007’s Secret Ingredient For Sticking The Landing: 8,400 Gallons of Coca-Cola Used In The ‘No Time To Die’ Motorcycle Jump
James Bond films have featured some of the greatest stunts in cinema history. From the corkscrew car jump in 1974’s The Man with the Golden Gun to the dam bungee jump in 1995’s Goldeneye to the record-breaking Aston Martin DB9 rollover during 2006’s Casino Royale, the 007 series has pushed the boundaries of movie stunts. The upcoming Bond film No Time To Die raises the bar yet again. In a chase sequence early in the film, Agent 007 steals a Triumph Scrambler and tears through the town of Matera, Italy. Bond leaps the motorcycle two stories, over a stone wall, and lands in the town’s cobblestone square. The stunt crew completed the No Time To Die motorcycle jump in real life, thanks to their secret ingredient: Coca-Cola.
No Time To Die opens with a chase scene in Italy
At the end of 2015’s Spectre, James Bond (Daniel Craig) and Madeleine Swann (Léa Seydoux) climb into his 1964 Aston Martin DB5 to enjoy an overdue vacation. No Time To Die catches up with the couple in Matera, Italy–as do the bad guys. Agent 007 flees them on foot, until he can commandeer a Triumph Scrambler 1200.
Astride the Triumph, James Bond attempts to return to Madeleine and retrieve his trusty DB5. With no other choice, he runs the bike up a stone staircase, then jumps two stories, over a wall, and sticks the landing in the Matera village square.
The incredible jump figured prominently in the No Time To Die trailers. James Bond fans near the set even captured video of the film crew completing the stunt in Italy. Though this leap captured the world’s attention, few knew just what was required to pull it off.
A Triumph Scrambler 1200 XE made the No Time To Die motorcycle jump
Lee Morrison has been the stunt coordinator for all of Daniel Craig’s James Bond films. Morrison said of the No Time To Die motorcycle stunts, “We needed to find bikes that were going to be very capable.”
Morrison explained why his stunt riders are so picky, “The guys pushing those to the absolute limit, they needed to be 100% confident in the bikes: They weren’t going to misfire, they weren’t going to stall, they weren’t going to break.”
The motorcycle that Morrison and the crew selected was the Triumph Scrambler 1200 XE. The Triumph Scrambler has a 1200 cc two-cylinder engine that makes 81 lb-ft of torque and 89 horsepower. Furthermore, the top-of-the-line XE adds Ohlins remote-reservoir adjustable shocks, Brembo brakes, and 6 adjustable riding modes.
Morrison concluded, “Riding the Triumph motorcycles, they handled the terrain amazingly.” The Triumph company even produced a 250-model limited Bond Edition Scrambler to commemorate No Time To Die.
8,400 gallons of Coca-Cola helped stick the No Time To Die motorcycle jump landing
The stunt rider who completed the No Time To Die motorcycle jump is named Paul Edwards. Morrison’s crew built Edwards a 25-foot wooden ramp. Edwards had to hit the ramp at nearly 60 mph to clear the cliff below the village square. Landing the jump in the middle of the square posed another challenge. The medieval cobblestones were worn smooth, far too slippery for a safe landing.
Luckily Morrison had a trick up his sleeve–or in his fridge. The stunt coordinator revealed, “I’ve been spraying Coca-Cola on slippery surfaces for a very long time.”
Coca-Cola works well for stunts because it is sticky enough for tires to grip. In addition, it will not damage heritage sites such as the Matera village square. Morrison explained that Coca-Cola even “makes things look very clean after it washes off.”
How much does it cost to douse an Italian village in Coca-Cola? Morrison estimates he spent 60,000 Euros “spraying Coca-Cola around Matera.” That’s approximately $70,000. But the James Bond franchise isn’t hurting for money: experts estimate No Time To Die’s budget was $250 million.
Maybe Jason Bourne uses the supermarket Cola brand for his big stunts, but James Bond must have the best.