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| Aston Martin 007 V8 Vantage/Volante (from the film 'The Living Daylights') (1978/1987) | |
| During the 1970's and early 1980's James Bond 007 had been denied the use of an Aston Martin. Whilst a Lotus Esprit is British, it will never be a sufficient alternative to an Aston Martin. But for the 1987 film, 'The Living Daylights', the producers renewed their relationship with the Tickford St. factory, allowing Bond the opportunity to sample the delights, for the first and last time, of a Newport Pagnell V8. Now it depends how you look at it - he either had one or two cars and this has caused confusion. | |
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So, at the start of the film, we see our hero, played for the first time by Timothy Dalton, driving 'B549 WUU' a V8 Volante with Cumberland Grey coachwork and upholstered in black leather. This car was in fact the personal transport of Victor Gauntlett, the Chairman of AML. This car, even without visiting Q branch, was a bit special as it was fitted with a Vantage engine, prior to it being offered as a production car. I eventually saw this particular V8 at the AMOC Horsfall race meeting in 2007, participating in the 007 track parade. During the film, and whilst in Volante form, the V8 did not display any particular 'special features'. A little later, we again see the Volante, this time in Q's workshop, where it appears to be receiving a hardtop. The script describes the car as being 'winterised'. The result is a V8 saloon; an Oscar India car that you are expected to believe is the Volante with a closed roof - this is of course impossible - but hey, it's only a film. In reality, the factory used a pair of second-hand V8's which were refurbished and modified for filming the stunt work in the mountains of Austria although much of the plot was set in Czechoslovakia. They do have visible 'Vantage' badges, but these I guess were fitted as they would have been seen on the Volante; to all intents and purposes, the car was an 'Oscar India' V8. The V8 coupe is still, I believe jointly owned by AM and Eon Productions, and is occasionally displayed at public events. I have been able to photograph the car at 1986 British Motor Show, Coys Historic Festival, Silverstone, 1998 and the AMOC St. Georges Day Windsor event in 2005. |
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| The above B+W images are press pictures that were released by the producers of the Bond film in 1987. Clearly, the Jet booster is a working effect. Notice that once the front tyre was blown off, the wheel has a metal disc which indicates that the skis couldn't actually support the heavy V8. | |
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Just like the DB5 before it, the V8 had many gadgets
Such were the demands of parts for the filming, there was apparently a shortage of bumpers and windscreens at the factory for a short while afterwards. One of the original V8's is still owned by the factory and can occasionally be seen at classic car events.
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But remember that the number plate was the same on all the cars used during
filming. The actual number officially stayed on the Volante until 2000 when
it went overseas. Subsequently the registration number was purchased and can
now be seen on another V8 saloon, also finished in the correct shade of
Cumberland Gray with matching black leather. Not an original 007 car, but a
very convincing replica/recreation how ever you want to see it. The car is
illustrated here when it was photographed on a visit to the Aston Martin
factory at Newport Pagnell in 2004. Perhaps the only obvious difference to the real
thing are the new AM heritage 'Ronal like' wheels instead of the BBS cross
spokes seen in the film. This car really looks the part, a real head turner |
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| Page Updated Thursday July 26, 2007 |
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