11 Best James Bond Cars – From Astons To Alfas

It took a single panning camera shot at the start of Dr. No to establish James Bond as a suave secret agent with a taste for the finer things in life, from the best suits to the ultimate dress watches. Played with obvious relish by Sean Connery, Bond clearly wouldn’t be seen driving anything as common as an Austin 1100. Launched in October 1962 just as Dr. No hit the cinemas, this ungainly sedan went on to become Britain’s best-selling car of the Sixties.

Instead of mundane, Bond cars need to be special. Across 27 movies, he’s driven some of the finest automobiles ever created. Any James Bond cars list is peppered with luxury marques and iconic models, and after a deep dive into the Bond franchise, we’ve identified the 007 cars that truly graced the big screen. The results might just surprise you…

#11 – Lincoln Continental

Our James Bond cars list starts with the only American entry, but not the only Lincoln Continental to feature in the fourth Bond movie. A limo briefly appears at the start, albeit lacking the sex appeal of the blue ’65 convertible seen on Paradise Island with Bond at the wheel. Continentals stayed in production until 2020, but they never looked this good again.

#10 – Aston Martin V8 Vantage Volante

Aston Martin didn’t enjoy the final decades of the 20^th century, and its V8 Vantage Volante was a mechanically dated throwback to the marque’s glory years. Even so, James Bond Aston Martin’s are always an event. This one featured 21^st century equipment like a head-up display, while two-time Bond Timothy Dalton also had missiles and lasers at his fingertips.

#9 – BMW 750iL

BMW’s temporary tie-in with the Bond films delivered some unhappy outcomes, most notably the awful Z3 in 1995’s Golden Eye, but BMW redeemed itself somewhat with this long-wheelbase Seven. It was ahead of its time, sporting everything from remote parking to missile launchers, and provided a rare example of Bond opting for luxury over performance.

#8 – Triumph Stag

The ironically named Triumph marque was only a decade away from oblivion when a pre-production Stag received a welcome PR boost after Bond took it on a European ferry trip. Designed by Italian icon Giovanni Michelotti, lousy build quality ultimately spoiled the Stag party. At least it had the honor of being soundtracked by the best Bond theme song of all time.

#7 – Aston Martin V12 Vanquish

Our second James Bond Aston Martin isn’t our last, but the beefy V12 Vanquish driven by Pierce Brosnan in Die Another Day was certainly the last of its line. It was the final old-school Aston before the DB9 heralded a far more modern, dynamic era. This was also the last of the wisecracking old Bond movies, and Brosnan’s final outing as 007.

#6 – Jaguar XJ

Despite a concerted campaign against his appointment as 007, it’s hard to imagine anyone other than Daniel Craig playing Bond nowadays. He fitted behind the steering wheel of M’s XJ in Skyfall like it had been assembled around him. Also used by Prime Ministers and royalty in real life, the XJ gave Jaguar a rare (though welcome) cameo in the Bond canon.

#5 – Land Rover Series III

Jaguar and Land Rover are owned by the same company, though the Series III, which also featured in Skyfall, was designed decades before the two brands began pooling DNA. Bond and Moneypenny shared a few moments in Istanbul in a grey 110 Double Cab, in a film that also features a Range Rover and a Land Rover Discovery. Product placement, you say?

#4 – Aston Martin DB10

Aston Martin’s DB10 made quite a splash in Spectre, especially after sinking into the River Tiber. As you’d expect from a James Bond Aston Martin, it incorporated an array of gadgets, including an ejector seat and a flamethrower. The DB10’s design didn’t please everyone on its unveiling, and only ten vehicles were produced before the DB11 blew it aside in 2016.

#3 – Alfa Romeo GTV6

Another quintessential 007 car, and arguably the most soulful on our list. Alfa Romeo was battling endemic rust issues at the time, but their GTV6 had one of the finest engines ever made. A sonorous 2.5-liter V6 nestles under the hood of an achingly pretty Guigiaro-designed coupe that never looked or sounded better than during a chase scene with two BMW 518s.

#2 – Lotus Esprit Turbo

Did any car epitomize the Eighties better than the Lotus Esprit? We could have included the Esprit S1 from 1977’s The Spy Who Loved Me, but turbo models are way cooler. Sadly for Bond, his Turbo self-destructed mid-film, relegating him to a Citroen 2CV. To this day, a white Esprit can stop people in their tracks – a wedge-shaped slice of automotive erotica.

#1 – Aston Martin DB5

The most famous James Bond Aston Martin of them all, the iconic DB5 has appeared in eight movies. Manufactured for just two years in the mid-1960s, the coupe and convertible ooze luxury, from their hand-built bodies to their wooden steering wheels. James Bond car prices are often high, but a DB5 convertible sold in August 2023 for a cool $2.2 million.

Frequently asked questions about James Bond cars