The Real Story Behind James Bond’s ‘New’ 1980s Aston Martin V8 In ‘No Time To Die’
In the final Daniel Craig James Bond movie No Time To Die, Agent 007 drives some beautiful classic vehicles. He uses a mini-gun-equipped Aston Martin DB5 in a chase. He cruises around Jamaica in a vintage Land Rover. But one car is a touching homage to 1987’s The Living Daylights: A 1987 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Volante. Learn the real story behind James Bond’s ‘New’ 1980s Aston Martin V8.
Origins of The Living Daylights Aston Martin Vantage Volante
1987’s, The Living Daylights introduces a new actor as 007: Timothy Dalton. A brand new Aston Martin was an excellent way to differentiate Dalton’s Bond from past iterations. That said, the car in the movie is an “Aston Martin V8 Vantage Volante” coupe. This car never existed off the silver screen. Here’s the scoop:
The Aston Martin company had experienced a dropoff in sales. So when Eon Productions sought a new James Bond car, the luxury manufacturer was interested. The company’s president offered his personal car, a pre-production prototype, for James Bond to drive to an MI6 meeting in the British countryside.
The prototype was the first convertible model of the Aston Martin V8 with the Vantage package. The Vantage package was a trim level that included a more powerful engine. Aston Martin had badged this pre-production car as a Volante (convertible) but installed all the standard Vantage trim as well.
After the England scenes, the film crew planned an extended car chase in the mountains of Austria. They asked Aston Martin for a hardtop coupe and added a line in which Q says he “winterized” 007’s car. The only problem was that Bond’s car had already been seen wearing “Volante “badges. For this reason, the film crew added incorrect Volante badges to an Aston Martin coupe to complete the film.
The 1987 Aston Martin Vantage Volante’s gadgets
In addition to being “winterized,” The Living Daylights‘ Aston Martin features an arsenal of gadgets.
During the film, James Bond picks up Russian agent Kara Milovy and attempts to smuggle her across the Austrian border. He reveals his first gadget when he fiddles with the car’s radio and picks up a police band. The second is a cutting laser in the wheel hub he uses to slice a police cruiser off its frame.
Later in the film, the Aston Martin turns out to be bulletproof. In addition, Q Branch has installed missiles below the car’s fog lights. Later, Bond uses a pair of ski/skate “outriggers” to compensate for a flat tire and drive onto a border lake. Finally, the secret agent lights up the car’s rocket engine to jump a Soviet dam. The rocket engine makes one of the fastest Aston Martin cars even faster.
Watch the exciting chase scene for yourself in the video below:
Overall, The Living Daylights‘ Aston Martin V8 is one of the most memorable James Bond cars. This vehicle’s gadgets are second only to the infamous Goldfinger 1964 Aston Martin DB5. But Craig’s James Bond already revisited that DB5. The filmmakers wanted something fresh. And the 1987 Aston Martin is an excellent candidate for resurrection as a No Time To Die car.
The 1987 Aston Martin V8 returns in No Time To Die
Daniel Craig’s James Bond is a bit of a classic car fan. It all started when he won a 1964 Aston Martin DB5 in a poker game during his first double-0 mission in Casino Royale.
In Skyfall, he reveals he still has a classic DB5 (though converted to right-hand drive) that he uses to escape because it has no electronics the hacker bad guy can track. In the film’s climax, James Bond uses classic Connery-era gadgets to fight the bad guys with his DB5.
Near the end of Spectre, Bond leaves London in his DB5. In the beginning of No Time To Die, the bad guys catch up with him. From No Time To Die the trailer. [Spoiler Alert] Bond fights the bad guys off but wrecks his beloved car.
Later in No Time To Die, James Bond comes out of retirement for one last mission. In a scene reminiscent of Skyfall, he sweeps a car cover off a vehicle in storage. He reveals an Aston Martin V8. Relive the moment in the video below:
Bond’s Aston Martin is not any 1987 V8. To be precise, it is the Vantage from No Time To Die. Just as he found himself driving a copy of Sean Connery’s DB5, it seems Craig ends up in Dalton’s V8. The vehicle is the same color, year, and model. It even wears The Living Daylights‘ B549 WUU license plate.
Though this car’s existence in the “Craig era” defies film logic, it is a lovely homage to the too-often-overlooked Dalton era.
If you want to see another No Time To Die Aston Martin, read about building the BMW-powered DB5 Bond drifts across cobblestone Italian streets or learn more about the iconic relationship between Aston Martin and James Bond in the video below:
