Top 007 Cars
Cars.com asked Bond experts to look back on the cars in 007's long history and give their thoughts on the best of Bond's wheels. They were bound by a few rules: The cars had to be outfitted with some kind of MI6 gadget, Bond had to be behind the wheel at some point, and the car needed to make more than a passing appearance in the film. Here are their picks, including a couple that slip past the rules.
No. 1: 1964 Aston Martin DB5
Movie: "Goldfinger," 1965
Why? Both agreed that nothing tops this Aston Martin. "The DB5 launched the era of space-aged gadgets that would become a hallmark of the series," Pfeiffer says, "much to the chagrin of Sean Connery, who felt the character of Bond was now overshadowed by the hardware." Dempsey concurs: "Cars have loomed large in films and TV for years, but none have had the panache of the car introduced by M in 'Goldfinger.' It had the audacious passenger ejection seat, oil slick dispenser, machine guns, a bulletproof rear barrier, tire slashing hubcaps and revolving license plates. I think it appealed to every male, from teenager to retiree."
No. 2: 1975 Lotus Esprit
Movie: "The Spy Who Loved Me," 1977
Why? Another jointly praised effort. Dempsey calls it "a clever product from Q's laboratory. Not only a car that looked fast standing still, it converted to a submarine capable of laying underwater mines and firing lethal antiaircraft missiles." Kind of beats electronic stability control, eh? Pfeiffer notes that producers needed quite a few Esprits to make the movie. "Six cars were used to achieve these effects, as well as miniature models
