As the quest for the new James Bond goes on, one thing remains certain: whoever gets the tuxedo will have some enormous automotive shoes to fill. Bond may get the gadgets, the girls and the licence to kill, but the villains have always understood something rather important: if you are going to take over the world, you might as well arrive in something spectacular. From Rolls Royce limousines to Jaguars capable of making an Aston Martin look positively sensible, these are six villain cars that managed to steal the scene from 007 himself.
Rolls Royce Phantom III – Goldfinger
Auric Goldfinger had many questionable hobbies, including gold, international crime and an unhealthy interest in nuclear warfare, but his choice of transport was impeccable. The Rolls Royce Phantom III he uses in Goldfinger is a magnificent piece of pre war British engineering, powered by a 7.3 litre V12 and built with the sort of imposing presence that makes almost every other car on the road look like a delivery van. More importantly, Goldfinger’s Phantom is not merely transport. It becomes part of his character: enormous, expensive and utterly convinced that everyone else should move out of its way.
Mercedes Benz 250 SE – Octopussy
The Mercedes Benz 250 SE in Octopussy may not have the outrageousness of some of the other cars on this list, but that is precisely why it works. Based on the W108 generation, the 250 SE represented German engineering at its most restrained, with elegant proportions and a smooth straight six under the bonnet. In a Bond film filled with exotic machinery and increasingly absurd situations, the Mercedes brings a dose of understated menace. It is the automotive equivalent of a villain who does not need to raise his voice because everyone already knows he is dangerous.
Also Read: German Grand Prix Set For Potential F1 Return After 7 Years
Lincoln Continental – Goldfinger
The Lincoln Continental in Goldfinger is another example of the Bond franchise understanding that villains should arrive in something suitably imposing. The Continental’s enormous dimensions and American luxury character made it perfectly suited to the film’s larger than life atmosphere. And then there is the fact that it belonged to Oddjob, Goldfinger’s famously deadly henchman, whose wardrobe and hat were considerably less subtle than the Lincoln. It is a big, heavy and gloriously excessive American car from an era when manufacturers seemed to believe that fuel economy was something that happened to other countries.
Jaguar XKR – Die Another Day
The Jaguar XKR in Die Another Day is one of those cars that seemed to arrive from a completely different planet. Driven by Zao, the film’s suitably frosty villain, the XKR was transformed into an aggressively styled machine equipped with armour and an array of weaponry. Underneath was Jaguar’s supercharged 4.0 litre V8, but the important thing was that this was no longer simply a British grand tourer. It had become a weapon. The chase through Iceland, involving Bond’s Aston Martin V12 Vanquish and Zao’s Jaguar, remains one of the franchise’s most spectacular automotive confrontations. And yes, there was an invisible Aston Martin involved. Because apparently a normal car chase was not enough.
Also Read: Koenigsegg CCGT: The Extraordinary Racing Hypercar That Never Got To Race
Jaguar C X75 – Spectre
Then came the Jaguar C X75 in Spectre, and suddenly the villains had acquired something genuinely futuristic. Originally conceived as a hybrid concept car by Jaguar, the C X75 was developed into a spectacular machine for the film and given to Mr Hinx, played by Dave Bautista. Its sleek bodywork, enormous presence and high performance made it a worthy opponent for Bond’s Aston Martin DB10 during the Rome chase. The production version never reached showrooms, which is a shame because it looked considerably more interesting than most things actually available to buy. In Spectre, it became the perfect villain’s car: beautiful, intimidating and just futuristic enough to suggest that its owner has probably already started planning something unpleasant.
The Villains Knew What Bond Knew All Along
There is a curious rule in the Bond universe: the good guy gets the beautiful car, but the bad guy gets something that makes you want to look twice. These machines are not merely props. They establish character before the villains have even said their first line. Goldfinger’s Rolls Royce communicates wealth and authority. Zao’s Jaguar communicates aggression. Mr Hinx’s C X75 communicates technological menace. And as the search for the next Bond continues, the question is not simply who will play 007. It is also what he will drive. Because whoever gets behind the wheel of the next Bond car will have to contend with more than six decades of automotive history. And, judging by Bond’s villains, probably a bloke in a leather jacket trying to blow it up.
