Collection of Bond Cars Hits Petersen Automotive Museum
The latest Petersen exhibit will showcase the largest collection of official Bond Cars ever assembled in the United States.
On October 8th, Bond fans will finally get the chance to check out 007’s latest adventure, No Time To Die. And to celebrate the British agent’s return to the silver screen, our friends at the Petersen Automotive Museum have curated Bond in Motion, an exhibit showcasing the largest collection of official Bond cars ever seen on our shores. Whether you’re into Bond, cars, or movies, this looks like a can’t miss event. So if you’re anywhere near Los Angeles, I’d highly recommend checking it out.
While he favored Bentleys in Ian Fleming’s novels, the cinematic Bond is obviously most associated with Aston Martin. Jaguars, like the XKR from Die Another Day, or the C-X75 from Spectre, have traditionally been driven by his enemies — even if the owner of a particularly fetching E-Type restomod never got that message. That said, I’m excited to say that one of my all-time favorite Bond cars made the cut, and while it’s an Aston, it’s not that Aston. Not that I have anything against the DB5.
The Aston I’m referring to, of course, is the V8 Volante driven by Timothy Dalton in The Living Daylights. While I totally get the “British Mustang” comparisons, this baby looks sexy and muscular in all the right ways. Plus? I think that Dalton did a tremendous job playing Bond, and it bothers me that many people think of him as an also-ran. His two outings foreshadowed the darker, serious tone the series took with Craig, and if you watch them today, I think you’ll find both hold up well.
All told, there will be 30-odd vehicles on display at the Petersen, including the wrecked DBS from Casino Royale, the famous Lotus submarine from The Spy Who Loved Me, and a BMW Z8 from a segment of the franchise it’s best just to forget about. All told it seems like a tribute, and writing this post has me even more stoked about the new flick. Because while I’m bummed this will supposedly be Daniel Craig’s last outing as the legendary British agent, I can’t wait to see what Fleabag creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge did to the script — and I think that Rami Malek was born to play a super villain.
Photos: Petersen Automotive Museum