All James Bond movies are heavy on car stunts, but the 1974 classic The Man With the Golden Gun, the 9th movie in the series, is particularly memorable for the now-iconic corkscrew bridge jump.
It shows Roger Moore’s Bond taking a red AMC Hornet from a dealership (with the dealer still inside), rushing to jump over a body of water despite the fact that the bridge is out of commission. The car jumps and flips in the air, and lands on the other side safely.
Given the time period when it was performed, the stunt remains one of the most difficult and, because of it, most impressive to date. It was performed by professional British stuntman Terry Grant, who holds two dozens world records for the longest barrel roll, and is a legend in the industry. It had to be done in one single take, so pressure to pull it off was huge. Remember, back in the day, they didn’t have the possibility to CGI the car in the footage and make it look as if it rolled in the air, as they do today.
That said, one Russian dude probably performed a feat as impressive as Grant’s, given the means available to him. Evgeniy Chebotarev claims on his Instagram that he’s a self-taught stuntman who is able to do stunts through donations and the goodwill of friends. He was able to replicate the corkscrew bridge jump on his fourth attempt, using safety gear he bought online on the cheap.
Perhaps just as impressive, he was able to do the jump in a 1987 Lada. Video of the stunt is available at the bottom of the page, along with the original that inspired it. It was shot in the city of Gluboky in Rostov Oblast, Russia, and posted to Chebotarev’s Instagram.
Also on social media, Chebotarev says he crashed the Lada by driving it off a hill, because there is only one way to dispose of a car after he’s used it in a stunt – and that’s driving it off a cliff.
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
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