Bond needs to drive a British car. The BMW debacle of the Brosnan era should teach us a thing or two. I love the new Aston Martin DBS.
Failing that, though, a Jaguar XKR would be very nice.
A Jaguar would be great. I just love the new XKR. The old XKR always was an absolutely beautiful car, and the new one is even more gorgeous. Not to mention it's British! Although the old XKR was once a villain's car, I think it would do just fine as Bond's car, especially with the new design to distinguish it from the old one.
Bill Tanner"Spending the money quickly" iPosts: 261MI6 Agent
This is becoming an interesting situation (at least, for those who care about such things), as Ford signed a 3 picture agreement to supply vehicles starting with DAD. Trouble is, Ford no longer owns Aston Martin (though they have retained £40m in shares) and might no longer be so keen to promote the marque.
That leaves Jaguar, Volvo and LandRover as the premium brands in Ford's portfolio. Jaguars, however worthy in their own right, always seem like the budget alternative to the real-deal Aston, and by the time of Bond 22's release Ford are likely to have agreed the sale of Volvo and Jaguar. Bond in a LandRover? Don't see why not - there are plenty of scenarios where he could be seen to drive such a vehicle.
Of course, there's no real need for there to be a 'hero vehicle' at all; since 1995's Goldeneye the dominance of product placement has enforced an artificial plot constraint where Bond has to have the latest this or that... yet Connery, Moore, and Dalton seemed to get along pretty well in those films where a vehicle wasn't required by the plot. At least in CR the cars fitted in with the natural flow of the story: the DB5 worked in its role as gambling proceeds (though a little contrived), the rented Mondeo was a natural fit, the RangeRover looked right in the club carpark scene, and the DBS was spot-on as the wheels of a wealthy playboy (if we ignore the fact that it wasn't yet in production). It was on local plates too; poor old Brosnan-Bond might as well have had a neon sign on his head as he arrived in Azerbaijan (and wherever that GE airstrip was supposed to be) in his British-registered BMW roadsters. Trying to stay out of site in a Z8 on Zukovsky's caviar pier(?) would have taxed even 007's undercover skills. It's hardly surprising the poor lad had to resort to invisibility by the time of DAD.
Will we be allowed a break from the Bond Car? Probably not. How about a nod to Connery's DAF: in an American setting Bond could be back behind the wheel of a rented Mustang. There's even a green Bullitt special edition coming out soon... then the comparisons between Craig and McQueen would be complete.
But if it must be Q-branch-supplied vehicle, then what? VW-owned Bentleys, Audis or Lamborghinis seem unlikely (unless they put in a rival bid and buy-out Ford's sponsorship), as do Fiat-owned Ferraris and BMW-owned Rolls Royces.
It's possible that EON will forge their own path independent of the main supplier, as they did in Goldeneye, buying their own fleet of DB5s and Ferrari 355s, but as this did far more for Aston than it did for BMW the trick was mostly banished from TND, despite other scenes already having been filmed.
My bet would be an mutually beneficial arrangement for Craig to be back behind the wheel of an Aston, though what model that might be is open to even more speculation: all Aston currently have waiting in the wings is the 4-door Rapide (is Bond about to start a family?) and the 'less-exciting than CR' production version of the DBS. Another top secret new model, or back behind the wheel of the trusty rusty DB5?
I also love the Jag.Its taken over the Aston as far as I'm concerned. It is an absolutely beautiful car .... its on my shopping list for my lottery numbers come up
I wouldn't be upset if James Bond was driving one.
I actually liked the way they worked the DB5 into Bond's hands in CR.
I, for one, am seriously over the idea of giving Bond flashy sports cars for undercover endeavors. I think the 7-series BMW in TND was the best of the Brosnan-era HQ-issued cars, and not because of the gadgets - it was low-key enough to be an undercover ride. I groaned when the Z3 popped up in Cuba and the Z8 in Russia was just ridiculous. Until it showed up, the Lotus Esprit took the cake for idiocy in 'undercover' cars.
If Bond is given a hundred-thousand-pound-plus car, there needs to be a good reason. Posturing as the sort of man who enters a poker game where millions are at stake is a good reason. Driving it to sneak a peek at the caviar factory is not.
If we're stuck with Ford subsidiaries, then I recommend that Volvo slaps together an update of the Volvo p1800 for the new century!
All current model Volvos are yuppie cars, Fords don't exactly exhibit class, and to me, Jaguars... just don't seem very James Bond to me. I can't really explain that.
I actually wouldn't mind seeing a Land Rover, though. They're practical and fairly luxurious without being over the top.
The Z3 was on US plates rather than UK ones, although I'm not sure that would have gone down any better in Cuba than British ones..!
Bill Tanner"Spending the money quickly" iPosts: 261MI6 Agent
Stop press: according to this month's EVO magazine, the 4-door Aston Rapide is due for launch in late 2009, but AM are now working on the DBX, the flagship Vanquish replacement.
Anyone care to put money on the chances of the prototype making an appearance in B22?
NightshooterIn bed with SolitairePosts: 2,917MI6 Agent
I'd be fine with Bond driving a plain-jane DB9... still the most beautiful of the current crop of Astons.
And Sly Fox, were you comparing the new XKR to the original XKE? I certainly hope not...
I, for one, am seriously over the idea of giving Bond flashy sports cars for undercover endeavors. I think the 7-series BMW in TND was the best of the Brosnan-era HQ-issued cars, and not because of the gadgets - it was low-key enough to be an undercover ride.
{[]
It was not at all unusual for a banker working in Germany to be driving a BMW 750iL. It made perfect sense.
Bond 22 should strive to do the same: don't worry about what exactly it is, necessarily. It must fit and compliment the plot more than anything.
jamesfan
Posts: 56MI6 Agent
Comments
Failing that, though, a Jaguar XKR would be very nice.
http://www.caranddriver.com/roadtests/12028/2007-jaguar-xkr.html
That leaves Jaguar, Volvo and LandRover as the premium brands in Ford's portfolio. Jaguars, however worthy in their own right, always seem like the budget alternative to the real-deal Aston, and by the time of Bond 22's release Ford are likely to have agreed the sale of Volvo and Jaguar. Bond in a LandRover? Don't see why not - there are plenty of scenarios where he could be seen to drive such a vehicle.
Of course, there's no real need for there to be a 'hero vehicle' at all; since 1995's Goldeneye the dominance of product placement has enforced an artificial plot constraint where Bond has to have the latest this or that... yet Connery, Moore, and Dalton seemed to get along pretty well in those films where a vehicle wasn't required by the plot. At least in CR the cars fitted in with the natural flow of the story: the DB5 worked in its role as gambling proceeds (though a little contrived), the rented Mondeo was a natural fit, the RangeRover looked right in the club carpark scene, and the DBS was spot-on as the wheels of a wealthy playboy (if we ignore the fact that it wasn't yet in production). It was on local plates too; poor old Brosnan-Bond might as well have had a neon sign on his head as he arrived in Azerbaijan (and wherever that GE airstrip was supposed to be) in his British-registered BMW roadsters. Trying to stay out of site in a Z8 on Zukovsky's caviar pier(?) would have taxed even 007's undercover skills. It's hardly surprising the poor lad had to resort to invisibility by the time of DAD.
Will we be allowed a break from the Bond Car? Probably not. How about a nod to Connery's DAF: in an American setting Bond could be back behind the wheel of a rented Mustang. There's even a green Bullitt special edition coming out soon... then the comparisons between Craig and McQueen would be complete.
But if it must be Q-branch-supplied vehicle, then what? VW-owned Bentleys, Audis or Lamborghinis seem unlikely (unless they put in a rival bid and buy-out Ford's sponsorship), as do Fiat-owned Ferraris and BMW-owned Rolls Royces.
It's possible that EON will forge their own path independent of the main supplier, as they did in Goldeneye, buying their own fleet of DB5s and Ferrari 355s, but as this did far more for Aston than it did for BMW the trick was mostly banished from TND, despite other scenes already having been filmed.
My bet would be an mutually beneficial arrangement for Craig to be back behind the wheel of an Aston, though what model that might be is open to even more speculation: all Aston currently have waiting in the wings is the 4-door Rapide (is Bond about to start a family?) and the 'less-exciting than CR' production version of the DBS. Another top secret new model, or back behind the wheel of the trusty rusty DB5?
I wouldn't be upset if James Bond was driving one.
I actually liked the way they worked the DB5 into Bond's hands in CR.
I, for one, am seriously over the idea of giving Bond flashy sports cars for undercover endeavors. I think the 7-series BMW in TND was the best of the Brosnan-era HQ-issued cars, and not because of the gadgets - it was low-key enough to be an undercover ride. I groaned when the Z3 popped up in Cuba and the Z8 in Russia was just ridiculous. Until it showed up, the Lotus Esprit took the cake for idiocy in 'undercover' cars.
If Bond is given a hundred-thousand-pound-plus car, there needs to be a good reason. Posturing as the sort of man who enters a poker game where millions are at stake is a good reason. Driving it to sneak a peek at the caviar factory is not.
If we're stuck with Ford subsidiaries, then I recommend that Volvo slaps together an update of the Volvo p1800 for the new century!
All current model Volvos are yuppie cars, Fords don't exactly exhibit class, and to me, Jaguars... just don't seem very James Bond to me. I can't really explain that.
I actually wouldn't mind seeing a Land Rover, though. They're practical and fairly luxurious without being over the top.
Anyone care to put money on the chances of the prototype making an appearance in B22?
And Sly Fox, were you comparing the new XKR to the original XKE? I certainly hope not...
{[]
It was not at all unusual for a banker working in Germany to be driving a BMW 750iL. It made perfect sense.
Bond 22 should strive to do the same: don't worry about what exactly it is, necessarily. It must fit and compliment the plot more than anything.