James Bond Day: 96 brilliant Bond cars

Celebrate Global James Bond Day 2024

Today is global James Bond Day – held on the 5 October every year, to mark the 1962 release of the first film in the franchise, Dr No. In the latest and 25th instalment, No Time To Die, fans enjoy dramatic car chases, plus an Aston Martin or, um, four. However, 007’s choice of wheels hasn’t always been so exalted.

Join us as we name the best cars from the Bond back-catalogue.

No Time to Die: Aston Martin Valhalla

Aston Martin boss Tobias Moers calls the Valhalla a “supercar with hypercar performance”. The 950hp hybrid is targeting a record Nurburgring lap-time of less than 6min 30sec – so it should be quick enough to shake off Blofeld’s henchmen.

No Time to Die: Aston Martin DBS Superleggera

The one-of-25 DBS Superleggera 007 Edition was launched in late 2020. Modified by Aston Martin’s bespoke Q division, it’s the same spec as the car in No Time To Die. Spot the subtle ‘007’ badges on the front wings.

No Time to Die: Aston Martin DB5

No Time To Die also features another outing for James Bond’s immortal Aston Martin DB5. The car seen here is one of the £2.75 million Continuation editions, displayed in a life-size Corgi toy box outside Battersea Power Station to promote the film.

No Time to Die: Range Rover Sport SVR

Bond is also quite partial to Solihull’s finest. This 575hp Range Rover Sport SVR gets airborne during No Time to Die’s dramatic off-road car chase. Customers can replicate the spec of the car on Land Rover’s configurator.

No Time to Die: Land Rover Defender

The latest Defender was originally due to debut in No Time To Die. It’s now a familiar sight on UK roads, but that hasn’t stopped Land Rover creating an inevitable Bond Edition – just like the sinister chase vehicles in the film. Note the ‘007’ puddle lights.

Spectre: Aston Martin DB10

Looking back at the bespoke DB10 in Spectre, it’s clear to see how it influenced the new Vantage. Its combination of a classic silhouette with modern design details is hard to resist.

Spectre: Jaguar C-X75

Who says crime doesn’t pay? Bond’s arch nemesis in Spectre is a chap called Franz Oberhauser, who gets to enjoy the delights of the Jaguar C-X75.

Spectre: Land Rover Defender

Get ready for some typically Bond snow scenes in Spectre, featuring Defenders beefed up by Jaguar Land Rover’s Special Vehicle Operations division.

Spectre: Range Rover Sport SVR

Not to mention this Range Rover Sport SVR. Off-roaders just look so right wearing Austrian or Swiss number plates.

Skyfall: Land Rover Defender

Sticking with Land Rover, this is the Defender from Skyfall. Remember it being used in the opening scene, in which Moneypenny shot 007?

Skyfall: Jaguar XJ

Also in Skyfall, M was often seen being transported through London in a Jaguar XJ. Not that she took the Jag to Scotland…

Skyfall: Aston Martin DB5

When Bond opened the garage door to reveal the Aston Martin DB5 lurking inside, it was a proper goosebumps moment. As for the explosive ending…

Skyfall: Range Rover

The previous-generation Range Rover was used in multiple scenes, predominantly involving MI6 and the police.

Skyfall: Audi A5

What, an Audi being driven in an aggressive manner? Whatever next? An A5 was used in the Istanbul chase scene.

Skyfall: Honda CRF250R

The same scene in which Patrice made his escape on a motorbike, with 007 in pursuit riding a Honda CRF250R.

Quantum of Solace: Aston Martin DBS V12

An epic and often brutal chase involving Bond in his DBS V12 and a pair of Alfa Romeo 159s. Needless to say, the Aston Martin managed to escape…

Quantum of Solace: Alfa Romeo 159

The same couldn’t be said about the 159s. They never made it to Siena.

Quantum of Solace: Ford Ka

We can accept product placement in films, but the brand spanking new Ford Ka, driven by Camille, just seemed a bit, well, obvious.

Quantum of Solace: Volvo S40

Bond drove a rental Volvo S40 T5 from the airport to the opera in Bregenz, Austria. Surprised? Don’t be. Back then, Ford owned Volvo.

Quantum of Solace: Ford Edge

Wait, another Ford product? Yup, this time in the form of a fleet of hydrogen-powered Ford Edge SUVs.

Quantum of Solace: Range Rover Sport

Bond uses two Range Rover Sports in Quantum of Solace, the MI6 vehicle in London and the grey version in Bolivia.

Quantum of Solace: Jaguar XJ8

A Jaguar XJ8 was used in Quantum of Solace and owned by Dominic Greene (inset). It was also used in Casino Royale.

Casino Royale: Aston Martin DBS

The Aston Martin DBS used in Casino Royale featured an on-board defibrillator. Because nobody expects Bond to die, do they, Auric Goldfinger?

Casino Royale: Ford Mondeo ST

Bet you never thought you’d see Bond driving a Ford Mondeo? That said, it was a rather fruity ST.

Casino Royale: Aston Martin DB5

While in the Bahamas, Bond won a DB5 in a poker game. Some guys have all the luck.

Die Another Day: Aston Martin Vanquish

The Aston Martin Vanquish – or ‘Vanish’ – was the star car of Die Another Day. Yes, the one with the adaptive camouflage.

Die Another Day: Jaguar XKR

Meanwhile, the evil Zao chose a more conventional Jaguar XKR. That said, it was equipped with missiles, a gatling gun and mortars.

Die Another Day: Ford Thunderbird

The Ford Thunderbird has featured in many Bond movies. This one (far left) was driven by Jinx, aka Halle Berry.

Die Another Day: Ford Fairlane

In a homage to the Ford Fairlane used in Thunderball, Bond drove a Fairlane during his visit to Cuba.

Die Another Day: Ford GT40

A Ford GT40 was spotted as part of Colonel Moon’s car collection. The XKR was also there, and somehow escaped the fireworks.

The World is not Enough: BMW Z8

This was to be BMW’s final appearance in a Bond movie. The Z8 – complete with surface-to-air missiles – was cut in half by a circular saw.

The World is not Enough: Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow

Valentin Zukovsky was one of our favourite Bond characters. He owned a rather lovely Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow.

The World is not Enough: Lada Niva

The Lada Niva seen in The World is not Enough was owned by the Russian Nuclear Department. Quite apt, because these things could survive an apocalypse.

Tomorrow Never Dies: BMW 750iL

Bond controlled his BMW 750iL via a Sony Ericsson JB988. Back then, this was a seriously high-tech phone. The car wasn’t bad, either.

Tomorrow Never Dies: Range Rover 4.6 HSE

A P38A Range Rover was used by Elliot Carver’s men to chase Bond through the streets of Saigon.

Tomorrow Never Dies: BMW R1200C

Meanwhile, Bond was riding a BMW R1200C motorcycle, while handcuffed to Wai Lin. What were we saying about Bond and good luck?

Tomorrow Never Dies: Aston Martin DB5

Could the Aston Martin DB5 be a Bond cliche? Perhaps. It made a couple of brief appearances in Tomorrow Never Dies.

Tomorrow Never Dies: Mercedes-Benz S-Class

With Bond driving a BMW 7 Series, it was only right that Elliot Carver’s henchmen should be given S-Classes.

Goldeneye: Aston Martin DB5

A properly cheesy chase scene, with Bond and his glamorous assistant engaged in a race against a Ferrari F355.

Goldeneye: Ferrari F355

At the wheel of the Ferrari F355 was Xenia Onatopp. Yes, that’s Onatopp. Only in a Bond movie…

Goldeneye: BMW Z3

At the time, the Z3’s appearance in Goldeneye was quite a big deal. It was, after all, the first non-British car to be used as Bond’s primary choice of transport.

Goldeneye: GAZ Volga

No such controversy over the choice of GAZ Volga for the epic and often funny chase scene.

Goldeneye: ZAZ-965A

“She’s an ugly little (censored), but she gets you there.” Not our words, the words of Jack Wade when describing his little ZAZ.

Licence To Kill: Maserati Biturbo

The Maserati Biturbo was owned by Franz Sanchez. Amazingly, it seemed to be quite reliable.

Licence to Kill: Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow

The Hotel de Isthmus owned a Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow in Licence To Kill.

Licence to Kill: Dodge Ram

The tanker chase scene at the end of Licence to Kill was rather good. The Dodge Ram pickup was a very 80s truck.

The Living Daylights: Aston Martin V8 Vantage Volante

One of the best Bond cars of all-time? That said, the outriggers were a tad unbelievable. The Volante also gained a hardtop midway through the film. A ‘winterised’ V8 Vantage.

The Living Daylights: Audi 200

The Living Daylights also featured an Austrian-registered Audi 200.

The Living Daylights: Lada – VAZ

The Living Daylights starred many Lada – VAZ cars, too. A Lada 1500 police car met a slicing end.

A View to a Kill: Renault 11

And talking of slicing… The Renault 11 featured in a View to a Kill didn’t fare too well on the streets of Paris. Not many cars do.

A View to a Kill: Renault Fuego Turbo

The Renault Fuego Turbo, aka the French Capri, was seen in the moments before Sir Godfrey Tibbett met a rather unfortunate end at the car wash.

A View to a Kill: Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud II

Tibbett and Bond were later submerged in their Rolls-Royce, although thanks to the air from the Silver Cloud’s tyres, 007 did manage to escape.

A View to a Kill: Chevrolet Corvette

We never understood why Russian agent Pola Ivanova (not shown) chose a very American car as her choice of wheels.

A View to a Kill: Dodge Monaco

OK, so the Dodge Monacos used in A View to A Kill were police cars, but you get the idea. Christopher Walken was one of the best Bond villains.

Octopussy: Alfa Romeo GTV6

James Bond (Roger Moore) stole an Alfa Romeo GTV6 while its owner was using a payphone. He was pursued by two Bavarian police cars…

Octopussy: BMW 518

Which just happened to be E28 BMW 518s. They looked great in the Polizei livery.

Octopussy: Mercedes-Benz 250 SE

OK, so the colour is wrong, but a 250 SE much like this was used in Octopussy. Bond drove it on a railway track in pursuit of a circus train. As you do.

Octopussy: Bajaj RE

A three-wheeled Bajaj RE, as seen in Octopussy.

Octopussy: Willys Jeep

Meanwhile, a Willys Jeep also featured in Octopussy.

Octopussy: Volga M24

Our cup runneth over with the number of cars in Octopussy. Who remembers the black Volga M24?

Octopussy: Range Rover Convertible

The final Octopussy car: a rather lovely Range Rover Convertible, which also towed a horsebox.

For Your Eyes Only: Lotus Esprit Turbo

Two Esprits featured in For Your Eyes Only, including this bronze Turbo, complete with roof-mounted skis.

For Your Eyes Only: Citroen 2CV

The other Esprit, a white one, came to a rather explosive end. So Bond and Melina Havelock ended up in a yellow Citroen 2CV.

For Your Eyes Only: Peugeot 504

They were chased by some ne’er-do-wells in Peugeot 504s. It was an epic chase scene.

For Your Eyes Only: Mercedes-Benz 450 SEL

Emile Locque tried to escape Bond in a Mercedes-Benz 450 SEL, but ended up teetering on the edge of a cliff. Bond put the boot in.

For Your Eyes Only: Beach Buggy

This was after Emile Locque had run over the unfortunate Countess Lisl von Schlaf on the beach. He had it coming to him.

Moonraker: MP Lafer

The MP Lafer was a fibreglass replica of the MG TD. Manuela used one to tail Bond in Moonraker.

Moonraker: Hispano-Suiza

Moonraker also featured a rather lovely Hispano-Suiza J12, not too dissimilar to this one.

Moonraker: Chevrolet C-10 Ambulance

There was also a Chevrolet C-10 Ambulance used during the Rio de Janeiro scenes in Moonraker.

Moonraker: Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow I

Moonraker also saw another appearance for the Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow.

The Spy Who Loved Me: Lotus Esprit S1

The Lotus Esprit S1 featured in The Spy Who Loved Me must be – along with the DB5 – the most recognisable Bond car of all time.

The Spy Who Loved Me: Ford Taunus

The Ford Taunus was used during a chase scene with Bond’s Lotus. One ended up crashing through a barn roof. Jaws dusted himself off and walked away.

The Spy Who Loved Me: Leyland Sherpa Van

And speaking of Jaws, who remembers the Leyland Sherpa van from The Spy Who Loved Me? Jaws gave it a good beating.

The Man with the Golden Gun: AMC Hornet

The AMC Hornet performed miracles in The Man with the Golden Gun. The bridge scene – complete with comedy sound effect – was a tad cringeworthy.

The Man with the Golden Gun: AMC Matador Coupe

Christopher Lee was a superb Bond villain. He even managed to turn his AMC Matador into an aircraft. Bravo, Scaramanga.

The Man with the Golden Gun: Mercedes-Benz 220D

An elegant and rather lovely Mercedes-Benz 220 also featured in The Man with the Golden Gun.

The Man with the Golden Gun: MGB

Mary Goodnight (played by Britt Ekland, right), owned a gold-coloured MGB in The Man with the Golden Gun.

Live and Let Die: Corvorado

The Corvorado – owned by Kananga – was created using a Chevrolet Corvette and a Cadillac Eldorado.

Live and Let Die: Mini Moke

The Mini Moke made many appearances, including Live and Let Die, The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker.

Live and Let Die: Chevrolet Nova

You’ll have to use some imagination here, because the Chevrolet Novas featured in Live and Let Die were police cars.

Diamonds are Forever: Ford Mustang Mach 1

The Mustang starred in one of the most famous continuity errors, balancing on two wheels through a Las Vegas alley, emerging on the other two wheels.

Diamonds are Forever: Triumph Stag

In Diamonds are Forever, Bond (Sean Connery) drove a yellow Triumph Stag in Amsterdam.

Diamonds are Forever: Moon Buggy

Here is Sean Connery sitting in the Moon Buggy that featured in Diamonds are Forever.

Diamonds are Forever: Ford Econoline

Tiffany created a diversion at the petrol station, allowing Bond to sneak into the back of a Ford Econoline in order to gain access to Willard Whyte’s facility.

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service: Aston Martin DBS

The original Aston Martin DBS appeared in four scenes in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. Bond was played by George Lazenby.

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service: Mercedes-Benz 220S

More snow! The Mercedes-Benz 220S was owned by Blofeld and yes, it had skis on the roof.

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service: Mercury Cougar

The red Mercury Cougar first appeared on a Portuguese beach, later to feature in a winter stock-car race on an ice-covered track.

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service: Mercedes-Benz 600

Newlywed Tracy Bond was shot by Irma Bundt, who was travelling in a silver Mercedes-Benz 600.

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service: Austin Mini

An Austin Mini featured in the ice racing, alongside the Mercury Cougar.

You Only Live Twice: Toyota 2000GT

Toyota had to remove the roof of the 2000GT as Sean Connery was too tall for the car.

Thunderball: Aston Martin DB5

The Aston Martin DB5 featured in Thunderball.

Thunderball: Ford Mustang Convertible

Two Bond girls drive a Ford Mustang Convertible in Thunderball.

Thunderball: Ford Fairlane

The Ford Fairlane of Thunderball comes to an explosive end.

Thunderball: Ford Thunderbird

A Ford Thunderbird – similar to the one pictured – also featured in Thunderball. A missed opportunity? Surely there should have been a Ford Thunderball special edition?

Goldfinger: Aston Martin DB5

The Aston Martin DB5 appears in seven Bond movies to-date. Its role in Goldfinger is perhaps the most famous – and the one that directly inspired Aston’s Continuation car.