You all know him as Bond, James Bond, with the countless shaken not stirred martinis he has had along the way. When MI6 and the world are in trouble there always seems to be only one man that can be trusted to get the job done. And as the longest-running movie franchise in history, 007 has undoubtedly come to be a dapper icon with well-armored cars, minglings with vicious villains, and always seems to have the right gadget when things get hairy. Now with No Time to Die waiting to hit the big screen, go find your GQ suit, pour yourself another martini, and channel your inner Bond as the list of best Cars, Gadgets, and the franchise’s Villians unravels.
CARS
Aston Martin DB5 / Six Bond Films
The most famous of the Bond cars, the Aston Martin DB5 is a classic and outright showstopper. Originally appearing in Goldfinger, the DB5 was the latest car to come from Aston Martin. It came 007 stocked with machine guns, a tire-shredding blade, ejector seat, mini-guns, bullet screen, auto-revolving license plates, and so much more. The Aston Martin DB5 is as iconic as the Bond Martini, and it’s notoriety spans across generations.
Seen In: Goldfinger, Thunderball, GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, Casino Royale, Skyfall
Lotus Esprit Turbo /For Your Eyes Only
Design influenced by Lotus’s ties to the F1 world, the Esprit Turbo in true Bond form was the ultimate ski transport. The rear engine turbo may have the slimmest styling of the Bond cars to date, both in physic and toys. The Esprit Turbo’s only aftermarket feature was a self destruct system if anyone aside from Bond attempted to drive the car. Two different Espirits appeared in For Your Eyes Only, a white one that was destroyed and replaced with a copper color for safe travels in the Italian Alps.
BMW 750iL / Tomorrow Never Dies
With reinflating tires, 12 missiles ready to fire, caltrops dispenser, and a remote control driving feature, the BMW 750iL was a beauty of a Bond car. Arguably one of the bigger models to be driven by 007, the 750iL was a beast with a 5.4 Litre V12. And in 1997 with Tomorrow Never Dies, the 750iL was a modern marvel on city streets and certainly came with a high roller status and is perfectly paired with Bond’s dapper attire.
Ford Mustang Mach 1 / Diamonds Are Forever
In Diamonds, Bond went from Britsh supercars to an American muscle car, making him just a little more bad-to-the-bone with a revised candy apple red Mach 1 Mustang. Though the car was actually Tiffany Cases’s, it fit James well when he got behind the wheel for a chase scene. In this ride Bond flys down the Vegas strip to elude the police as he steers through parking lots, goes airborne, and even goes up on two wheels from the passenger side of the car to escape through an alleyway. In one of the more famous movie edit mistakes, the Mach 1 comes out of the alley riding on the other two wheels, the driver’s side.
Honorable Mentions: Lotus E Spirit F1 (The Spy Who Loved Me), Mercury Cougar XR-7 (Her Majesty’s Secret Service)
GADGETS
Ski Pole Rocket Launcher / The Spy Who Loved Me
Playing to the part, the mastermind of Q continues to deliver toy after toy, and one to remember is the Ski Pole Rocket Launcher. This rocket launcher has a time and place, but out on the slopes it delivers with a boom. In one of the more iconic ski scenes of any film, while skiing backward, Bond fires his Ski Pole Rocket Launcher for a direct hit of his pursuer. It’s simple and effective for The Spy Who Loved Me.
Alligator Submarine / Octopussy
Being able to sneak up on your enemies is key when you’re an international spy, and this is precisely why the Alligator Submarine is in Bond’s arsenal. Perfectly built to mirror the water-bound reptile, this submarine was used to infiltrate Octopussy’s water palace and as an escape to what seemed like 007 death.
Rolex Submariner / Let and Let Die
As Batman has his Bat Belt, Bond has his Rolex. 007 watches have been teamed with grappling hooks, lasers, and communication, but his Rolex Submariner had a built-in buzz saw. He used it to escape with his damsel in distress and until the saw was activated, the Rolex would sit nicely under his turtle neck sleeves. The Rolex Submariner was sharp, precise, and when Bond needed a blade, this watch was buzzing.
X-Ray Glasses / The World is Not Enough
We all at some point in our life have thought how cool it would be to have x-ray glasses. The idea came to life on the silver screen in 1999 with The World is Not Enough, the blue-tinted specs allowed James to harness the power of almighty x-ray vision. They were used to search for concealed weapons and remained, as Q intended, strictly for the mission and business matters. You’d be surprised what you see in a casino.
Honorable Mentions: Ring Camera (A View to Kill), Trick Briefcase (From Russia with Love), Wrist Mounted Dart Gun (Moonraker)
VILLAINS
Jaws / The Spy Who Loved Me, Moonraker
Appearing in two separate Bond films, Jaws was the henchman you didn’t want to see turn the corner. With this metal-filled mouth, Jaws was capable of biting through just about anything. Strength and his teeth were the preferred weapons of choice, and more often than not, nearby infrastructure would fall by his hand. Jaws rarely spoke, letting his size and bite do all the talking.
Xenia Onatopp / GoldenEye
One of the best Bond villains? yes… the sexiest Bond villain? 100% yes. Xenia Onatopp was a Russian sex symbol with thighs of steel that would suffocate her prey. She would seduce her targets and amidst under the covers playtime, would wrap her legs around their waist to squeeze out every last breath. And in 1995 this was some seriously racy material for all you Millenials.
Auric Goldfinger / Goldfinger
Probably the most memorable of all Bonds nemesis is Auric Goldfinger. The gold obsessed business mad man appeared in 1964’s Goldfinger and plated things gold that ranged from his Rolls Royce to innocent by-standers (don’t mess with Bonds lovers Auric). The laser scene where Goldfinger attempts to kill Bond is where he delivers what might be the most iconic villain phrase of the franchise, “No, Mr. Bond. I expect you to die,” it was, dare we say, golden.
Max Zorin / A View to a Kill
There is just something about blond-haired bad guys from Germany, and Max Zorin plays the part wonderfully. He was smart and extremely psychopathic as well as sadistic, showing absolutely no loyalty to his own men. He was bred to be bad as he was the product of Nazi medical experimentation during the war, in which his mother was injected with massive quantities of steroids in an attempt to create “super-children.” And because Max Zorin was played by Christopher Walken, “This’ll hurt him more than me!”.
Honorable Mentions: Le Chiffre, Dr. No, and yes, the 7-time appearing Ernst Stavro Blofeld