies, 1997

Movies are all about suspending belief, and just enjoying what you’re being fed.

But a high-powered motorcycle failing to escape from two enthusiastically driven Range Rovers fairly takes the biscuit, especially when the streets of Saigon are packed and the place is full of alleys that a bike will fit down and a large, luxurious off-roader will not.

Range Rover (cont.)

Still, the Range Rover of the day was a punchy beast, with either a Rover V8 of up to 4.8 litres under the bonnet, or a BMW-derived 2.5-litre straight-six diesel. It’s fair to say the baddies had V8s at their disposal.

This generation of Range Rover was also fitted with electronic air suspension, which allowed various height settings, and which was certainly given a serious workout in the futile pursuit of a BMW-mounted Bond.

13. Jaguar XKR (1996-2006)

Die Another Day, 2002

James Bond has long been synonymous with cars packed full of gadgets both for defence and attack, but the Jaguar driven by the evil jewel-encrusted Zao was every bit a match for the best efforts of Q branch.

The XKR drop-top sported machine guns, missiles, a gatling gun and mortars. It’s a wonder it didn’t simply fall through the ice with the weight of all that lot.

Jaguar XKR (cont.)

Still, it made a good fist of chasing Bond’s Aston Martin Vanquish, helped by its 370bhp supercharged 4.0-litre V8, which also provided a stirring soundtrack (when not drowned out by the din of small-arms fire).

In reality, the XKR was a great grand tourer that made very light work of travelling long distances, swathing its occupants in leather-lined luxury and featuring cutting-edge tech (for the time) such as radar-guided cruise control and satellite navigation.

14. Alfa Romeo 159 (2005-’11)

Quantum of Solace, 2008

As (relatively) humdrum saloon cars go, the Alfa Romeo 159 is a bit of a stunner, which is probably partly why it appears right at the start of the opening sequence in Quantum of Solace.

Well, if you’re going to put your life at risk chasing down one of the world’s deadliest spies, you might as well do it in a car that makes you look good.

Alfa Romeo 159 (cont.)

The bad guys must have been using the 3.2-litre V6 models, because surely the 1.9-litre diesel wouldn’t have been able to keep up with a thundering Aston Martin DBS as well as they do in the film. Mind you, the four-wheel drive would have been a help in the quarry chase.

The Alfa 159 heralded the start of a turnaround in the marque’s fortunes because it was decently practical and economical, making it an Alfa you could buy with your head as well as your heart.

15. Jaguar C-X75 (2010-’13)

Spectre, 2015

For Spectre, Bond ended up driving an Aston Martin concept car that no one had yet seen. Cool.

So, what about the seemingly indestructible and decidedly unsavoury Mr Hinx? Well, he ended up driving a Jaguar concept car that everyone had seen, but which the company had elected not to build. Shame.

Jaguar C-X75 (cont.)

Jaguar actually built six examples in the end (one concept show car and five running prototypes) before the project was canned. The concept was envisioned as a green supercar that had an electric motor in each wheel, powered by a battery that was recharged from two diesel-powered gas turbines. Unfortunately, the global financial crisis of the time caused Jaguar to cancel the programme.

Jaguar provided four stunt cars for Spectre, featuring conventional mechanicals overlaid with C-X75 body panels. The cars were actually built by Williams Advanced Engineering.