License to Thrill The top 7 cars of 007

MANILA, Philippines - With the latest Bond movie, Skyfall, hitting cinemas today, it’s only proper that we pay homage to all the great cars that have made our James Bond movie-watching experience all the more awe-inspiring. Here they are in no particular order:

Toyota 2000GT

If the mid-80s’ Toyota AE86 is the spiritual forefather of the current ultra-hot Toyota 86, then the 60s’ Toyota 2000 GT is its great-grandaddy. It may not have had much in the way of butt-kicking gadgets, but it certainly proved to be one veritable eye candy for the movie You Only Live Twice. Even in the 60’s, Toyota already knew how to make proper sports cars.

Aston Martin DB5

The Aston Martin is the quintessential British superspy car. Sleek, fast, and powerful—not to mention loaded with spy gadgets way ahead of their time—the DB5 proved to be a worthy set of wheels for the vodka-sipping (shaken, not stirred) secret agent. No wonder it appeared in no less than six Bond films.

Citroen 2CV

At first glance—and even on second, third, and fourth glances—the Citroen 2CV doesn’t qualify as the wheeled weapon of choice for a suave secret agent. But if you’re trying to escape nasty villains who are hitting you with everything they’ve got—including making your car rollover numerous times down a hill—then a 2CV is your best bet. Just watch For Your Eyes Only and believe.  

Lotus Esprit

Hands down, the Lotus Esprit is the sleekest car Mr. Bond has ever had the pleasure of escaping from the bad guys with. This lightweight four-wheeled missile is powered by a turbocharged 2.2-liter four-cylinder engine mounted amidships. It looks fast and it is fast. (Which makes us wonder how a lowly Ford Cortina loaded with four burly thugs—including the unforgettable 7-foot “Jaws”—can easily tail it. The clincher? It dives underwater to become a submersible sports car. No wonder Lotus founder Colin Chapman made it out of fiberglass. No rust!

Aston Martin Vantage

The only thing I could remember from the two forgettable Timothy Dalton 007 films is the phenomenal Aston Martin Vantage. (It flew off a ski slope before self-destructing in The Living Daylights.) This is the Aston Martin that was a holdover from the marque’s 70’s heydeys. It was like 70’s bell-bottom pants tailored to fit the 80’s. But, heck, it still sported that big, burly V8 and—damn it!—still looked oh so good! 

BMW 750iL

The Germans scored a coup when they grabbed James Bond from his svelte British sports cars and belted him down in a big Bavarian limousine. But this was the age of technology—and who better than BMW to showcase how a handheld touch-interface gaming console/remote control can enhance one’s espionage skills. Hammers and baseball bats bouncing harmlessly off the car’s body and windows did a lot to reinforce the general public’s perception of German solidity. A piece of marketing genius from BMW.

Aston Martin Vanquish

This is the Aston Martin that represented the marque’s renaissance (when it was newly bought by Ford). It looked sensational with its modern take of the famed DB5 and DB6 of the 60’s. It also carried some of the most serious firepower ever to be fitted on a Bond-mobile, which included hood-mounted machine guns and grille-fired rockets. The name “vanquish” alone should send shivers down any bad guy’s spine. The piece de resistance, of course, is its invisibility technology, which in real life is already in prototype phase in a Mercedes test car. No wonder Q dubbed the car as the Aston Martin Vanish.

Jaguar XKR

James Bond never drove a Jaguar (and I know the list says seven cars). But the supercharged Jaguar XKR of Chinese adversary Zao was so bad-ass it just has to make this list. Like the Vanquish with which it tangled, the Jag fires rockets and is well-nigh bulletproof. Sleek and super-fast, too.  

There you have it. I would’ve wanted to add the Ford Mustang Mach 1 that Bond drove on two wheels (eat your heart out, Russ Swift!) in Diamonds Are Forever. But then I’d have to mention the Aston and the Audi that will appear in Skyfall. Oops, no spoilers here!