The vehicles
of James Bond
The name is Bond, James Bond.
2022 marks the 60th anniversary of the first James Bond movie, Dr. No. This movie became a seminal moment in cinema, and established many of the tropes which would become iconic throughout the franchise: the thrilling theme music, the gun barrel sequence, ending the movie in the arms of a beautiful Bond girl... often somewhere out at sea, on a boat.
But between Dr. No and No Time To Die, Bond has used a lot more vehicles than just boats. Let's explore the cars, airplanes, tanks and space shuttles throughout all 25 official Bond movies!
1962
Dr. No
1962 | Sean Connery
Duration: 1h50'
In vehicles: 10'07" (9.2%)
The first Bond movie might be one of the series' best, introducing the famous gunbarrel sequence and the iconic theme music. It has the lowest fraction of in-vehicle time, but it does end - as most of Connery's Bond movies do - on a boat.
Pan American Boeing 707-320
00:16:16
-00:16:30
Vehicle: airplane
Type:
air-based
1963
From Russia with Love
1963 | Sean Connery
Duration: 1h55'
In vehicles: 42'14" (36.7%)
The second Bond movie has the longest vehicle scene of them all: the famous Orient Express train from Istanbul to Istria. It leads to some very exciting scenes, both inside and outside of the train.
Rowing boat
00:17:59
-00:18:33
Vehicle: boat
Type:
water-based
1964
Goldfinger
1964 | Sean Connery
Duration: 1h50'
In vehicles: 23'04" (21.0%)
This is possibly most people's favorite Bond movie, with an iconic villain and a lot of memorable scenes. But of course, the movie's highlight is the introduction of the ultimate Bond car: the Aston Martin DB5!
1964 Aston Martin DB5
00:23:14
-00:25:16
Vehicle: car
Type:
land-based
1965
Thunderball
1965 | Sean Connery
Duration: 2h10'
In vehicles: 20'08" (15.5%)
Bond doesn't spend a lot of time in vehicles in his fourth movie, but noteworthy and memorable are the underwater atomic bomb sledge, and the final scene aboard Largo's yacht 'Disco Volante'.
Bell Rocket Belt
00:03:50
-00:04:14
Vehicle: jetpack
Type:
air-based
1967
You Only Live Twice
1967 | Sean Connery
Duration: 1h57'
In vehicles: 25'45" (22.0%)
This movie features some very curious vehicles, such as Tanaka's secret underground train, and 'Little Nellie': a Wallis WA-116 Agile autogyro which even features on the movie's poster!
Whitby-class anti-submarine frigate HMS Tenby
00:09:07
-00:09:46
Vehicle: boat
Type:
water-based
1969
On Her Majesty's Secret Service
1969 | George Lazenby
Duration: 2h22'
In vehicles: 34'20" (24.2%)
The only Bond movie starring George Lazenby is also one of the longest in the entire series. It features a lot of snow-based vehicles, such as the cable car to Piz Gloria and horse-drawn sleighs. It is the only movie in which Bond rides a bobsleigh!
Aston Martin DBS
00:01:28
-00:03:31
Vehicle: car
Type:
land-based
1971
Diamonds Are Forever
1971 | Sean Connery
Duration: 2h
In vehicles: 21'53" (18.2%)
Despite the return of Sean Connery, this movie is not exactly a fan favorite. Some noteworthy vehicles are the Cadillac hearse, and Honda US90 Three Wheelers, and of course the Moon Buggy!
Triumph Stag MK1
00:15:26
-00:15:57
Vehicle: car
Type:
land-based
1973
Live and Let Die
1973 | Roger Moore
Duration: 2h01'
In vehicles: 36'47" (30.4%)
Roger Moore's Bond spends the most time in vehicles of all the actors. Live and Let Die has some excellent vehicle chases, such as the high-speed boat chase, and the double-decker bus which sees its top half ripped off.
Pan American Boeing 747-121
00:12:31
-00:13:06
Vehicle: airplane
Type:
air-based
1974
The Man with the Golden Gun
1974 | Roger Moore
Duration: 2h05'
In vehicles: 31'36" (25.3%)
Moore's second Bond movie continuous the trope of ending on a boat, this time on Scaramanga's junk. Also worth noting are the incredible AMC Hornet corkscrew jump stunt, and the RMS Queen Elizabeth used as MI6's headquarters.
Taxi
00:19:54
-00:19:59
Vehicle: car
Type:
land-based
1977
The Spy Who Loved Me
1977 | Roger Moore
Duration: 2h05'
In vehicles: 1h06'14" (53.0%)
This movie spends more than half of its runtime in vehicles. The Lotus Esprit S1 ("Wet Nellie"), the USS Wayne submarine, Stromberg's supertanker, skis, and even a dromedary. And don't forget the stunning opening parachute stunt!
Skis
00:05:59
-00:07:39
Vehicle: skis
Type:
land-based
1979
Moonraker
1979 | Roger Moore
Duration: 2h06'
In vehicles: 57'40" (45.8%)
The movie with the second-highest fraction of in-vehicle time spends a lot of time in space, both in the Moonraker shuttle and in Hugo Drax's space station. But don't forget the famous Venetian gondola scenes!
Handley Page HP-137 Jetstream 1
00:02:31
-00:03:41
Vehicle: airplane
Type:
air-based
1981
For Your Eyes Only
1981 | Roger Moore
Duration: 2h07'
In vehicles: 47'56" (37.7%)
Bond spends a lot of time under water in this movie, in the wreckage of the St. Georges trawler, but we also have some exciting action scenes on skis, in a Citroen 2CV, and even on a Zamboni!
Agusta-Bell 206B JetRanger II
00:01:41
-00:06:38
Vehicle: helicopter
Type:
air-based
1983
Octopussy
1983 | Roger Moore
Duration: 2h11'
In vehicles: 39'28" (30.1%)
The variety of locations in this movie leads to a variety of vehicles: the circus train smuggling a bomb to the West, rickshaws, a hot air balloon, and even a tiny boat disguised as an alligator!
Range Rover Classic convertible
00:00:33
-00:01:11
Vehicle: car
Type:
land-based
1985
A View to a Kill
1985 | Roger Moore
Duration: 2h11'
In vehicles: 23'36" (18.0%)
This might be 'the movie in which Moore was too old to play Bond', but it gave us some iconic vehicle scenes: the firetruck chase in San Francisco, Zorin's skyship, and an underground mine cart trip.
Skis
00:00:55
-00:02:56
Vehicle: skis
Type:
land-based
1987
The Living Daylights
1987 | Timothy Dalton
Duration: 2h10'
In vehicles: 46'38" (35.9%)
Timothy Dalton's Bond spends nearly 20 minutes of this movie in the Lockheed C-130 Hercules plane, which ultimately crashes. But don't forget the stunning Aston Martin V8 Volante!
Lockheed C-130 Hercules
00:00:37
-00:01:31
Vehicle: airplane
Type:
air-based
1989
Licence to Kill
1989 | Timothy Dalton
Duration: 2h13'
In vehicles: 35'48" (26.9%)
We mainly see a lot of oil trucks in this Dalton's second Bond movie - most of them don't make it to the end of the movie in one piece. It also includes some great airplane and water ski stunts!
1959 Rolls-Royce Phantom V
00:01:14
-00:01:51
Vehicle: car
Type:
land-based
1995
GoldenEye
1995 | Pierce Brosnan
Duration: 2h10'
In vehicles: 29'25" (22.6%)
Bond is back, after a 6 year hiatus. Brosnan's first movie as Bond brings us memorable vehicle moments including the armored train, the Aston Martin DB5, and of course the tank chase through the center of St. Petersburg.
Pilatus PC-6/B2-H2 Turbo Porter
00:08:56
-00:09:08
Vehicle: airplane
Type:
air-based
1997
Tomorrow Never Dies
1997 | Pierce Brosnan
Duration: 1h59'
In vehicles: 43'49" (36.8%)
Lots of iconic vehicle scenes in this one. The remote controlled BMW chase, Carver's stealth ship - and don't forget the motorcycle chased by a helicopter through Ho Chi Minh City!
ZiL 135
00:04:59
-00:05:12
Vehicle: truck
Type:
land-based
1999
The World Is Not Enough
1999 | Pierce Brosnan
Duration: 2h08'
In vehicles: 26'46" (20.9%)
We mainly spend time on the water in this one: from the opening Q-boat chase to the finale in the nuclear submarine. But we also get to see a 1999 BMW Z8 sliced in half, and three suspenseful minutes on a pipeline inspection rig!
Q-boat
00:07:52
-00:13:19
Vehicle: boat
Type:
water-based
2002
Die Another Day
2002 | Pierce Brosnan
Duration: 2h13'
In vehicles: 41'51" (31.5%)
This one is not most people's favorite Bond movie, but we do get to see some memorable vehicles: the Aston Martin Vanquish, the hovercraft chase in the opening scene, snowspeeders, and the Antonov crashing during the finale.
Surfboard
00:00:30
-00:01:54
Vehicle: surfboard
Type:
water-based
2006
Casino Royale
2006 | Daniel Craig
Duration: 2h24'
In vehicles: 18'19" (12.7%)
A successful reboot of the franchise, and more down to earth - Bond doesn't spend a lot of time in vehicles here. But we do see how he gets his famous Aston Martin DB5, and who can forget the train scene where he meets Vesper?
2005 New Holland W190 B
00:11:42
-00:12:04
Vehicle: truck
Type:
land-based
2008
Quantum of Solace
2008 | Daniel Craig
Duration: 1h46'
In vehicles: 28'44" (27.1%)
The shortest Bond movie is often criticized for its lack of storyline and strong villains. Nevertheless, it features exciting vehicle scenes such as the Aston Martin DBS opening chase scene, and the Douglas DC-3 plane chase.
2007 Aston Martin DBS
00:00:40
-00:04:02
Vehicle: car
Type:
land-based
2012
Skyfall
2012 | Daniel Craig
Duration: 2h23'
In vehicles: 22'53" (16.0%)
Many people's favorite Bond movie, but it doesn't feature many memorable vehicles. Noteworthy are the train and Caterpillar truck in the opening scene, and the London Underground crashing during Silva's escape. The DB5 is destroyed.
2007 Land-Rover Defender 110 Crew Cab
00:02:25
-00:03:42
Vehicle: car
Type:
land-based
2015
Spectre
2015 | Daniel Craig
Duration: 2h28'
In vehicles: 32'45" (22.1%)
This movie has a few spectacular vehicle scenes, including the helicopter fight in the pre-credit scene, the Aston Martin DB10 chase through Rome, the plane chase in the Alps, and the fight with Mr. Hinx on the Oriental Desert Express.
Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm Bo 105
00:09:28
-00:13:03
Vehicle: helicopter
Type:
air-based
2021
No Time to Die
2021 | Daniel Craig
Duration: 2h43'
In vehicles: 24'22" (14.9%)
The Aston Martin DB5 gets a hard time again in the pre-credit action scene. We also see the return of the Aston Martin V8 from The Living Daylights, and an exciting Land Rover chase in the forests of Norway.
1964 Aston Martin DB5
00:07:22
-00:08:23
Vehicle: car
Type:
land-based
Bond has a passion for sports cars - Goldfinger introduced us to the 1964 Aston Martin DB5, which would end up appearing in 8 movies, a total of 28 minutes and 3 seconds. It's the vehicle with the most screen time throughout the 25 movies.
And don't forget some of Bond's other legendary vehicles: the Orient Express in From Russia With Love, the submergible Lotus Esprit S1 in The Spy Who Loved Me, his 1985 Aston Martin V8 in The Living Daylights, or the T-54 tank he uses to chase general Ourumov through St. Petersburg in Goldeneye.
In the visual below, we've summarized the wide variety of vehicles ever used by James Bond throughout his 25 movies - on land, in the air, and on water!