Our favorite photos posted over the last thirty days
“The Most Famous Car in the World.” Photo: Sotheby’s.
I LOVE James Bond and everything around the mythical 007 – a true British gentleman.
In 1964, James Bond, then played by Sean Connery, was introduced to his silver Aston Martin DB5 in the film Goldfinger. The DB5 caused a tremendous amount of talk, not only because of its timeless beauty, but also because of those tempting gadgets that were fitted to it: oil spray; bullet-proof shield; radar screen; revolving number plates; gun tray under driver’s seat; tire slashers; and, of course, the famous ejector seat with the control button in the gear stick. The car is crashed in Goldfinger but is later recovered and restored by Q, as the car appears again in Thunderball (1965).
The car later then be seen in GoldenEye (1995), driven by Pierce Brosnan to the Monte Carlo Casino, with a playful chase scene between Bond in his Aston Martin DB5 versus Xenia Onatopp in her red Ferrari 355 GTS. The DB5 is then fitted with an Alpine 7817R car radio that is also a printer, a communication device, and a champagne cooler between the seats. The license plate has changed to BMT 214A.
The car can be seen briefly in Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), as well.
In Casino Royale (2006), we find out how Bond acquired the car when Daniel Craig, as Bond, wins an Aston Martin DB5, license plate 56526, in a poker game at the One & Only Club in the Bahamas.
In Skyfall (2012), the Aston Martin DB5 is once again put to use when Bond drives M to Scotland. It is one of the last scenes in the movie that is made so that it “could have taken place in 1962,” according to Sam Mendes in a videoblog about the DB5 in Skyfall. The license plate number is BMT 216A. Sadly, by the end of the film, the car is completely destroyed by the evil Silva (played by Javier Bardem).
In Spectre (2015), Q restores the famed DB5 for Bond and, at the end of the movie, we see James Bond drive away in the DB5 with Madeleine Swann (Léa Seydoux) in the passenger seat.
The DB5 can be seen in the video games 007 Racing, Agent Under Fire, From Russia with Love, and James Bond 007: Blood Stone. The DB5 also made cameo appearances in the comedy The Cannonball Run, driven by Roger Moore’s character, and in the TV film The Return of the Man from U.N.C.L.E., with George Lazenby playing a Bond-like character who is referred to as “JB” and drives a DB5 (license plate JB).
In the upcoming film No Time To Die, James Bond will once again drive the restored DB5, this time with some new gadgets, such as machine guns behind the headlights. The movie trailer gives hints that the car could be involved in the biggest action scene since Goldfinger – Aston Martin DB5 in full attack mode!
“The Most Beautiful Car Ever Made.” Photo: John Lamm.
Enzo Ferrari dubbed the Jaguar XK-E “the most beautiful car ever made” and I’m inclined to agree. Its long, sweeping bonnet and small, simple grille afford the car one of the most iconic silhouettes in the motoring world; it’s a design every British gentleman should recognize instantly.
Throughout the company’s eight decades, Lotus’ innovation on road and track has been key to delivering success. Colin Chapman’s obsession with weight is woven into the company’s DNA. “Simplify, then add lightness” was his philosophy long before “minimalism” became fashionable. Another of Chapman’s design premises: “Adding power makes you faster on the straights; subtracting weight makes you faster everywhere.”
Lewis Hamilton at the wheel. Photo: Getty.
Lewis Hamilton is a natural, a prodigy who’s superior to 95 percent of Formula 1 drivers. Few can match his ability to achieve consistent lap times again and again and again.
“The Gentleman Was a Tiger.” Photo: Jesse Alexander.
No one in the automotive world personified the British gentleman better than the legendary Sir Stirling Moss. We lost the great man earlier this year – will we ever see his like again?