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Saab product placement in the Gardner novels

brinkeguthriebrinkeguthrie Piz Gloria
edited August 2018 in Literary 007 Posts: 1,400
What is it with this guy? I just finished the one with Marcus Bismaquer- I did a search on my Kindle and Saab was mentioned 146 times. Did he get paid to include them?

Comments

  • barryt007barryt007
    Posts: 19,339
    No,it's just Bond's car of choice in John's novels.
  • brinkeguthriebrinkeguthrie Piz Gloria
    Posts: 1,400
    It's just I don't recall seeing 'Aston Martin' so many times in the Flemings or bensons.
  • barryt007barryt007
    Posts: 19,339
    Bond obviously does a lot more driving ;)
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    edited August 2018 Posts: 18,296
    Today (3 August 2018) actually marks the 11th anniversary of the death of John Gardner, at the age of 80, in 2007.

    Without Mr Gardner there would be no Dragonpol or so much else. He is greatly missed, but never forgotten by this member and hopefully many others.
  • barryt007barryt007
    Posts: 19,339
    Dragonpol wrote: »
    Today (3 August 2018) marks the 11th anniversary of the death of John Gardner, at the age of 80.

    Indeed x I loved the man,bless him.. great guy.

  • PussyNoMorePussyNoMore
    Posts: 520
    No he didn’t get paid.
    To Gardner’s great credit, he put a huge amount of thought into Bond’s choice of car for the ‘80s and in PussyNoMore’s not so humble opinion, he made a great choice.
    The Saab 900 turbo was, at that point in history, considered to be a real performance vehicle that sat outside the ‘fleet managers’ reach. As a consequence, it was considered to be a car for the discerning individualist, therefore perfect for Bond.
    Comparisons with Aston mentions are a little misleading as the DB3 really only featured in one novel whereas the Saab was in all of Gardner’s up to ‘Role Of Honour’ when he swapped it for a Bentley.
  • RichardTheBruceRichardTheBruce I'm motivated by my Duty.
    edited August 2018 Posts: 13,847
    That's actually funny about the Saab-count in For Special Services, @=bg=. I really need to graduate to electronic versions of the Gardner novels.

    Yeah, Gardner took a serious and respectful approach in his effort to bring Bond into the 80s. Maybe harder to see through 21st Century eyes looking at the Saab, there was definitely some research and thought into its selection. And obviously Saab was very accommodating.

    I'd love to see the 1981 Silver Beast show up on screen in a future Bond film. Or even tricked up from Q Branch for OO7 to use under cover.

    a2t4tm95556515021.jpeg
    latest?cb=20130102201400

  • TorgeirtrapTorgeirtrap
    edited August 2018 Posts: 17,782
    Never read the Gardner novels unfortunately, but it's interesting to read that this Swedish brand was the "car manufacturer of choice" in these novels.

    Top Gear had a wonderful tribute to Saab in on of their episodes. They made some good cars over the years.
  • GerardGerard
    Posts: 6,003
    Even better :



    The Silver Beast and its creator.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    edited August 2018 Posts: 18,296
    Gerard wrote: »
    Even better :



    The Silver Beast and its creator.

    Happily, I was very kindly credited with finding that on You Tube by the Gardner family. They said they hadn't seen it since its original transmission.

    It's a great piece and Gardner's wry expression aptly shows how much he was loving all the massive promotion for Licence Renewed in 1981. I just wish there were more Gardner TV (and radio) interviews available.
  • RichardTheBruceRichardTheBruce I'm motivated by my Duty.
    Posts: 13,847
    Ooh, that's excellent, @Gerard.

    I always liked the concept of an aircraft landing light available to blind pursuers--great to see it in reality with the other optional extras.

    Kind of an unknown reference today, this 2010 ad competition drew a mention to Gardner's Saab, though.

    https://saabsunited.com/2010/12/saab-ad-competition-final-day.html

    JakeThe-Silver-Beast.jpg
  • PropertyOfALadyPropertyOfALady Colders Federation CEO
    Posts: 3,675
    Hey! That ad uses that underground font developed for the Tube.
  • PussyNoMorePussyNoMore
    Posts: 520
    RichardTheBruce wrote: »
    Ooh, that's excellent, @Gerard.

    I always liked the concept of an aircraft landing light available to blind pursuers--great to see it in reality with the other optional extras.

    Kind of an unknown reference today, this 2010 ad competition drew a mention to Gardner's Saab, though.

    https://saabsunited.com/2010/12/saab-ad-competition-final-day.html

    JakeThe-Silver-Beast.jpg

    That is funny.
    Poor old John. He came in for a lot of criticism for his Bond work.
    The Pussy was pleased that he did ‘Licence Renewed’ . He made a good fist of that and unlike most continuation novels it had a memorable story line and the ingredients worked.
    Beyond that, he was treading water.
    That said, ‘The Silver Beast’ certainly was a great element in the ‘80s reboot.
  • barryt007barryt007
    Posts: 19,339
    PussyNoMore wrote: »
    RichardTheBruce wrote: »
    Ooh, that's excellent, @Gerard.

    I always liked the concept of an aircraft landing light available to blind pursuers--great to see it in reality with the other optional extras.

    Kind of an unknown reference today, this 2010 ad competition drew a mention to Gardner's Saab, though.

    https://saabsunited.com/2010/12/saab-ad-competition-final-day.html

    JakeThe-Silver-Beast.jpg

    That is funny.
    Poor old John. He came in for a lot of criticism for his Bond work.
    The Pussy was pleased that he did ‘Licence Renewed’ . He made a good fist of that and unlike most continuation novels it had a memorable story line and the ingredients worked.
    Beyond that, he was treading water.
    That said, ‘The Silver Beast’ certainly was a great element in the ‘80s reboot.

    Personally i like his novels,and he was very popular at the start,deserves respect.
  • Some_Kind_Of_HeroSome_Kind_Of_Hero
    edited August 2018 Posts: 6,844
    I liked Gardner’s novels as well. I began reading them just as his last two were being published*. He made Bond his own, successfully brought Bond into the 80s and 90s without broaching parody, and introduced some memorable villains and plot lines, at least until he began repeating himself toward the end of his run. Sure, he had some weird tics like having anyone and everyone in his Bondverse, including Bond and M, spout chunks of poetry off the top of their head as if that’s something people normally do in everyday life, but his books were entertaining and rereadable and a corner of Bondom that for all its flaws is much more worth having than not.

    *Come to think of it, You Only Live Twice was the first Fleming I read and SeaFire and Cold Fall were the first Gardners. Not exactly the best starting points for either run in terms of understanding what the hell is going on in the broader narrative.
  • moneyofpropre2moneyofpropre2 France
    edited August 2018 Posts: 859
    It's is less know, but guess which car model James Bond use in the comics "Data Terror" ? :

    Data-Terror.jpg

    (Beside, without being named, the Silver Beast is hinted in the RPG James Bond 007: Role-Playing In Her Majesty’s Secret Service ).
  • GoldenGunGoldenGun Per ora e per il momento che verrà
    Posts: 7,158
    Aaah Saab, how I miss this Wonderful brand! Same goes for Lancia, Tracy’s car in OHMSS. Unique and stubborn style icons that have become so incredibly rare in today’s car industry.
  • TorgeirtrapTorgeirtrap
    Posts: 17,782
    GoldenGun wrote: »
    Aaah Saab, how I miss this Wonderful brand! Same goes for Lancia, Tracy’s car in OHMSS. Unique and stubborn style icons that have become so incredibly rare in today’s car industry.

    Lancia is still around, aren't they (in Italy at least)?
  • GoldenGunGoldenGun Per ora e per il momento che verrà
    Posts: 7,158
    Torgeirtrap wrote: »
    GoldenGun wrote: »
    Aaah Saab, how I miss this Wonderful brand! Same goes for Lancia, Tracy’s car in OHMSS. Unique and stubborn style icons that have become so incredibly rare in today’s car industry.

    Lancia is still around, aren't they (in Italy at least)?

    They are, but only in Italy and only one model. So that’s basically over I’m afraid.
  • TorgeirtrapTorgeirtrap
    edited August 2018 Posts: 17,782
    GoldenGun wrote: »
    Torgeirtrap wrote: »
    GoldenGun wrote: »
    Aaah Saab, how I miss this Wonderful brand! Same goes for Lancia, Tracy’s car in OHMSS. Unique and stubborn style icons that have become so incredibly rare in today’s car industry.

    Lancia is still around, aren't they (in Italy at least)?

    They are, but only in Italy and only one model. So that’s basically over I’m afraid.

    Too bad. One of those interesting car brands you don't see that often. Think I saw a Lancia earlier this summer. Could have been an Italian visiting Norway.
  • GoldenGunGoldenGun Per ora e per il momento che verrà
    Posts: 7,158
    Torgeirtrap wrote: »
    GoldenGun wrote: »
    Torgeirtrap wrote: »
    GoldenGun wrote: »
    Aaah Saab, how I miss this Wonderful brand! Same goes for Lancia, Tracy’s car in OHMSS. Unique and stubborn style icons that have become so incredibly rare in today’s car industry.

    Lancia is still around, aren't they (in Italy at least)?

    They are, but only in Italy and only one model. So that’s basically over I’m afraid.

    Too bad. One of those interesting car brands you don't see that often. Think I saw a Lancia earlier this summer. Could have been an Italian visiting Norway.

    Could also have been an older model ;)

    Glad Alfa is still around though :)
  • TorgeirtrapTorgeirtrap
    edited August 2018 Posts: 17,782
    GoldenGun wrote: »
    Torgeirtrap wrote: »
    GoldenGun wrote: »
    Torgeirtrap wrote: »
    GoldenGun wrote: »
    Aaah Saab, how I miss this Wonderful brand! Same goes for Lancia, Tracy’s car in OHMSS. Unique and stubborn style icons that have become so incredibly rare in today’s car industry.

    Lancia is still around, aren't they (in Italy at least)?

    They are, but only in Italy and only one model. So that’s basically over I’m afraid.

    Too bad. One of those interesting car brands you don't see that often. Think I saw a Lancia earlier this summer. Could have been an Italian visiting Norway.

    Could also have been an older model ;)

    Glad Alfa is still around though :)

    It definitely could have been an older model; I just noticed the car badge while driving. :-) Alfa sure has some good looking car models. Not that often you see Alfas where I live, but there's probably more of them further south in the country.
  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    Posts: 13,978
    Dragonpol wrote: »
    Today (3 August 2018) actually marks the 11th anniversary of the death of John Gardner, at the age of 80, in 2007.

    Without Mr Gardner there would be no Dragonpol or so much else. He is greatly missed, but never forgotten by this member and hopefully many others.

    11 years... damn, where'd the time go?

    @RichardTheBruce - I love the idea of The Silver Beast finding its way into a Bond film. Maybe one day, when a hardcore Bond nerd directs a Bond film, the ol' girl will get some screentime.
  • PropertyOfALadyPropertyOfALady Colders Federation CEO
    Posts: 3,675
    GoldenGun wrote: »
    Torgeirtrap wrote: »
    GoldenGun wrote: »
    Torgeirtrap wrote: »
    GoldenGun wrote: »
    Aaah Saab, how I miss this Wonderful brand! Same goes for Lancia, Tracy’s car in OHMSS. Unique and stubborn style icons that have become so incredibly rare in today’s car industry.

    Lancia is still around, aren't they (in Italy at least)?

    They are, but only in Italy and only one model. So that’s basically over I’m afraid.

    Too bad. One of those interesting car brands you don't see that often. Think I saw a Lancia earlier this summer. Could have been an Italian visiting Norway.

    Could also have been an older model ;)

    Glad Alfa is still around though :)

    You're not a petrol head if you haven't owned an Alfa.
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