James Bond's Cars: From the Aston Martin DB5 to the BMW Years

James Bond’s cars are the most famous in film. The Aston Martin DB5, introduced in Goldfinger (1964) with ejector seat, machine guns and revolving number plates, became the definitive 007 car and has returned in many later films. Other highlights include the Toyota 2000GT in You Only Live Twice, the Lotus Esprit that turned into a submarine in The Spy Who Loved Me, a run of BMWs in the 1990s — including a remote-controlled BMW 7 Series — and modern Aston Martins such as the DBS and the purpose-built DB10.

Key Bond cars

The DB5

The DB5’s gadgets — ejector seat, bulletproof shield, machine guns — made it a sensation and boosted Aston Martin’s image worldwide. Aston Martin later built a limited series of “Goldfinger continuation” DB5s. Read the history of Aston Martin.

The BMW years

In the 1990s, BMW supplied Bond’s cars, including the 750iL controlled from Bond’s phone in Tomorrow Never Dies — a chauffeur-sized limousine turned gadget car. Read the BMW 7 Series history.

The Lotus submarine

The white Lotus Esprit that transformed into a submarine is one of the most memorable gadget cars ever filmed.