The most famous James Bond car is the Aston Martin DB5, first seen in “Goldfinger” (1964) with its ejector seat, machine guns and revolving number plates. Other iconic 007 cars include the white Lotus Esprit that turned into a submarine in “The Spy Who Loved Me” (1977), the Toyota 2000GT in “You Only Live Twice” (1967) and the BMW Z3, 750iL and Z8 of the Pierce Brosnan era. Here is a guide to the key Bond cars, film by film.
In this article
Famous Bond Cars at a Glance
| Car | Film (year) | Bond actor |
|---|---|---|
| Sunbeam Alpine | Dr. No (1962) | Sean Connery |
| Aston Martin DB5 | Goldfinger (1964) | Sean Connery |
| Toyota 2000GT convertible | You Only Live Twice (1967) | Sean Connery |
| Aston Martin DBS | On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969) | George Lazenby |
| Ford Mustang Mach 1 | Diamonds Are Forever (1971) | Sean Connery |
| AMC Hornet | The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) | Roger Moore |
| Lotus Esprit S1 (“Wet Nellie”) | The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) | Roger Moore |
| Citroën 2CV | For Your Eyes Only (1981) | Roger Moore |
| Aston Martin V8 Vantage | The Living Daylights (1987) | Timothy Dalton |
| BMW Z3 | GoldenEye (1995) | Pierce Brosnan |
| BMW 750iL | Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) | Pierce Brosnan |
| BMW Z8 | The World Is Not Enough (1999) | Pierce Brosnan |
| Aston Martin V12 Vanquish | Die Another Day (2002) | Pierce Brosnan |
| Aston Martin DBS V12 | Casino Royale (2006) | Daniel Craig |
| Aston Martin DB10 | Spectre (2015) | Daniel Craig |
| Aston Martin DB5, V8, DBS Superleggera, Valhalla | No Time to Die (2021) | Daniel Craig |
The Aston Martin DB5: The Ultimate Bond Car
In “Goldfinger,” Q fits Bond’s silver birch DB5 with gadgets that made it the most famous movie car in the world: front machine guns, an ejector seat, a bulletproof rear shield, revolving number plates, oil slick sprayers and tire-shredding wheel spikes. The DB5 returned in “Thunderball,” “GoldenEye,” “Casino Royale,” “Skyfall,” “Spectre” and “No Time to Die,” making it the car most linked with 007.
The Connery and Lazenby Era
Sunbeam Alpine (Dr. No)
Bond’s first car on screen was a light blue Sunbeam Alpine roadster, used in a chase in Jamaica.
Toyota 2000GT (You Only Live Twice)
Two open-top 2000GTs were specially made for the film, partly because Sean Connery was too tall for the coupe. It was driven by Bond’s ally Aki rather than Bond himself.
Aston Martin DBS (On Her Majesty’s Secret Service)
George Lazenby’s only Bond film featured the then-new DBS, later the setting of the film’s tragic ending.
The Roger Moore Era
AMC Hornet (The Man with the Golden Gun)
Famous for a real 360-degree corkscrew jump over a broken bridge, performed in one take by a stunt driver.
Lotus Esprit S1 (The Spy Who Loved Me)
The white Lotus drives off a pier and transforms into a submarine with fins and missiles. The underwater prop car, nicknamed “Wet Nellie,” was later bought at auction by Elon Musk in 2013.
Citroën 2CV (For Your Eyes Only)
After his Lotus is destroyed, Bond escapes in Melina’s little yellow 2CV, one of the series’ funniest chases.
Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan
“The Living Daylights” gave Dalton an Aston Martin V8 with skis, lasers and missiles. In the Brosnan era, a product placement deal brought BMWs: the Z3 roadster in “GoldenEye,” the remote-controlled 750iL in “Tomorrow Never Dies” and the Z8 in “The World Is Not Enough,” which is sliced in half by a helicopter saw. Aston Martin returned with the invisible V12 Vanquish in “Die Another Day.”
The Daniel Craig Era
- Casino Royale (2006): the Aston Martin DBS V12 performs a record-setting barrel roll crash, plus a classic DB5 won in a card game.
- Quantum of Solace (2008): the DBS returns in an opening chase around Lake Garda.
- Skyfall (2012): the DB5 comes out of storage for the finale in Scotland.
- Spectre (2015): the DB10 was built specially for the film.
- No Time to Die (2021): the DB5 fires mini-guns in Matera, Italy, alongside the V8 Vantage, DBS Superleggera and Valhalla.
Bond Car Gadgets Hall of Fame
- Ejector seat (DB5, Goldfinger)
- Submarine mode and missiles (Lotus Esprit, The Spy Who Loved Me)
- Remote control via a phone (BMW 750iL, Tomorrow Never Dies)
- Adaptive camouflage invisibility (V12 Vanquish, Die Another Day)
- Rear flamethrower (DB10, Spectre)
Frequently Asked Questions
What car is most associated with James Bond?
The Aston Martin DB5, first used in “Goldfinger” (1964) and seen in many later films.
What car did Bond drive in GoldenEye?
Bond drove a BMW Z3 roadster and also an Aston Martin DB5 in a race against Xenia Onatopp.
Which Bond car turned into a submarine?
The white Lotus Esprit S1 in “The Spy Who Loved Me” (1977).
The Bottom Line
From the gadget-packed Aston Martin DB5 to the submarine Lotus and the BMWs of the 1990s, Bond cars are as famous as the spy himself. Start a 007 marathon with “Goldfinger” and see how the cars evolved. For more movie guides, visit The Urban Splatter.
