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The vehicles of Bond 25. Should 007 go back behind the wheel of a BMW ? or stick with Aston Martin ?

Gareth007Gareth007 UK
in No Time To Die Posts: 416
What vehicle should 007 drive in Bond 25. Should he remain with his trusty Aston Martin, or go with something entirely different ?
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Comments

  • BMW_with_missilesBMW_with_missiles All the usual refinements.
    Posts: 3,000
    Honestly I’m disappointed with the lineup of both automakers currently. BMW’s modern styling is just obnoxious on many of their cars (especially the ghastly 7 series), and the direction Aston is headed with the new Vantage is concerning as well. The Vanquish and the DB11 appear to retain more of Aston’s older styling language, so I’d be happy to see Bond in either of those. As much as I’m opposed to Bond going electric, the Rapide E at least looks like a proper Aston, unlike the jawless, Mazda-esque Vantage.
  • RichardTheBruceRichardTheBruce I'm motivated by my Duty.
    edited March 2019 Posts: 13,803
    BMW past and present makes sense as a rental car for Bond. Has its place but it's no Aston Martin.
  • QBranchQBranch Always have an escape plan. Mine is watching James Bond films.
    Posts: 14,582
    Didn't have a problem with BMW, but it should remain a staple of the Brosnan films. I'm surprised I'm in the minority when I say I'm sick of seeing Astons in every consecutive Bond film. If you include the thermal shot at the end of TWINE, that would be an Aston seen in every single Bond film since GE! There's more to Bond vehicles than that, not to mention their designs peaked with the DBS from CR/QOS. The Aston is becoming another character in the films - soon there will be no need for a Bond girl when his car can just be the sidekick, and in the end credits we shall be informed that "ASTON MARTIN WILL RETURN"...

    Doesn't bother me if he drives electric, but how about a film like Moonraker where he pilots pretty much everything, except for his own car?

    Moot thoughts anyway, as it was already confirmed last October that we'll see a new Aston in B25, plus EON has too tight a partnership with AML to see Bond to go back to BMW or another brand as his main car.

    Other vehicles bound to make an appearance in B25 would be Jaguar/Land Rover.
  • j_w_pepperj_w_pepper Born on the bayou, but I now hear a new dog barkin'
    edited March 2019 Posts: 9,037
    The only BMW that ever made some sort of sense for Bond was the 7 series in TND. A classic sedan that unobtrusively fits right in with overall traffic in an affluent city where flashy sports cars are mostly driven by 20-some year olds with "migration background", whatever it's worth, and are more or less sneered at by the general populace and carefully watched by the police.

    The Z3 was a waste, apart from being a pure "chick car" when it came out, with an anemic initial engine. And why would it be provided to Bond in the Caribbean only to be exchanged for a Cessna (or whatever it was) after about two minutes? Gadgets ("Stinger missiles") are only mentioned but never shown, let alone used, so it's clear this is merely a PR display for the then-new Z3.

    As a car, the Z8 was quite a different story, but nevertheless probably the most impractical car to have if one needs to drive across Azerbaidjani oilfields. Then of course, a Vanquish for use in Iceland is just as idiotic. In both cases, Bond should have had a car with serious off-road capabilities instead of a sports job with a lowered suspension.

    And @BMW_with_missiles, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I find the new Vantage probably the best-looking AM for a long time (and I also like the new Z4, although I would buy neither even if I could afford either). Then of course I find the "Mazda-esque" design to be the best thing coming out of Japan these days as well.
  • RogueAgentRogueAgent
    Posts: 12,526
    Aston Martin all day long!!!!
  • JamesCraigJamesCraig Ancient Rome
    Posts: 3,497
    j_w_pepper wrote: »
    The only BMW that ever made some sort of sense for Bond was the 7 series in TND. A classic sedan that unobtrusively fits right in with overall traffic in an affluent city where flashy sports cars are mostly driven by 20-some year olds with "migration background", whatever it's worth, and are more or less sneered at by the general populace and carefully watched by the police.

    The Z3 was a waste, apart from being a pure "chick car" when it came out, with an anemic initial engine. And why would it be provided to Bond in the Caribbean only to be exchanged for a Cessna (or whatever it was) after about two minutes? Gadgets ("Stinger missiles") are only mentioned but never shown, let alone used, so it's clear this is merely a PR display for the then-new Z3.

    As a car, the Z8 was quite a different story, but nevertheless probably the most impractical car to have if one needs to drive across Azerbaidjani oilfields. Then of course, a Vanquish for use in Iceland is just as idiotic. In both cases, Bond should have had a car with serious off-road capabilities instead of a sports job with a lowered suspension.

    And @BMW_with_missiles, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I find the new Vantage probably the best-looking AM for a long time (and I also like the new Z4, although I would buy neither even if I could afford either). Then of course I find the "Mazda-esque" design to be the best thing coming out of Japan these days as well.

    The Vantage looks great except for the grille. But it's ok when the car is completely black or gray.
  • j_w_pepperj_w_pepper Born on the bayou, but I now hear a new dog barkin'
    Posts: 9,037
    Much of it is simply a question of personal taste, and there is no accounting for taste. But just looking at the role the car in question plays in the context of the movie, I'd much prefer that it be a reasonable choice based on practical considerations...even if those are limited to the range of a single carmaker who happens to have spent a few millions for the chance to present its products. In other words, a BMW X5 would have been a more logical choice in TWINE than the Z8. Any stock sedan would have made more sense than the AM to travel around Iceland in DAD, but a Land Rover or Land Cruiser with balloon tyres /tires should have been a logical choice while AM didn't offer off-road verhicles. And so on. Product placement is ok in general but must remain credible in the context, which those choices of cars do not.
  • GetafixGetafix
    Posts: 11,425
    Bond should never be seen driving a BMW ever again IMO.

    But that doesn't mean he has to drive an Aston in every damn film.
  • JamesCraigJamesCraig Ancient Rome
    Posts: 3,497
    Getafix wrote: »
    Bond should never be seen driving a BMW ever again IMO.

    But that doesn't mean he has to drive an Aston in every damn film.
    A Ford Bronco.
  • RichardTheBruceRichardTheBruce I'm motivated by my Duty.
    Posts: 13,803
    So soon? Better make that II.
    1989 Ford Bronco II XLT
    1989 Ford Bronco II in Quantum of Solace, Movie, 2008 IMDB
    Class: Cars, Off-road / SUV — Model origin: US.png

    https://www.imcdb.org/vehicle.php?id=203070

    Same vehicle, with the shrunken gray T-shirt? Okay, maybe.

    HTB17f0bQXXXXXctXFXXq6xXFXXX7.jpg823c968c881386ac575ad37e37bd2e97--james-bond-james-darcy.jpg
    james-bond-007-car-collection-ford-bronco-ii-quantum-of-solace-issue-103

  • JamesSpectreJamesSpectre
    Posts: 164
    Outside brands like Ferrari, Bond probably looks good behind anything sporty, but I do prefer Aston.

    As far as BMW goes, two words: Ethan Hunt
  • BonSimonLeBon_1BonSimonLeBon_1
    Posts: 2,436
    Stick with Aston.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 18,275
    Neither car in my view. No, Bond instead needs to get behind the wheel of a Bentley again. It's long overdue!
  • zebrafishzebrafish <°)))< in Octopussy's garden in the shade
    Posts: 4,341
    Bond should not overdo it. To win a classic car during a poker game in a Casino setting is one thing, but to drive around in a DB5 nowadays attracts attention from all kinds of people. Not good for a secret agent.
  • Jordo007Jordo007 Merseyside
    Posts: 2,641
    James Bond and Aston Martin should be forever intertwined.
    Although as timeless and amazing as it is, I would give the DB5 a rest during the Craig era
  • j_w_pepperj_w_pepper Born on the bayou, but I now hear a new dog barkin'
    Posts: 9,037
    Jordo007 wrote: »
    James Bond and Aston Martin should be forever intertwined.
    Although as timeless and amazing as it is, I would give the DB5 a rest during the Craig era
    Well, yes, the DB5 doesn't make sense, especially since it is obviously not the one (LHD) car that Bond won from Dimitrios in CR. But then I remember distinctly that the audience was ecstatic when the old BMT216A was revealed in SKYFALL. That was a case of actual clapping ovations. So the audience loved it then. But it must not become a standard staple like the vodka martini and "Bond, James Bond".
  • Jordo007Jordo007 Merseyside
    Posts: 2,641
    j_w_pepper wrote: »
    Jordo007 wrote: »
    James Bond and Aston Martin should be forever intertwined.
    Although as timeless and amazing as it is, I would give the DB5 a rest during the Craig era
    Well, yes, the DB5 doesn't make sense, especially since it is obviously not the one (LHD) car that Bond won from Dimitrios in CR. But then I remember distinctly that the audience was ecstatic when the old BMT216A was revealed in SKYFALL. That was a case of actual clapping ovations. So the audience loved it then. But it must not become a standard staple like the vodka martini and "Bond, James Bond".

    Yep totally agree mate. I remember I went to see Skyfall with my dad and it was the loudest ovation of the film, one of my favourite moments. The only thing that got more of a reaction from the audience (which was laughing) was that great line,
    "Can you kill him, will you"
    "Well someone usually dies"
  • GetafixGetafix
    Posts: 11,425
    The fact the DB5 got the biggest ovation after featuring in 3 of the previous 6 films says a lot about the barrel scraping that went into the making of SF.
  • j_w_pepperj_w_pepper Born on the bayou, but I now hear a new dog barkin'
    Posts: 9,037
    Getafix wrote: »
    The fact the DB5 got the biggest ovation after featuring in 3 of the previous 6 films says a lot about the barrel scraping that went into the making of SF.
    THAT particular DB5 was in none of the movies preceding SKYFALL. This was BMT216A (or at least meant to represent it), basically the original car, with all the usual refinements, that appeared in Goldfinger and Thunderball.

    The one in GE and TND (shown parked only in the latter), and you may include the satellite image in TWINE, was BMT214A. Close, but no cigar, and no indication of ejector seat, rotating licence plates, oil cannons, anti-bullet shields and the like.

    The one in CR initially owned by Dimitrios I refuse to include at all, in spite of it being a DB5. It has obviously nothing to do with the classical "Bond" DB5s, but is a *left-hand drive* specimen with a Bahamas(?) registration and also none of the gadgets. It would be preposterous to assume that Q branch would convert that particular car to right-hand drive, with ejector seat etc., and equip it with a 1963 British registration plate. For what reason, in post-2006? Nonsense. Different car, further fate unknown.

    In other words, the DB5 in SF and later is the only specimen claiming to be the same as the unique and classical DB5 from the early Bond films, ejector seat button and all. Which is why people in the cinema went definitly crazy about it, for what it's worth.

    And just for the record, SKYFALL still remains the best Bond film since FRWL for me. The reappearance of BMT216A had its share in this assessment.
  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    edited May 2019 Posts: 13,978
    I'd be ok with Bond taking a break from Aston, it'll make the inevitable return all the more special. But i'm especially sick seeing of the DB5. I can't say that I have ever found it to be a particularly attractive car to begin with. At least not when compared to it's Bond successor, the DBS. Just... get rid of it.
  • JamesSpectreJamesSpectre
    Posts: 164
    Jordo007 wrote: »
    j_w_pepper wrote: »
    Jordo007 wrote: »
    James Bond and Aston Martin should be forever intertwined.
    Although as timeless and amazing as it is, I would give the DB5 a rest during the Craig era
    Well, yes, the DB5 doesn't make sense, especially since it is obviously not the one (LHD) car that Bond won from Dimitrios in CR. But then I remember distinctly that the audience was ecstatic when the old BMT216A was revealed in SKYFALL. That was a case of actual clapping ovations. So the audience loved it then. But it must not become a standard staple like the vodka martini and "Bond, James Bond".

    Yep totally agree mate. I remember I went to see Skyfall with my dad and it was the loudest ovation of the film, one of my favourite moments. The only thing that got more of a reaction from the audience (which was laughing) was that great line,
    "Can you kill him, will you"
    "Well someone usually dies"

    Interesting. In my case, from what I remember, the audience responded best at that first scene with Silva when he's tied to the chair and in particular when he said "what makes you think it is my first time?"
  • GoldenGunGoldenGun Per ora e per il momento che verrà
    Posts: 7,131
    Aston Martin has always been the most Bondian car brand, but lately they’ve been chosing a more aggressive design over their traditional elegance.

    I think James Bond should always be elegant in every way including his choice of transport. So why not put him in an Alfa?
  • UnivexUnivex
    Posts: 6,709
    GoldenGun wrote: »
    Aston Martin has always been the most Bondian car brand, but lately they’ve been chosing a more aggressive design over their traditional elegance.

    I think James Bond should always be elegant in every way including his choice of transport. So why not put him in an Alfa?

    Hey, I'm an Alfista at heart. Always have been. And had a couple. Thing is, Bond must have a British brand. And AM has been having a brilliant production season, as far as I'm concerned, design and all. So I'm all for the Astons. Even the DB5, which for me is quintessential Bond and I never get tired of it.
  • zebrafishzebrafish <°)))< in Octopussy's garden in the shade
    Posts: 4,341
    The only Alfa that Bond should consider would be the 8C - what a car!

    Alfa-Romeo-8C.jpg
  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    Posts: 13,978
    Oh I don't know. The TZ-2 gets me weak at the knees.

    Technoclassica_%20_Alfa%20Romeo_1964_TZ-2_Coupe_%20_.JPG

    And though it was more unconventional looking, the SZ wasn't unattractive too:

    sz.jpg
  • GetafixGetafix
    edited May 2019 Posts: 11,425
    j_w_pepper wrote: »
    Getafix wrote: »
    The fact the DB5 got the biggest ovation after featuring in 3 of the previous 6 films says a lot about the barrel scraping that went into the making of SF.
    THAT particular DB5 was in none of the movies preceding SKYFALL. This was BMT216A (or at least meant to represent it), basically the original car, with all the usual refinements, that appeared in Goldfinger and Thunderball.

    The one in GE and TND (shown parked only in the latter), and you may include the satellite image in TWINE, was BMT214A. Close, but no cigar, and no indication of ejector seat, rotating licence plates, oil cannons, anti-bullet shields and the like.

    The one in CR initially owned by Dimitrios I refuse to include at all, in spite of it being a DB5. It has obviously nothing to do with the classical "Bond" DB5s, but is a *left-hand drive* specimen with a Bahamas(?) registration and also none of the gadgets. It would be preposterous to assume that Q branch would convert that particular car to right-hand drive, with ejector seat etc., and equip it with a 1963 British registration plate. For what reason, in post-2006? Nonsense. Different car, further fate unknown.

    In other words, the DB5 in SF and later is the only specimen claiming to be the same as the unique and classical DB5 from the early Bond films, ejector seat button and all. Which is why people in the cinema went definitly crazy about it, for what it's worth.

    And just for the record, SKYFALL still remains the best Bond film since FRWL for me. The reappearance of BMT216A had its share in this assessment.

    SF best since FRWL? That's crazy talk.

    Anyway regarding the DB5 I strongly doubt any casual viewer or even a lot of keen fans make the distinctions you do between various DB5s. For most people the DB5 is the DB5. Certainly as far as I was concerned the car in SF was the one he'd won in CR, regardless of left hand drive. Who actually notices that stuff unless pointed out by an obsessive such as yourself?

    The idea Bond wins the car at poker, disposes of it, buys a new one from somewhere else for his personal use all in timeframe seems a bit convoluted.
  • RichardTheBruceRichardTheBruce I'm motivated by my Duty.
    Posts: 13,803
    One rationalization for the Skyfall DB5 in Bond's storage is that one or both parents were in the business, in service with MI6. So it was a legacy representing something in use during the 60s and after then retired.

    Now explaining why it was stored with working machine guns and live ammunition gets even more complicated. Beyond being in a Bond film I mean.
  • GetafixGetafix
    Posts: 11,425
    The logic required just becomes more and more convoluted.

    He won it at cards. Its his. He stores it in a lock up in London Bridge.
  • GoldenGunGoldenGun Per ora e per il momento che verrà
    Posts: 7,131
    There is also this fabulous model, appropiately called the Disco Volante:

    https://www.redbubble.com/people/ricoliu/works/24988510-alfa-romeo-disco-volante-spyder-by-touring?p=canvas-print

    I agree that Bond should always return to Aston, but some variation is never bad. I like that Rog had his Lotuses and Pierce had some BMW’s. Furthermore, I disagree Bond’s tastes should be solely British for he has proven along the line he might be British but he is definitely a Brit who appreciates the finer continental products as well. Like someone renowned for excellent taste would.
  • Agent7FAgent7F
    edited May 2019 Posts: 825
    In my option no way. British Icon for James Bond. If not an Aston Martin Lotus, Rolls Royce coupe Bentley or Jaguar. Maybe if he bring back Jensen or Rover back to life. But not not British icons.
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