If you are England’s most powerful weapon, you definitely should have a car that matches your image and lifestyle. After all, you cannot go off on missions for Her Majesty’s Secret Service in any old car. You should have the best, and as far as BMW is concerned, that lucky Pierce Brosnan was the James Bond with the best rides. Three BMWs, all driven by Brosnan, have thus far joined the prestigious list of cars that teamed up with 007 in his continuous fight against international crime.
Bond cars can probably take credit for a good chunk of the interest garnered by the films. After all, they are pretty cool; the stuff testosterone-filled dreams are made of. These cars are, of course, available to the public, but sans all the trappings to properly equip them for secret service work, such as weapon systems, anti-pursuit systems, alternate transportation modes, etc. In James Bond’s history, which as of now spans half a century, the nineties saw the emergence of the BMW era in Bond transport. Each of these historic cars is discussed below.
- BMW Z3 – Golden Eye (1995) After a six-year hiatus, James Bond returned to the screen portrayed by Pierce Brosnan and driving a German set of wheels. The Z3 did not get a lot of screen mileage, but it was described by Q to have stinger missiles behind the headlights, a radar system with display, a parachute braking system, and the ability to self-destruct. In real life, the Z3 was the first modern mass-produced roadster from BMW. It was also the first BMW model assembled in the US. It comes in the form of a convertible or a coupé, both 2-door. The Z3 is definitely a handsome piece of machinery with its popular retro styling.
- BMW 750iL – Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) The BMW 750, the stretched version as indicated by the L in the name, was remote-controlled from a Sony Ericsson cell phone by Bond as he dodged bullets in the back seat. The 750 was equipped with all sorts of gizmos such as an elaborate security system, weapons hidden all over the car, a glove compartment safe, voice capability, etc. Unfortunately, the car plunged into its heroic death from a parking garage in the movie. Beyond the celluloid, the 750, also known as the E38 outside the US, was the basis for the BMW 7 Series. It boasts of high-pressure headlight washers, auto-leveling xenon HID headlamps, power sunroof, onboard satellite navigation, an automatic climate control system, the continuous-motion Active Comfort Seat technology, etc.
- BMW Z8 – The World Is Not Enough (1999) Q decided that Bond would do very well with another BMW car and provided him with a Z8 loaded with all the standard Q requirements such as a bullet-proof body, weapons strategically hidden all over the car, a remote control that this time came in the form of the keychain, a tracking system, a listening device, etc. In our world, the Z8 is indeed a top-caliber car. With neon exterior lighting, multifunction controls, a dashboard that canted downwards to provide the driver an unobstructed view of the road, etc., the Z8 was definitely groomed to be an instant classic from the very start.
There were other BMWs that appeared in a Bond movie such as the BMW 518i cars used by the West German police in “Octopussy”, but these were the ones used by 007 himself.
