SLIDESHOW
James Bond’s lesser-known cars
Bond and Christmas are closely associated, due to reruns of often ancient films that nonetheless reliably do the numbers for ITV, being entertainment that a whole family can reasonably enjoy while dozing off after a heavy roast dinner.
Cars are a crucial part of any 007 movie, and while we all remember the Aston Martins, what about his lesser-known wheels?
TOM EVANS
Renault 11 TXE
A View to a Kill
Roger Moore’s final Bond outing has a Marmite taste these days, but it includes plenty of fun moments with cars. Cubby Broccoli’s own 1962 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud II puts in a major appearance – although a replica is used when it’s drowned. But a lowly Renault taxi steals the show when Bond robs it to chase the villainous May Day, who has just parachuted off the Eiffel Tower. Ahair-raising chase through the streets of Paris ensues, co-ordinated by the stunt driver legend Rémy Julienne. After losing its roof, the 11 is cut in half by a Renault 20, yet the front still manages to trundle on. The producers cheated, of course, and placed small wheels at the back to facilitate this, and the driver of the car is on screen for well long enough to reveal that – shock – it wasn’t our Rog at the wheel at the time of the slice.