The Iconic Cars and Plates of 007 Bond.

SUNBEAM ALPINE (DR NO, 1962) Z 8341

Appearing in Dr No, the Sunbeam Alpine was the first Bond car, one of the few that Q didn’t modify with any weapons or gadgets; Bond had to rely on his own driving skills. While much of the ‘driving’ was actually done in the studio, some of it took place on the island of Jamaica. In fact, the car was borrowed from one of the local residents as it was one of only a few sports cars on the island.

Currently available suitable plates include:

THE ASTON MARTIN DB5 (GOLDFINGER, 1964) BMT 216A

The Aston Martin DB5 is considered the most iconic of all Bond’s cars. In the book, Bond drove a DB Mark III, but the DB5 was the latest model when Goldfinger was being filmed. Q modified the car extensively, giving the DB5 machine guns, a bulletproof rear screen, smoke screen and oil slick capabilities, extending tyre slashers, and an ejector seat!

Currently available suitable plates include:

AMC HORNET X (THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN, 1974)

The AMC Hornet was used for one of the most famous car stunts in a James Bond film. It’s going to take more than a partially-collapsed bridge to stop Bond, who completes an impressive corkscrew jump in order to continue his chase! The car was modified for the stunt (not by Q, but by stunt driver Jay Milligan) and the sequence was filmed in just one take!

Currently available suitable plates include:

LOTUS ESPRIT S1 (THE SPY WHO LOVED ME, 1977) PPW 306R

The Lotus Esprit is probably one of the most memorable of all Bond’s cars, mainly due to its ability to turn into a submersible! Wheel arches turned into fins, there was a periscope in the roof, and it came equipped with torpedoes, mines, surface-to-air missiles, and the ability to spray black dye like squid ink. Recently discovered in a shipping container bought for less than £100, this amphibious Bond car was auctioned in 2013 for more than £500,000.

Currently available suitable plates include:

LOTUS TURBO ESPRIT (FOR YOUR EYES ONLY, 1981) OPW 678W

After the success of the Lotus Esprit in The Spy Who Loved Me, two more were used in For Your Eyes Only. The first Lotus Esprit Turbo is destroyed when a slightly over-the-top security measure is triggered and the car self-destructs. Later, Bond drives a bronze Lotus Esprit Turbo, (the original white did not film well against a snowy background), but between Turbos, 007 is forced to use a somewhat less-typical Bond car…

Currently available suitable plates include:

CITROEN 2CV (FOR YOUR EYES ONLY, 1981) M 1206

A Bond’s cars aren’t always glamourous or filled with gadgets – take the Citroen 2CV for example. Nevertheless, Bond manages to use the vehicle to escape from pursuing enemies in For Your Eyes Only, mainly by driving directly down a Spanish hillside. When the film was released, Citroen released limited edition versions of the 2CV bearing the 007 logo, and it even came with stick-on bullet holes!

Currently available suitable plates include:

ASTON MARTIN V8 VANTAGE VOLANTE (THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS, 1987) B549 WUU

The Aston Martin returns in The Living Daylights, this time the V8 Vantage Volante. The convertible is later “winterised” into a hardtop saloon by Q, who also provided the expected bonus gadgetry such as bullet proof windows, a jet engine rocket booster, retractable skis, missiles, and laser beams, amongst other details.

Currently available suitable plates include:

BMW Z8 (THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH, 1999) V354 FMP

Bond’s BMW in The World is Not Enough came with surface-to-air missiles, a tracking system, and a highly sensitive listening device. It can also be controlled remotely by Bond’s key fob! The vehicle is destroyed when a helicopter using tree-cutter equipment splits the car in half. The V354 FMP number plate used in the film was not actually registered to the car, though it has since been registered to another BMW Z8.

Currently available suitable plates include:

ASTON MARTIN DB5 (SKYFALL, 2012) V354 FMP

The Aston Martin DB5 returns, making a sixth appearance with Bond. This DB5 is a deliberate reference back to the one from Goldfinger - it even has an outline painted on the roof to suggest the ejector seat. In a strange case of coincidence, the car used for the film is the only Aston Martin DB5 to have a 007 in its chassis number.

Currently available suitable plates include:

ASTON MARTIN DBX (No Bond film as yet, but give it time…)

Speaking of Aston Martins, the new DBX is the first Aston Martin SUV, indicating a broadening of their market. It won’t be featuring in the latest Bond film, No Time to Die, but with a 4.0 litre twin-turbo V-8 engine and 542 horsepower providing a top speed of 180mph, and it’s acceleration of 0-60 in 4.3 seconds, not to mention the all-wheel drive off-road capabilities, we expect Bond would approve, so we’re giving it an honourable mention/wish list appearance here.

Currently available suitable plates include: