The Evolution Of James Bond Cars Over The Years

James Bond is returning, and he’s returning in an Aston Martin, the car the British spy is most closely associated with. Bond first drove an Aston Martin DB5 in 1964’s Goldfinger, and he’ll drive the car again in this year’s No Time To Die. But what about the other cars in-between?

Let’s take a look at the iconic (and not so iconic) cars James Bond used over the decades.  

The 1960s

While James Bond is famous for the Aston Martin, the first car Bond drove was the Sunbeam Alpine in Dr. No. It was a rental, but it still did the job. Next, Bond drove a pre-war Bentley in From Russia with Love, and didn’t take the wheel of the Aston Martin DB5 until his third film, Goldfinger. Bond kept his Aston Martin for Thunderball, and On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, taking a break in between to be chauffeured around Japan in a Toyota 2000GT in You Only Live Twice.  

The 1970s

James Bond isn’t above and beyond driving a rental, and picked up his Ford Galaxie 500 from Hertz in Diamonds Are Forever. With a new Bond came new cars, and Bond picked up more American cars – even when he wasn’t driving around Las Vegas. Bond drove a Chevy Impala in Live and Let Die, and an AMC Hornet X Hatchback in The Man With the Golden Gun.  As Bond movies got more over the top, so too did the cars. Bond drove an amphibious Lotus Esprit in The Spy Who Loved Me.

The 1980s 

The Bond movies of the 80s were all over the place, and the cars followed suit. Bond drove everything from a Citroën 2CV in For Your Eyes Only to a Bajaj RE n Octopussy to Renault Taxi in A View to a Kill. However, James Bond went back to his car-roots later in in the decade, driving a Rolls Royce in A View to a Kill, and an Aston Martin in The Living Daylights.

The 1990s

James Bond of the 90s was defined by two things – Pierce Brosnan’s interpretation of the roll, and James Bond learning to love the BMW. He drove them in Goldeneye, Tomorrow Never Dies, and The World is Not Enough.   

The 2000s and Beyond

One of the things that makes James Bond so iconic is that it follows a formula in fun and unexpected ways. We know he’s going to wear a tux. We know he’s going to hook up with a woman who has an unfortunate name, and we know he’s going to drive an Aston Martin. The aughts gave the people what they want – James Bond at the wheel of the vehicle he’s known for. He zipped around in an Aston Martin in Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, Skyfall, and SPECTRE. 

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Related: The New Aston Martin Spider Is a Transformer ​