Among the many things that make the James Bond films so iconic is the mandatory car chase scene. There have been more than 60 car chase scenes since the first film Dr. No premiered. That's a lot of driving. And whether he is escaping from henchmen or doing the chasing himself, Bond always manages to drive well and look cool while doing it.
The trailers for No Time To Die have already promised more of Driver Bond and we honestly can't wait. Meanwhile, a look into the most iconic car chase scenes in the franchise would serve as the best preparation or more to come. Here is the best of James Bond on the wheel.
Quantum Of Solace: Transporting Mr. White
Even though Quantum Of Solace had a shaky plot, the opening scene is euphoric. The movie picks up right where Casino Royale ended and we get to see Bond speeding on the Lago di Garda mountain road on his way to Siena, Italy. He is in his Aston Martin DBS V12 and behind him are two Alfa Romeo 159s in his pursuit. Meanwhile, the bad guys inside are busy decorating his vehicle with bullets.
The view is incredible. What's even more stunning is the way in which Bond makes use of tiny spaces, squeezing his Aston Martin between the high-traffic narrow highway while making sure his car doesn't fall down the cliff. After gathering bullets and dust, the Aston Martin reaches its destination, having lost one door. We learn that Mr. White was in the boot and Bond was taking him to M.
The Man With The Golden Gun: 360-Degree Jump Over A Broken Bridge In Bangkok
When the villain Scaramanga aka "The Man With Three Nipples" kidnaps the field operative Mary Goodnight, Bond steals an AMC Hornet from a showroom and pursues him. With him is Sheriff J.W. Pepper who was about to purchase the car. What follows is a fascinating chase on the streets of Bangkok that sees Bond overtaking other vehicles with ease like he's Ken Miles.
Bond reaches a dead end where a bridge is broken. Instead of giving up, he makes a quick calculation and speeds through it, resulting in a magnificent 360 jump to the other side. The Sherrif can't hide his look of awe on his face. The scene was made possible by stunt driver Bumps Williard who nailed it on the first take. The stunt was so good that the producers patented it.
Goldfinger: Fleeing Goldfinger's Plant
When Bond secretly sneaks into Goldfinger's plant, he discovers that the villain uses his Rolls-Royce Phantom to smuggle gold. He also bumps into Tilly who is attempting to kill Goldfinger as revenge against her sister's death. An alarm is tripped and a magnificent night chase ensues that sees Bond blinding the pursuers by using his car's smokescreen gadget.
Apparently, the producers of the film had to persuade Aston Martin to lend them the DB5 prototype. After the success of Goldfinger, DB5s were used in many other Bond films. If only the real ones would come with an ejector seat too.
Casino Royale: Pursuing Le Chiffre
When Le Chiffre kidnaps Vesper Bond jumps into his Aston Martin DBS V12 and drives like a maniac to make sure the love of his life is okay. Unknown to him, Le Chiffre has set up a trap by tying Vesper on the road. Bond swerves to avoid her and rolls several times.
It was hard to witness the destruction of the Aston Martin DBS V12. The car rotated so many times during filming that it set a new Guinness world record for most cannon rolls in a car. Previously, the record had been held by Jeremy Clarkson and his crew in Top Gear.
The Living Daylights: Showing Off The Gadgets In Slovakia
In this chase scene in Slovakia, Bond (Timothy Dalton) really did show off what his ride is capable of. First, when a police officer tries to stop him, he uses a laser from his vehicle to slice the lower body of the cop car, making the upper body slide off.
Later on, policemen block the road with a truck but he fires two missiles from his vehicle, blowing up the truck and enabling him to speed through. Later on, he crashes into a wooden house and drags it with him, The army then follows him with a tanker and when they blow off his front tire, he puts the vehicle in skate mode and slides through the snow. Goodness!
Spectre: Cat And Mouse Games With Mr. Hinx
Bond loves Italy and in Spectre, he was back to his favorite playground. After sneaking into a S.P.E.C.T.R.E meeting in Rome, he is forced to flee soon after Blofeld realizes that he is present. Blofeld's henchman Mr. Hinx (Dave Bautista) gives himself the task of going after him.
A breathtaking cat-and-mouse chase through a palace and the streets of Rome follows. While Bond is driving an Aston Martin DB10 which was custom made for the film, Hinx has a high-performance Jaguar C-X75. Apparently, it took 17 nights to finish filming this scene. Even though Bond ends up the victor, it's clear that he has been very lucky.
On Her Majesty's Secret Service: Bond Takes The enger Seat
The fascinating thing about this scene is that Bond (George Lazenby) let the Bond girl Tracy di Vicenzo (Diana Rigg) do all the driving. And boy was she good. It all happens while she is escaping from Blofeld's henchwoman Irma Bunt in Switzerland. Tracy drives a Mercury Cougar convertible through dark roads, snow, and crowds of people while expertly managing not to hit anyone.
It's no surprise that the same Bond who prefers being a playboy went on to marry her shortly after that. Who wouldn't? Sadly, she was later killed by Blofeld and Bunt in a drive-by shooting that qualified as one of the most heartbreaking moments in cinema history.
License To Kill: Bond The Tanker Driver
In License To Kill, supervillain Franz Sanchez is a drug Lord who hides cocaine by dissolving it in petrol. When his base in Mexico gets destroyed, he tries to flee with four tankers carrying a mixture of cocaine and petrol. Bond pursues him and eventually takes control of one of the tankers.
He expertly drives the Kenworth W900B tanker through a mountain road and makes the rest crash. But the best moment comes when one of the henchmen fires a missile at the Bond's tanker. He quickly does a 45-degree maneuver that allows the missile to under the tanker. Unbelievable!
GoldenEye: Land-Cruising Through The French Riviera
Forget Ford V Ferrari. This was "Aston Martin V Ferrari". As Bond (Pierce Brosnan) cruises towards Monaco in his DB5 with MI6 psychiatric evaluator Caroline by his side, he faces off against the henchwoman Xenia Onottop (Famke Janssen). Xenia is relentless in her red Ferrari 355 GTS Spider while Bond does is best not to hit cyclists.
At the end of it all, Caroline, who ends up being Bond's lover asks. “James, is it really necessary to drive so fast?” And he responds like only James Bond would: “More often than you’d think.” And it ends in a kiss. You win 007!
The Spy Who Loved Me: The Amphibious Car
The level of threat in this scene keeps rising. First, Bond is chased by a man in a missile-equipped motorcycle. He drifts through corners and dodges a missile by squeezing his Lotus Espirit between two trucks. Next is henchmen with guns led by the legendary Jaws. He also outsmarts him and causes them to crash into a house.
A helicopter follows, spraying his Lotus with bullets. He dodges that one too by driving into the sea. Surprisingly, his car can function like a submarine underwater. The best part comes when the car emerges from the sea on a beach and a person drinking soda checks the bottle to see if indeed its soda or he's intoxicated.
