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James Bond's Cars (Part 1)
James Bond has driven a number of cars over the years, and whilst some of them fade into obscurity or fail to ignite the imagination many stick in the collective consciousness of the moviegoing public and have become iconic classics thanks to appearing in a Bond film. For obvious reasons many of the more prominent vehicles feature a number of special after-market modifications from Q branch that move them from being regular vehicles to something very special indeed. This is our own personal examination of these "custom" Bond cars and why they mean so much to Bond fans everywhere.Aston Martin, the Early YearsInitially James Bond was a proud Bentley driver, however none of these vehicles had any gadgets so to speak and henceforth are simply modes of transportation. It was not until Aston Martin vehicles were used that the classic British sports car became a household name, to this day Aston Martin has a close association with the Bond franchise and they continue to supply his cars. The Aston Martin DB5 first appeared in Goldfinger (1963) (contrary to the novel where a DB III was called for) however at the time the film adaptation was being planned the newer DB5 was the most prestigious vehicle that Aston Martin developed so the producers decided to use that instead. The actual vehicle used in the filming of Goldfinger was heavily modified by a team of engineers and many of the gadgets actually worked, or simulated working in this pre-computer age when all props had to function correctly.The machine guns mounted behind the headlights were sparked by an electric motor that ignited drops of acetylene, and smoke canisters direct from the British Army were fired from the exhaust to simulate a rear firing smoke screen. The license plate rotated at the flick of a switch and came with plates for the UK, France and Switzerland as standard. For one scene a whole ejection seat assembly was installed in this most famous of Bond cars, it was capable of launching a dummy ten meters into the air and had to be operated with the utmost of caution. So meticulous was the work of the team who modified the Aston Martin DB5 that many hidden features were included even though they were never seen on camera, these include various compartments with their own replica guns, grenades and knives. It was this Goldfinger Aston Martin DB5 that made the brand a household name and it was (and to some extent still is) the best publicity the company has ever received.The Aston Martin DB5 was used in the next film, Thunderball (1965), although the gadgets did not feature as heavily in the narrative. In fact the Aston Martin DB5 has become so closely associated with James Bond and is seen by so many as his own car that it has featured as a "cameo" vehicle in many old Bond films, from GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, and Casino Royale (2006). In the first two of these films it is implied that it is Bond's own personal vehicle and as such is often used when he is not working, however the rebooted Casino Royale features him winning it in a bet.Lotus, Full of GadgetsIn a surprise move the next major iconic vehicle chosen to represent the James Bond franchise was the Lotus Esprit that first feature in 1977's The Spy Who Loved Me. Lotus fought long and hard for the right to have their new vehicle appear in the Bond franchise and feature as his car, fortunately the production team fell in love with the Esprit and saw it as a modern design that would help modernise the film and make it feel more relevant and less dated to a current audience. The deal was struck and Lotus delivered two street legal production Esprit's to be used by James Bond, and six bodyshells to be sealed and modified for underwater use.And thus begins one of the greatest prop designers nightmares in cinema; turning a car into a submarine. In order to achieve all of the shots required the designers worked with Lotus to split the required functions of the fictional car-submarine across a number of mock-ups rather than attempting to cram them all onto one working vehicle. The initial shots of the Esprit entering the water were accomplished by propelling the vehicle with compressed air and steering it with remote control. For the transformation scene under water a full sized model was painstakingly created that worked exactly as seen on screen. Another car was equipped with a "live" missile launcher that could fire upwards, and (believe it or not) the scenes of the vehicle moving about underwater were filmed with a full size vehicle. Inside a dive would operate a number of small battery powered motors giving the submarine Lotus Esprit an underwater speed of about ten knots.The Lotus Esprit Turbo appears in For Your Eyes Only in 1981. Fans of the previous breathtaking white Lotus Esprit were dismayed to see its destruction relatively early on in the film, but it is quickly replaced by the Turbo version that is finished in a stunning metallic copper scheme. Even though the vehicle is only seen again in a few short scenes it cemented its reputation as a firm fan favourite amongst the many cars that Bond drives, however sadly this would mark the end of Lotus' participation in the Bond franchise.Continued in Part 2...
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