Aston Martin To Play Major Role In New James Bond Exhibit
Ever since the Aston Martin DB5 made its first appearance in the James Bond film Goldfinger, the two brands have had a relationship that has spanned several decades. Actors filling the James Bond role came and went, but Aston Martin remained closely tied to the franchise. Occasionally Bond had an outing with a different brand like the BMW Z8 in The World Is Not Enough or the amphibious Lotus Esprit in The Spy Who Loved Me.
Despite those brief flings with other brands, Bond would always return to Aston Martin eventually. With the latest Bond film, No Time To Die, just a few short months from release, Aston Martin is pulling out all of the stops to celebrate their long-time partnership with the fictional super spy.
Aston Martin DB5 returns in No Time To Die
No Time To Die will be the 25th James Bond movie in the franchise, a landmark achievement for any film series. There were a few callbacks to earlier James Bond films in the latest trailer, but by far, the most noticeable was an action scene featuring an Aston Martin DB5. The DB5 shown in the trailer was equipped with all of the same gadgets that the original DB5 features in 1964’s Goldfinger. Including the smoke screen emitter, bulletproof windows, and machine guns hidden behind the headlights.
The DB5 is not the only Aston that will make an appearance in the upcoming spy film. It is confirmed that a 1985 Aston Martin V8 Saloon, originally seen in The Living Daylights, will also appear. It is also confirmed that the DBS Superleggera will show up in the movie, along with a special cameo by the Valhalla hypercar. If we had to speculate, we would guess that the Valhalla will likely show up at some point in the film’s third act.
That is a grand total of four Aston Martin vehicles that will show up in one James Bond film. We’re not sure if that is a record, but it wouldn’t be shocking if it were.
Petersen Museum to exhibit the largest gathering of James Bond cars
Just before the release of No Time To Die, the Petersen Automotive Museum in LA will launch a brand new exhibit called Bond in Motion. According to the exhibit organizers, the exhibition will be the largest gathering of screen-used Bond cars ever assembled.
The 1977 Lotus Esprit S1 Submarine from The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), 1985 Aston Martin V8 from The Living Daylights (1987), 1999 BMW Z8 from The World Is Not Enough (1999), and the 2019 Aston Martin DB10 from Spectre (2015) will all be part of the exhibit.
In total, the exhibition will feature over 30 cars, motorcycles, boats, submarines, helicopters, and film-used scale models of aircraft from several films spanning the decades-old franchise.
“James Bond is an international pop culture icon, and the vehicles he drives are an integral part of his character,” said Petersen Automotive Museum Executive Director Terry L. Karges. “The Petersen is excited to showcase so many of the series’ most well-known vehicles. We are sure that there will be something to satisfy every generation of Bond fan.”
Objectively speaking, we would have to agree with the museum director. With so many screen-used vehicles in one place, there are bound to be a few items that Bond fans would enjoy seeing in person.
If you’re planning on visiting the LA area any time soon, the Bond In Motion exhibit is set to open on September 25th, 2021, and run until October 30th, 2022.
