This BMW Z8 Coupe Is the Car James Bond Should Have Driven in ‘No Time to Die’
James Bond gets to drive some really cool cars, from BMW to Aston Martin models. Obviously, the most recent film, “No Time to Die”, is no exception. While the film isn’t out until early October here in the US, you can be sure the iconic Aston Martin DB5 will be making a return in Craig’s final outing as James Bond.
However, these Bond cars are almost always an Aston Martin. That’s a crying shame because this ultra-rare BMW Z8 Coupe done by Smit Vehicle Engineering is prettier than any Aston Martin on sale today.
How rare is the BMW Z8?
Smit Vehicle Engineering starts the process with what is already an incredibly rare car. The BMW Z8 came to the US with only 405 of its brothers and sisters in tow. Honestly, I wish I had known that before getting to see one the other day. They’re an absurdly rare sight to say the least.
And the standard model is just as impressive as it is rare. Back in 2000, the Z8 got a 6-speed manual transmission, RWD, and BMW’s fantastically high-revving S62 V8 that produced almost 400 hp. That, coupled with low production numbers, means its rare to see one of these change hands for under $200,000, per Classics.com. It’s an incredibly cool car that has already seen some screen time in “The World is Not Enough”.
Rest assured, ‘No Time to Die’ will still have some killer metal
Photo courtesy of Aston Martin 
The DB5 | National Motor Museum via Getty Images
However, that isn’t to say that the cars in “No Time to Die” aren’t cool as all hell. We’re rumored to be getting a glimpse of the new Aston Martin Valhalla, one of the brand’s newest attempts at a mid-engined Aston. That’s almost as cool as the Smit Vehicle Engineering BMW Z8. Obviusly, we can certainly expect to see the classic DB5, which you can see in the trailer above.
And as cool as those two Astons are, they simply cannot match the understated beauty of this even rarer BMW Z8. Smit calls it “Oletha”, and says it’s the car BMW wishes they had built. Upon first look, they’re right. Those incredible exterior looks, coupled with the fact that the cars in “No Time to Die” are both more common and less interesting, is exacly why this is the better Bond car.
Smit Vehicle Engineering built the BMW Z8 that BMW couldn’t
The Oletha BMW Z8 Coupe | Ted Seven Photography
It’s not just on the surface that this Oletha BMW Z8 is better than Bavaria’s original. Power gets upped to “450+” with a carbon fiber intake. No part of the car is left untouched, including the body. That, amazingly, is done up in carbon-fiber composite. The inside is just as overbuilt as the outside, with the interior completely redone by Smit. This is the kind of sublte speed and taste fans expect from Bond cars, and the Oletha BMW Z8 makes the Aston Martins in “No Time to Die” look as common as Civics.
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