Do be careful with your new car 007!
June 12th 2008 14:05
Television and the movies are a natural advertising media for Car manufacturers the world over. Big dollars now change hands to ensure the vehicles are in the spotlight as much as the actors.
Have you ever noticed the product placement of Volvos in American productions? Funny thing though, they have all lost their headrests!
The Bond series of movies have, over the years been kind to various manufacturers. In the classic Bond films, 007 was given an Aston Martin DB5 ( sigh!) with the necessary accessories such as bullet-proof screen, machine guns and ejector seat. Over the next forty years, he has had such toys as a BMW Z8, Numerous Astons, a Mustang Mach 1 and of course Lotuses ( or should that be Lotii?).
Ian Fleming was a car fanatic, the detail he placed in every novel showed that he was a true believer. He did, after all, own the first Ford Thunderbird in the UK! The strange thing is that apart from the Aston DB5, none of the novel Bond cars were utilised in the movies. In the early Bond books, Bond drove a vintage Bentley and later on he also drove a Bentley Continental R. Imagine trying to prise either one of those out of an owners hands!
Leslie Charteris created a character called The Saint. When the show was produced in the early 1960's the producers decided they needed the grooviest car possible. Jaguar was contacted and asked for some E-Types. The reply was curt to say the least. Simon Templer loved his Volvo P1800. So much so that Roger Moore actually bought one for himself!
For those of you old enough to remember the original version of "The Avengers" you will no doubt recall the Lotus Elan and the Bentley 3 litre driven by the hero John Steed. The show was reborn in the very late 1970's and somehow the stars were saddled with all manner of British Leyland dreariness. Driving such things as a Triumph TR7 and Dolomite Sprint, is it really any wonder that the bad guys could get away! Steed was a bit luckier, he had a road going replica of the Broadspeed XJC resplendant in BRG. Now that was a car!
We might have to talk about the Professionals and the Sweeney another time, Guvnor!
Have you ever noticed the product placement of Volvos in American productions? Funny thing though, they have all lost their headrests!
The Bond series of movies have, over the years been kind to various manufacturers. In the classic Bond films, 007 was given an Aston Martin DB5 ( sigh!) with the necessary accessories such as bullet-proof screen, machine guns and ejector seat. Over the next forty years, he has had such toys as a BMW Z8, Numerous Astons, a Mustang Mach 1 and of course Lotuses ( or should that be Lotii?).
Ian Fleming was a car fanatic, the detail he placed in every novel showed that he was a true believer. He did, after all, own the first Ford Thunderbird in the UK! The strange thing is that apart from the Aston DB5, none of the novel Bond cars were utilised in the movies. In the early Bond books, Bond drove a vintage Bentley and later on he also drove a Bentley Continental R. Imagine trying to prise either one of those out of an owners hands!
Leslie Charteris created a character called The Saint. When the show was produced in the early 1960's the producers decided they needed the grooviest car possible. Jaguar was contacted and asked for some E-Types. The reply was curt to say the least. Simon Templer loved his Volvo P1800. So much so that Roger Moore actually bought one for himself!
For those of you old enough to remember the original version of "The Avengers" you will no doubt recall the Lotus Elan and the Bentley 3 litre driven by the hero John Steed. The show was reborn in the very late 1970's and somehow the stars were saddled with all manner of British Leyland dreariness. Driving such things as a Triumph TR7 and Dolomite Sprint, is it really any wonder that the bad guys could get away! Steed was a bit luckier, he had a road going replica of the Broadspeed XJC resplendant in BRG. Now that was a car!
We might have to talk about the Professionals and the Sweeney another time, Guvnor!
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