There’s no arguing that the Bond franchise of films is one of the most instantly recognisable. That mix of suave, sophistication and gadgetry has traditionally made for some of the best viewing experiences over several generations. A vital part of the Bond films though has been the cars that 007 has driven and there’s certainly been an interesting mix. But, is it really his cars that define the enigmatic secret agent?

Aston Martin Near Ever-Present

Arguably the most popular vehicle over the entire Bond saga has been his Aston Martin DB5 that has been featured in no less than six movies – Goldfinger, Thunderball, Goldeneye, Tomorrow Never Dies, Casino Royale and Skyfall. The car played its most prominent role in Goldfinger which led the DB5 to become the stuff of film legend. Despite the fact that Ian Fleming had originally placed 007 in a DB Mark III in the original Goldfinger novel, the DB5 was Aston Martin’s newest model at the time. 

Intriguingly, if the firm hadn’t agreed to the product placement deal, then it may well have been the case that the infamous connection between Bond and Aston Martin may never have taken place. In the first Bond novel, Casino Royale, there were no Aston Martins mentioned at all; Bond drove around in a 1931 4.5 litre Bentley Blower, a car Ettore Bugatti allegedly once described as the “fastest lorry in the world.” The original Bond was a car lover and his Blower Bentley “his only personal hobby”.

Bond Wasn’t Always Loyal

Even with the long-term love affair that Bond has had with Aston Martin, there have been times when his car choices have gone off the beaten track considerably. Pierce Brosnan’s early run of films, apart from in the opening section of Goldeneye, featured no Aston Martins, and instead allowed Bond to make use of a whole selection of BMWs. These ranged from the super sleek Z8 to the infamous 750iL chase around a car park. However, there is one instance where the deal with BMW can’t help but be seen as rather pointless.

Whilst Brosnan’s debut in Goldeneye produced one of the best Bond movies to date, the impact of the car was pretty lacklustre. When Q introduces the Z3 to 007, he mentions stringer missiles and an ejector seat amongst its arsenal of gadgets, which saw fans rubbing their hands to see what Bond and the car would get up to later in the film. However, the inclusion of the Z3 was never to live up to the original expectations set out earlier on in the movie. It became more a point of product placement. Firstly, it features in a couple of scenes that must total no more than five minutes and, secondly, the Z3 is used to transport Bond to a waiting plane where he meets another agent and warns him not to touch any of the buttons.

It’s Not All About Fancy Cars

Of course, the Bond films aren’t all about car chases and explosions and have, over time, featured a myriad of different settings. One major favourite of Bond, in any guise, has been casinos which have, over time, become vital to the development of any particular leads and plot lines. Bond’s character has been honed and crafted in a casino setting, not least in the instance when viewers discover his favourite card game is baccarat.

Card games themselves have been shown to have a wide-reaching appeal, as well as other casino games, as demonstrated by the boom of online casinos since the rise of the internet. The associated rise of comparison sites such as Bonus who have a great section on their site discussing no deposit casino options is indicative of the popularity of online casinos. The fact that there is such competition that comparison sites are needed shows how popular the pastime continues to be.

The twenty-four released Bond films have seen a great variety of cars placed within them that, in most cases, have added another intriguing and thought-provoking angle to the plot.  They’ve always been a vital part to any of the 007 franchise and with new additions such as No Time To Die set to continue in the same vein, it looks like the car’s going to be the star for many more movies to come – but don’t forget his many other exploits.