Top 40 James Bond Vehicles Of All Time
By Paulo Acoba
#8-1985 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Volante
The return of the Aston Martins
Appeared in: The Living Daylights
1987 marked the return for James Bond to the Aston Martin marquee after having a brief yet memorable fling with a couple of Lotus’s. With 380 HP from its V8 engine and an ability to hit 60 MPH in 5.3 seconds, there definitely was enough power to outrun a couple of Russian Ladas. At the beginning of the film, Bond’s V8 Vantage has a convertible soft top but is set up for winter duty by Q-branch along with a couple of choice gadgets which we’ve listed below. Thankfully, Bond happens to use all of these.
- Police Band radio
- Tire Spikes
- Jet Engine behind the license plate
- Retractable outriggers
- Heat seeking missiles behind the foglights
- Lasers in front wheel hubcaps
- Bulletproof Windows
- A fireproof body
- and a Self-Destruct system
At the time of filming, the decision to use Aston Martin came late in production and there was already a sizable waiting list for V8 Vantage Volantes. Obtaining an Aston Martin proved to be difficult. Instead, three were purchased and eight were made to be fiberglass mock-ups. Of the three driveable Vantage’s, one was an unmodified Vantage used for filming, the second was a stunt car and the third was a special effects car with an assortment of gadgets installed.
Next: 1967 Toyota 2000 GT