›

The best Bond car of the novels

thelivingroyalethelivingroyale
edited August 2014 in Literary 007 Posts: 12,837
I know we have a rank the Bond cars thread but I figured that the book cars deserved a seperate thread to the films. Anyway, what's your favourite Bond car from the books? Here's a quick list to remind you (sorry if I miss any)

4 1/2 litre supercharged Blower Bentley (CR, MR). Bond's personal car and apparently Fleming actually owned one too. No gadgets but Bond kept a revolver in the glove compartment. Bond apparently enjoyed working on it in his spare time

[img]http://silodrome.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Blower-Bentley-4½-Litre.jpg[/img]

Bentley Mark II Continental (MR, TB, OHMSS) Bond's replacement after the old Bentley was destroyed in Moonraker. Again his custom personal car, it was wrecked when he got it thanks to the previous owner ("some rich idiot") but he fixed it up. He upgraded the engine himself and even had a new body fitted, Fleming apparently wanted it to be like a coss between a Continental and a Ford Thunderbird (which again was a car he owned). Bond even added a sort of gadget, a supercharger which drastically increased the speed without damaging the engine, all he had to do was flick a switch on the dash.

http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.mi6-hq.com/sections/articles/images/literary_fleming_ca

Aston Martin DB Mark III (Goldfinger). Bond's first Aston and the first real spy car of the franchise. Given to him by MI6 this car had a number of gadgets including hidden compartments and a switch that changed the colour of the headlights. It also had reinforced steel bumpers.

aston-martin-db-mark-iii-04.jpg

My favourite is probably the Continental because I love how Bond customised it himself and it looks really classy. The Aston is cool although I think I'm spoilt by the film since the DB5 is better in pretty much every way. I also like the blower Bentley, I love the whole old fashioned racing car look and I like how it was Bond's personal car that he had for years.

So which is your favourite? Feel free to list cars from the continuation books if you want (I haven't read them which is why none are here)

Comments

  • thelivingroyalethelivingroyale
    Posts: 12,837
    How come half my post is missing? I also wrote about the GF Aston and I talked about which is my favourite but none of that seems to have posted.
  • Villiers53Villiers53
    Posts: 802
    Great post @thelivingroyale.
    Love the original Bentley and actually saw it parked in London's Berkley Square last year. Not sure Fleming actually owned it (he may have done) but he certainly posed in it for life magazine.
    As for the best in the books, I have a strange selection:
    1) Blower Bentley.
    2) Saab 900 turbo (great car, amazingly described and equipped for Bond by Gardner). The
    Saab is an absolutely stonking car to drive and now that Saab are out of business this model
    is already on the way to becoming a classic!
    3).Aston Martin DB111 (actually a much better looking car than the DB5 of the movies).
    The worst choice for the books was the Jensen Interceptor chosen by Boyd for SOLO. Not only was it an absolutely appalling car at the time (reliability zero) it also had the reputation as the vehicle of choice for those without taste. No wonder Jezzer Clarkson likes it!
    I asked Boyd why he chose it at the launch evening and he told me he always loved that car and that he drove one back in the '60s. It later transpired that Mr.Boyd doesn't actually drive!
    Choice of car was as good as the book!
  • Cameron_MottCameron_Mott
    Posts: 53
    See if you agree that this is mostly likely what Fleming was actually describing as Bond's Blower Bentley.

    mi6community.com/index.php?p=/discussion/8437/1931-4-5-litre-blower-bentley#latest


  • MurdockMurdock The minus world
    Posts: 16,351
    I really like the DB3.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 18,281
    The first Bentley is my personal favourite.
  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    Posts: 13,978
    I liked the Saab 900 Turbo aka 'The Silver Beast', from the first 3 Gardner books.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 18,281
    MajorDSmythe wrote: »
    I liked the Saab 900 Turbo aka 'The Silver Beast', from the first 3 Gardner books.

    That's another good one too, Major!
  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    Posts: 13,978
    Saab_900_Cutout.png

    I'm all for The Silver Beast being more recognised as a Bond car.
  • GerardGerard
    Posts: 5,994
    They forgot the head-up display (another thing from the Garner books that made an appearance afterwards in a Bond movie. TLD, to be precise).
  • Villiers53Villiers53
    Posts: 802
    MajorDSmythe wrote: »
    Saab_900_Cutout.png

    I'm all for The Silver Beast being more recognised as a Bond car.

    Not only was this a great car (I've driven one on more than one occasion and even 36 years after launch, they are still a hell of a machine), it was a great choice for Bond and I really loved the thought Gardner put into his reboot. He wanted a real driver's car that whilst not been ostentatious, oozed quiet class. Of course, it wasn't British but if you were around and driving at the time, you would know that the Brit's had little to offer.

Sign In or Register to comment.