James Bond 007 Likes His Rides Neither Shaken nor Stirred
Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig all have one thing in common: posing with hot... cars. No matter what the time period, a sporty car is a necessity for James Bond. The Aston Martin may be the enduring ride of choice, but every James Bond has to put his own personal stamp on his vehicle of choice.
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Sean Connery having a bit of fun. |
Herewith, each James Bond 007 posing with his Aston Martin or other ride of choice.
Sean Connery
Sean Connery established the classic prototype Aston Martin as the spy vehicle of choice. Ironically, perhaps, Sean Connery's most famous driving sequence as James Bond 007 was in Dr. No. He drove a Sunbeam Alpine, a distinctly low-rent sports car, because that's the only one the producers could find in Jamaica, where the sequence was shot.
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Sean Connery looking very satisfied with his ride in "Goldfinger" |
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Sean Connery driving his Sunbeam Alpine. |
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Sean Connery posing for "Dr. No." |
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Sean Connery in You Only Live Twice |
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Sean Connery posing for "Never Say Never Again." |
George Lazenby
George Lazenby was the most deprived James Bond, car-wise. He spent most of the film isolated on a remote mountain-top ski lodge accessible by helicopter. When he finally did get to drive off into the sunset - well, it didn't turn out so well.
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George Lazenby and Mrs. James Bond |
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George Lazenby and Diana Rigg in a carriage. |
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George Lazenby in the best scene of his career |
Roger Moore
Roger Moore gets the prize for best and most varied rides. He may never have driven an Aston Martin as James Bond 007, but he drove just about everything else.
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Roger Moore wryly breaks the fourth wall whilst driving in "For Your Eyes" Only" (1981). |
The true co-star in a James Bond film starring Roger Moore never was the bad guy, the bad guy's henchman or a Bond girl - it was James Bond's Lotus or a trick car that wound up at the bottom of a swimming pool or sawed in half (but still, of course, driveable!).
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Roger Moore looking proud of his Lotus. |
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Roger Moore on his funky-colored ride. |
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The 1970s were the age of trick cars for James Bond. |
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Roger Moore kicking the bad guy to the curb. |
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Roger Moore letting someone else drive for a change |
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Roger Moore as the "white guy in Harlem" in "Live and Let Die." |
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Roger Moore with a pretty girl, Barbara Bach, and his Lotus. |
Timothy Dalton
Timothy Dalton didn't really do much splashy stuff in his cars. He gravitated toward jeeps and other funky vehicles that were useful for the moment. No James Bond, though, looked better standing next to his ride in a black tuxedo than Timothy Dalton.
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Timothy Dalton and his classic good looks as James Bond. |
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Timothy Dalton rocking a trench coat with his ride. |
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Timothy Dalton with Maryam D'abo. |
Pierce Brosnan
Pierce Brosnan eschewed the black tuxedo look for a more businessman like attire. He also went for expensive, sleek cars of the '90s rather than the classical look. The result was that, handsome as he was, he wound up looking more like a suburban lawyer driving to the office than the world's greatest spy.
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Pierce Brosnan with the car every junior executive wanted. |
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Pierce Brosnan looking cool and collected with his ride. |
Pierce did have one ride that none of the other Bonds did.
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Pierce takes off in his tank. |
Pierce drives a Soviet T-55 tank through the city streets of St. Petersburg in "Goldeneye" (1995). Yes, the Soviets were gone by 1995, but they built it.
Daniel Craig
Daniel Craig abuses his cars more than any other James Bond. However, with so many changes taking place within the series during his tenure as James Bond - a more muscular style, fewer seductions and martinis, more fistfights - he returns to the classic Sean Connery-era Aston Martin for the symbolism.
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Daniel Craig may be humorless, but he has a nice car. |
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Daniel Craig driving a motorcycle |
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Daniel Craig abusing an Aston Martin. |
In fact, Daniel Craig is so tough, he doesn't need no stinkin' cars!
2017
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