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The Best James Bond Cars and Gadgets From the 007 Film Franchise — the Aston Martin DB5 and More
It takes more than training, good looks and a license to kill to save the world. James Bond’s toys add spice to the 007 franchise formula. Scroll down below to see 007’s sleek cars and useful spy gadgets that every fan wishes they had, from the Aston Martin in Goldfinger to the nifty wrist gun in Moonraker.
Lotus Esprit S1 (The Spy Who Loved Me, 1977)
Both American and Russian submarines were featured in Roger Moore’s third (and arguably best) turn as 007, but they couldn’t compete with the one Bond used. That’s because it was a white Lotus Esprit … that turned into a submarine. (And it fired sea-to-air missiles, which was bad news for a sexy evildoer in a pursuing helicopter.) Lotus first released the Esprit in 1976 and kept making it, largely unchanged, until 2004 — an Esprit Turbo appeared in 1981’s For Your Eyes Only — but it had some flaws. Though lauded for its handling, the S1 was generally thought to be underpowered, struggling to do 0–60 mph in less than 8 seconds. On the other hand, that’s pretty speedy for a sub.
Mercury Cougar XR7 (On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, 1969)
Technically, this wasn’t Mr. Bond’s car — it was Mrs. Bond’s car. That’s right, we’re talking about the sixth Bond film, which starred George Lazenby as 007 and Diana Rigg as the missus. While several American-made cars have played bit parts in Bond movies, the Cougar in OHMSS was front and center, showing off what a pony car could do. Well, sort of: Much of the movie takes place in the Swiss Alps in wintertime, and the Cougar handled awfully well on a racetrack literally made of ice, considering it was a rear-wheel-drive muscle car powered by a 428 Cobra Jet Ram Air V8.
Aston Martin DB5 (Goldfinger, 1964)
If budget cuts forced MI6 to limit Bond to just one car, this would be it. In fact, different versions of the DB5 have appeared in no less than five of the movies (six, if you count a deleted scene from Tomorrow Never Dies).
When Bond first climbed behind the wheel in Goldfinger, he quickly made use of all the cool gadgets supplied by Q: bulletproof windshield, onboard tracking system, revolving license plates, smoke screen, oil slick, machine guns, passenger ejector seat. Unfortunately, the actual car did not come with any of that. But it did boast an all-aluminum 4.0-liter 282-horsepower power plant and a top speed of 145 mph — plenty fast enough to tail a gigantic Rolls-Royce Phantom III made largely of solid gold.
Sunbeam Alpine Series II (Dr. No, 1962)
It may not be the most famous Bond car, but it’s the first: He drove it while in Jamaica, investigating the mysterious Dr. No — and not surprisingly, Bond was immediately forced to drive at ill-advised speeds on twisty mountain roads in order to elude pursuers. (Also not surprising? He was on his way to a romantic rendezvous, which he didn’t miss.) Though it was easy on the eyes, the Series II made only 80 horsepower, was reported to have a 0–60 time of more than 13 seconds and, being a postwar British sports car, it probably broke down more often than 007 used his license to kill. The things Bond did for England!
Aston Martin DBS V12 (Casino Royale, 2006)
Casino Royale was a reboot of sorts — we not only learned how Bond earned his license to kill but also saw him win his DB5 in a poker game (though Q Branch would no doubt argue with that version of the story). We also see Bond cruising around Nassau in a nifty white, um, Ford Mondeo (a model made and sold in Europe). At the time, Ford owned Aston Martin, so the company brokered a product-placement package deal with the film’s producers. Of course, the real automotive star of the show was Bond’s DBS V12. It wasn’t full of gadgets — 007 used only a secret gun compartment and what amounted to an extremely complex first-aid kit — but it was as sexy as a Bond Girl. It could also outrun just about any henchman, thanks to a 5.9-liter V12 pounding out 420 lb.-ft. of torque that pushed the aluminum and carbon fiber machine past 190 mph. And, as Bond discovered, it did a pretty good job of protecting occupants during horrific car crashes.
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