autoevolution
 

James Bond Iconic Cars Get Raced on Top Gear: A Must-See for 007 Fans

This Sunday evening, the 30th series of Top Gear premieres on BBC One. The first episode is a must-see for every James Bond fan out there.
The Aston Martin DB5 continuation car gets raced on Top Gear, along with other iconic James Bond cars 6 photos
Photo: BBC One
Iconic James Bond cars are back in the spotlight with the first episode of Top Gear series 30Iconic James Bond cars are back in the spotlight with the first episode of Top Gear series 30Iconic James Bond cars are back in the spotlight with the first episode of Top Gear series 30Iconic James Bond cars are back in the spotlight with the first episode of Top Gear series 30Iconic James Bond cars are back in the spotlight with the first episode of Top Gear series 30
As promised a while back, the trio of presenters, Paddy McGuinness, Freddie Flintoff and Chris Harris, are back at their day job of delivering interesting automotive content with a healthy dose of humor on the side. This week’s episode goes heavy on both ingredients, featuring some of the earliest and the most iconic James Bond cars in the entire film franchise.

Available at the bottom of the page is a short video of Paddy living out his childhood dream of playing 007, while Freddie and Chris are the bad guys, Jaws and Nick Nack, respectively. The video is short, but it does set the tone for what fans should be expect: awesome and perhaps forgotten James Bond cars, and silly laughs. Plenty of both.

The episode was done in partnership with 007, as a means to promote the latest James Bond film installment No Time to Die. This particular segment was filmed at the Top Gear test track in Dunsfold, Surrey and is called The Top Gear Guide To Buying A Bond Car On Any Budget (Including A Really Quite Enormous Budget). Phew! The “really enormous budget” reference is, of course, about the Aston Martin DB5, with a gadget-packed continuation car used here.

Other James Bond cars to keep an eye out for include the rare Toyota 2000GT from You Only Live Twice, the Lotus Esprit from The Spy Who Loved Me, the Alfa GTV6 from Octopussy, the Sunbeam Alpine from Dr No, and the Renault 11 from A View to a Kill.

“I’m a total Bond obsessive,” Chris Harris says in a statement. “I love the cars and I watch the films religiously with my kids because they’re one of the ultimate viewing experiences. So, to get access to the back catalog of Bond cars was amazing and I love the fact that we feature some of the cars you’d forgotten about.”

In other words, this is the kind of rare television event that no James Bond fan should miss.

If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
About the author: Elena Gorgan
Elena Gorgan profile photo

Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends.
Full profile

 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories