James Bond’s Aston Martin DB5 was first seen in the 1964 film Goldfinger with actor Sean Connery at the wheel. The car made a return to the screen in the opening sequence of Thunderball in 1965 and then 30 years later in the film Goldeneye (1995) with Pierce Brosnan as Bond

The 1960s’ was the period in which the seed was sown for both the best toy & film series of all time!

Before the toy we had two “scene setting” films: Dr No in 1962 and From Russia with Love in 1963.

Then in 1964, Sean Connery the now iconic Bond appeared in what must be the most iconic Bond film, Gold Finger.

Here Bond battles gold magnate Auric Goldfinger, who plans to irradiate the gold supply of Fort Knox making it worthless.

The Gold Finger Car Chase - and the wasteful destruction of 007’s D.B.5

First Blood: 007 puts the D.B.5 tyre slashers to use on the Mustang

The following year, Bond is sent by his boss to a health farm where he gets a valuable lead in his next mission: to track down the villain in a SPECTRE robbery of nuclear weapons. This 1966 film was Thunderball.

The DB5 appears in the opening sequence with a new weapon, a water cannon concealed in the rear of its bodywork. The rear bullet proof shield is also deployed in this scene. It makes its final appearance as Bond leaves the health farm. The remaining action is primarily under water.

You Only Live Twice, in 1967, is unique in being the only film to date where Bond does not drive.

After faking his own death, Bond investigates the hijacking of American spacecraft from orbit.

The classic car of the film (and later Corgi) was the Toyota 2000 GT convertible, unique as Toyota never actually produced this as a convertible!

This period gave us no less than 4 new films and 3 Bonds with an equally ranging mix of entertainment and forms of transportß!

George Lazenby had his debut and finale as Bond in 1969’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. Bond fans, however, will have been grateful to have seen him return behind the wheel again of an Aston Martin. The 1969 DBS which without the gadgets of the DB5, appears twice, once in the opening sequence when Bond rescues Tracy and in the final scene when Blofeld kills his then wife .. if only Q had gone for the bullet proof glass!

Sean Connery was persuaded to return to the role in 1971 for Diamonds are Forever. In this film, Bond traces a diamond smuggling operation first to Las Vegas and then to a SPECTRE plot to build a laser satellite capable of destroying targets from space. Bond borrows and steels a range of vehicles including a Triumph Stag, Mustang Mac 1 and most comic of all, a Moonbuggy!

Live and Let Die in 1971 saw another debut, Roger Moore’s.

In Live and Let Die, the investigation of MI6 agents’ murders in New Orleans and Jamaica leads Bond to destroying a voodoo inspired heroin smuggling operation.

With no sign of Q and no Aston Martin to be seen, Bond makes use of a London Bus and a speedboat to fill the chase sequences.

This period ended with the disappointing 1974 film, The Man With The Golden Gun. Although lacking inspiration and being overtly slapstick it does include one of the most spectacular car stunts of all time, Bond, driving an AMC Hornet Hatchback, achieved the 360 degree jump across a broken bridge.

So while Corgi may have produced one of the most iconic 007 diecast models; the films of the same period failed to inspire!

In 1977 Bond teamed up with a female Russian agent to locate two missing nuclear submarines in The Spy Who Loved Me. The film showing startling similarity to You Only Live Twice was a much needed success to the Bond franchise. Two very memorable features were the introduction of the villainous Jaws and the Lotus Esprit, a credible partner to the Aston Martin DB5.

Nicknamed ‘Wet Nellie’, the Lotus Esprit was a highly armed amphibious ‘Bondmobile’.

At the click of a switch the wheels morphed into fins, propellers powered the car through the water and surround vision was provided via a roof mounted periscope. Armaments of front mounted rockets, squid ink, limpet mines and surface to air missiles complete this perfect package!

Moonraker ended the ‘70s with an absurd plot and a location frenzy tour of the world & outer space in pursuit of megalomaniac Hugo Drax.

In Mooraker, Bond takes to the Venetian canals in a powered gondola and Brazilian rivers aboard a Glastron speed boat / hand glider. No wheeled vehicles worthy of not cross his path.

Two years later, in 1981, For Your Eyes Only retuned Bond both to a little more scanty and back to four wheels.

Following the car’s triumph in the Spy Who Loved Me, Bond is seen behind the wheel of two new 1980 Lotus Esprit turbos. These, however, apart from an rather OTT burglar protection system (it blows up) do not have any of the earlier film’s gadgets.

The most unlikely vehicle Bond is also seen driving is a yellow Citroen 2CV, in which he fearlessly navigates French mountain roads and olive groves.

Octopussy in 1983, is sparse of an vehicles of note, bar a mini-Jet which spectacularly launches from a horse box!

1985 saw Roger Moore in his last Bond film A View to a Kill. Here, Bond investigates a high-tech firm, Zorin Industries, and uncovers a plot to cause an earthquake in Silicon Valley and disrupt its computer industry.

Having no assigned vehicle of his own, Bond is forced to commandeer a Renault Taxi after May Day’s parachute jump from the Eiffel Tower. This is a great advert for the Renault, which continues to drive even after it has been sliced in two!

In 1987 Timothy Dalton debuted as Bond in The Living Daylights driving the 1986 Aston Martin V8 in that classic scene crossing the ice on its own skis while being comedically pursued by the police.

The V8 is loaded with gadgets that even the DB5 would have been proud to have installed. These included laser beam hubcaps, front fog light mounted rockets and bullet proof glass.

The 16th Bond film was released in 1989 with the title License to Kill. This marked the longest gap between films as a legal dispute over ownership of the film rights ensued. It was not until 1995 that the next film in the series was to be seen.

Licence to Kill saw no new cars or Q car gadgetry as early in the film, Bond’s licence is revoked as he pursues revenge against Franz Sánchez, a Latin American drug baron who has badly injured his CIA friend Felix Leiter.

May be a sign of the times, this was and remains the lowest grossing Bond film.

After a gap of 6 years following a complex legal dispute between EON and MGM/UA, Bond returned to the screens in 1995 with Pierce Brosnan and Goldeneye.

The film was not only to revitalise the 007 series but also saw a welcome return of the 1964 Aston Martin DB5 to the screen.

The DB5 is seen in a thrilling car chase between Bond and Xenia Onatopp’s 1995 Ferrari 355 down mountain roads in the south of France and later 007 is seen driving it up to the casino in Monte Carlo.

The gadgets in use in 1995 are more modest than were seen back in 1964, with fax machine and cell phone in the dashboard and a refrigerated compartment in the arm rest containing a rose & chilled bottle of Bollinger champagne!

After Bond’s thrilling drive in what we are left believing to be his personal DB5, BMT214A (spot the error) we later see Bond with a BMW Z3 roadster starting a three film deal with BMW. In an expensive piece of product placement, the Z3 is soon swapped with CIA agent Jack Wade for a plane.

Tomorrow Never Dies, released in 1997, Bond battles with media mogul Elliot Carver as he attempts to start a world war in the interest of broadcasting rights in China. To aid his disguise as a banker, Q issues him a BMW 750i saloon. Packed with gadgets and remote control it finally exits the film via the roof of a German car park.

In 1999, The World is not Enough, Bond investigates the assassination of a British oil tycoon with the aid of his third BMW, the Z8. For all its gadgets the only action the Z8 sees is at Zukovsky’s caviar factory, where it is sawn in half by a helicopter.

The new millennium and 40th anniversary of the Bond series arrived with Die Another Day in which Bond is captured by North Koreans after he kills Colonel Moon. When released, his 00 status is revoked and he goes out on his own to discover who betrayed him, teaming up with a female American agent. This film also marked the long over due reunion of Bond with Aston Martin as he takes possession of the sleek hi-tech 200 mph Vanquish.

The 21st Bond film, Casino Royale, released in 2005 saw a new Bond, Daniel Craig behind the wheel of the famed 1964 Aston Martin DB5. Rather than BMT216A as used first in Goldfinger, this one Bond wins from the villain Dimitrios's who he has tracked to the Bahamas.

Bond’s standard issue meanwhile was the latest release from the Aston Martin, the DBS V12 which replaced the Vanquish, as used by in the previous film.

Doctor No :

Dragon Tank
Sunbeam Alpine
Chevrolet Bel Air

From Russia With Love :

Citroen Traction Avant
Bentley 3,5 Litre

Goldfinger :

Aston Martin DB5
Ford Mustang Convertible
Ford Thunderbird
Lincoln Continental
Ford Country Squire
Ford Ranchero
Rolls Royce Phantom reg no AU1

Thunderball :

Aston Martin DB5
Ford Mustang Convertible
Ford Fairlane Skyliner

You Only Live Twice :

Toyota 2000GT
Toyota Crown

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service :

Aston Martin DBS
Mercedes-Benz 600
Mercedes-Benz W111
Mini
Mercury Cougar

Diamonds Are Forever :

Mustang Mach 1
Triumph Stag
Moon Buggy

Live And Let Die :

Corvorado
Mini Moke
Chevrolet Nova
Chevrolet Impala
Checker Marathon

The Man With The Golden Gun :

MGB
AMC Metador
AMC Hornet

The Spy Who Loved Me :

Lotus Esprit
Lotus Esprit Submarine
Leyland Sherpa Van
Ford Taunus

Moonraker :

Hispano-Suiza
MP Lafer

For Your Eyes Only :

Citroen 2CV
Lotus Espirt Turbo
GP Beach Buggy
Peugeot 504

Octopussy :

Tuk Tuk Taxi
Mercedes-Benz 250 SE
Willys Jeep M606
Range Rover with Horse Box
Alfa Romeo GTV6
BMW 618

A View To A Kill :

Chevrolet Corvette
Dodge Monaco
Renault 11

The Living Daylights :

Audi 200 C3
Aston Martin V8 Volante
Land Rover Lightweight
Aston Martin V8 Vantage
Land Rover serie III
Lada 1500

License To Kill :

Maserati Biturbo 425

Golden Eye :

BMW Z3
Ferrari 355
ZAZ-965 A

Tomorrow Never Dies :

Range Rover 4.6 HSE
BMW 750 iL
Mercedes-Benz S-Class

The World Is Not Enough :

Q Boat
BMW Z8

Die Another Day :

Lamborghini Diablo
Aston Martin Vanquish
Ford Thunderbird
Jaguar XKR Roadster
Ford Fairlane
Ford GT40

Casino Royale :

Daimler Limousine
Range Rover Sport
Jaguar XJ8
Aston Martin DBS V12

Quantum Of Solace :

Ford Bronco
Ford Edge
VW Beetle
Daimler Super Eight
Ford Ka
Land Rover Defender
Alfa Romeo 159 ti
Aston Martin DBS V12