Daniel Craig is the latest actor to portray the famous fictional British Secret Service agent, and he’s even set to return for a fifth and final James Bond film in the near future. The debate of who was the best Bond has been a divisive issue for decades amongst film fans. But no matter who your favourite Bond is, everyone can agree that there are always plenty of magnificent modern and classic cars on show, in each and every turn-out for the iconic character.
With this in mind we’re going to take a closer look at the more recent Bond films, to pick out some of those instantly recognisable cars. Here we’ve listed 5 of the very best from the current Daniel Craig era…
Aston Martin DB5
We know this is cheating a bit, as the timeless Aston Martin DB5 classic car was first driven by the original Bond, Sean Connery himself, in Goldfinger. However, it’s resurgence in Skyfall when Daniel Craig’s Bond revealed the DB5 hidden inside a secret garage, was truly an amazing goosebump moment.
The classic car deserves its place at the top of any Bond car lists. After appearing in six films, and being driven by three different Bonds, it can be argued that it was the character’s favourite car of all time. It’s had an array of gadgets over the years, from front wing machine guns to an arm-rest champagne cooler, but the DB5 on its own still remains a work of art.
Aston Martin DBS V12
Switching to a more modern classic car, the Aston Martin DBS V12 was the other model from the UK manufacturer to feature prominently with Craig’s Bond. The DBS V12 made an appearance in the first Daniel Craig Bond film, Casino Royale in 2006.
Thanks to a product placement deal with Ford, who were Aston Martin’s parent company at the time, the car was even carried immediately over to a climactic chase sequence in the opening of the next film, Quantum of Solace in 2008.
Jaguar XJ L
No one can argue that the Bond franchise is quintessentially British, which is why many globally recognised British brands, like Jaguar, keep popping up in the spy’s adventures. In 2012’s Skyfall, it was the sleek Jaguar XJ L.
Bond’s boss, M, is transported around London in her Jaguar XJ L company car. The luxurious looking sports sedan is perfectly suited for the head of MI6. Eventually even Bond himself takes the wheel to rescue M after a failed assassination attempt. The super cool J Jaguar XJ L is eventually dumped by 007, in exchange for the Aston Martin DB5 though, so you can’t really blame him.
Alfa Romeo 159
It’s not just Daniel Craig’s Bond that gets behind the wheel of some stylish motors, even the henchman frequently get a go. In Quantum of Solace, the Alfa Romeo 159 is seen in a spectacular high octane opening chase sequence.
007 is being pursued by two Alfa Romeo 159 sedans in a thrilling chase, which was filmed on the scenic roads around Lake Garda in Italy. The sequence was so high speed and risky that there was even a serious accident involving the Alfa Romeo’s. Thankfully the stunt drivers made a full recovery, but several Alfa’s ended up being completely destroyed.
Land Rover Defender
We’ve mentioned iconic British brands appearing in Bond, and of course this also includes Land Rover. There’s been a long line of Land Rover vehicles in 007’s adventures, and in 2015’s Spectre, it was the Land Rover Defender SVX concept.
The Defenders in Spectre needed to be menacing as they were being driven by members of the titular criminal organisation. An exhilarating chase sequences sees some Defenders race through the snow in the Austrian Alps, looking beefed up after being modified by Jaguar Land Rover’s Special Vehicle Operations Division. Thanks to bigger off-road tyres, increased body protection and some enhanced suspension, the vehicles could easily tackle the tough terrain.
