Moving from the swinging 60s into the shaggy 70s, the cars used in James Bond movies continued to impress filmgoers as the cars used were continually employed for use in increasingly dangerous on screen scenarios. The new decade would also mark the first changing of the guard in the actor portraying Bond as the series saw a shift from the rugged Sean Connery to the debonair Roger Moore.
While some fans may state that there is a noticeable shift in the tone of the films that coincides with Moore's arrival, it would seem more likely that the films were simply evolving and continued to be influenced by both the politics and pop culture of the time.
1971s "Diamonds Are Forever" was Sean Connery's swan song as James Bond. The plot of the film saw Bond using many modes of transport to escape danger, including dirt bikes, a moon buggy and even a submarine. There is one special car in this film that deserves some attention: the Ford Mustang Mach 1. Upon leaving Willard White's secret Tectronics stronghold in the desert, Bond drives to Las Vegas in the Mach 1 and engages local authorities in a high speed chase after they spot him en route.
As is typical of a Bond car chase, many high speed maneuvers are performed and much "car-nage" ensues. The chase escalates when Bond is forced to evade police by driving up a ramp and, leaning the car on one side, is able to drive through an exceptionally narrow alleyway and make his escape.
Although not modified in any particular or unusual way, the Mach 1 is noteworthy due to its popularity at the time and also because Ford arranged to supply cars for the Las Vegas escape sequence only on the condition that Bond would drive the Mach 1 and it would be featured prominently. Whether this bit of product placement had any significant impact on the sales of the Mach 1 is unknown.
"The man With the Golden Gun" (1974) was Roger Moore's second feature as 007. The plot had Bond's nemesis, Francisco Scaramanga, at one point using an AMC Matador that has been converted into a plane (!) to evade Bond. While obviously not a commercially available vehicle (...if only!), the Matador plane is interesting in that the filmmakers went to great lengths to make the vehicle seem realistic. The Matador appears normally and changes into a plane at the flick of a switch, and the film makers even went so far as to modify the interior with actual airplane instrumentation for scenes inside the car to add to the realism.
One of the most iconic Bond vehicles appeared in 1977s "The Spy Who Loved Me" - the Lotus Espirit. While many link Connery's Bond to the Aston martin DB5, the lotus Espirit is definitely regarded as Moore's definitive Bond vehicle. The plot dictated that the lotus is able to not only perform regularly on the road, but also that it could take Bond underwater and function as a submarine for certain sequences.
Bond's nemesis in the film, Stromberg, pursues 007 and eventually uses a helicopter to confront the Lotus at which point Bond, with nowhere to escape to, drives the car off of a pier into the ocean. The lotus quickly converts to a submarine with a roof periscope, side fins and a propeller in the rear. The Lotus was also equipped with a cement sprayer, depth charges, underwater smoke screen as well as a surface to air missile system to elude or vanquish enemies.
Other notable vehicles featured in "The Spy Who Loved Me" include wet bike jet skis, miniature submarines, helicopters and a hovercraft speedboat. While all of those provide plenty of on screen excitement in the movie, the Lotus Espirit steals the show and is one of the most iconic Bond vehicles from the entire movie series to date.
The next article in this series, part 4, will focus on the Bond films and cars of the 1980s.
While some fans may state that there is a noticeable shift in the tone of the films that coincides with Moore's arrival, it would seem more likely that the films were simply evolving and continued to be influenced by both the politics and pop culture of the time.
1971s "Diamonds Are Forever" was Sean Connery's swan song as James Bond. The plot of the film saw Bond using many modes of transport to escape danger, including dirt bikes, a moon buggy and even a submarine. There is one special car in this film that deserves some attention: the Ford Mustang Mach 1. Upon leaving Willard White's secret Tectronics stronghold in the desert, Bond drives to Las Vegas in the Mach 1 and engages local authorities in a high speed chase after they spot him en route.
As is typical of a Bond car chase, many high speed maneuvers are performed and much "car-nage" ensues. The chase escalates when Bond is forced to evade police by driving up a ramp and, leaning the car on one side, is able to drive through an exceptionally narrow alleyway and make his escape.
Although not modified in any particular or unusual way, the Mach 1 is noteworthy due to its popularity at the time and also because Ford arranged to supply cars for the Las Vegas escape sequence only on the condition that Bond would drive the Mach 1 and it would be featured prominently. Whether this bit of product placement had any significant impact on the sales of the Mach 1 is unknown.
"The man With the Golden Gun" (1974) was Roger Moore's second feature as 007. The plot had Bond's nemesis, Francisco Scaramanga, at one point using an AMC Matador that has been converted into a plane (!) to evade Bond. While obviously not a commercially available vehicle (...if only!), the Matador plane is interesting in that the filmmakers went to great lengths to make the vehicle seem realistic. The Matador appears normally and changes into a plane at the flick of a switch, and the film makers even went so far as to modify the interior with actual airplane instrumentation for scenes inside the car to add to the realism.
One of the most iconic Bond vehicles appeared in 1977s "The Spy Who Loved Me" - the Lotus Espirit. While many link Connery's Bond to the Aston martin DB5, the lotus Espirit is definitely regarded as Moore's definitive Bond vehicle. The plot dictated that the lotus is able to not only perform regularly on the road, but also that it could take Bond underwater and function as a submarine for certain sequences.
Bond's nemesis in the film, Stromberg, pursues 007 and eventually uses a helicopter to confront the Lotus at which point Bond, with nowhere to escape to, drives the car off of a pier into the ocean. The lotus quickly converts to a submarine with a roof periscope, side fins and a propeller in the rear. The Lotus was also equipped with a cement sprayer, depth charges, underwater smoke screen as well as a surface to air missile system to elude or vanquish enemies.
Other notable vehicles featured in "The Spy Who Loved Me" include wet bike jet skis, miniature submarines, helicopters and a hovercraft speedboat. While all of those provide plenty of on screen excitement in the movie, the Lotus Espirit steals the show and is one of the most iconic Bond vehicles from the entire movie series to date.
The next article in this series, part 4, will focus on the Bond films and cars of the 1980s.
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