Bond In Motion exhibit in Beaulieu: 50 years. 50 vehicles.

By: Anders Frejdh

Published:
2012-01-27

Colin Salmon at Bond in Motion in Beaulieu 2012

Bond in Motion, an exhibition celebrating 50 years of James Bond films, features a variety of vehicles from twenty-one of the James Bond films.

Bond in Motion is the official exhibition of 50 original James Bond vehicles and is the largest of its kind staged anywhere in the world. The exhibition showcases a whole range of iconic movie vehicles that have appeared in Bond films over the years. Just some of the stars on show include the 1964 Aston Martin DB5 and the 1937 Phantom lll Rolls Royce, both from Goldfinger (1964), the Lotus Esprit S1 affectionately nicknamed ‘Wet Nellie’ from The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), the Bede Acrostar jet famously flown in Octopussy (1983), the original SFX Cello Case Ski famously navigated by Timothy Dalton in The Living Daylights (1987), the BMW 750iL from Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), and the original villain Parahawk featured in The World Is Not Enough (1999).

Bond in Motion Beaulieu 2012 event

Ralph Montagu making his welcome speech at BOND IN MOTION

Bond in Motion Beaulieu 2012 event

Eunice Gayson, Britt Ekland, Jenny Hanley and Madeline Smith

Bond in Motion Beaulieu 2012 event

Ralph Montagu and the Bond girls

From Sweden With Love was delighted be one of the invited to the launch of Bond in Motion at the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu on Sunday 15th January 2012. Along with Britt Ekland, we were the only Swedish people present on the day.

Bond in Motion Beaulieu 2012 event

Britt Ekland and Tequila admiring some of the other vehicles on display at the National Motor Museum

Other guests involved in EON Productions James Bond series included Academy Award winner and special effects genius, Chris Courbold, and stunt expert Vic Armstrong. Actors on hand for media interviews were Colin Salmon, Eunice Gayson, Jenny Hanley, Madeline Smith, and Shane Rimmer. Ken Wallis, who invented the autogyro and doubled for Sean Connery in the sequences with 'Little Nellie' in You Only Live Twice (1967), was also in attendance.

As a member of The Ian Fleming Foundation since 1998, it was lovely to be accompanied by the board members; Brad Frank, Dave Reinhardt, Dave Worrall, Doug Redenius, and Michael VanBlaricum. Unfortunately, fellow board member, IFF President Peter Janson-Smith, was unable to attend. (The IFF have loaned 17 vehicles from their collection to the exhibition). It was also nice to see a member of Ian Fleming's family at the event, Lucy Fleming, Ian's niece. (Since 1997, Lucy, along with her sister Kate Fleming, have controlled Ian Fleming Publications.)

On a personal note, it was lovely to hear Britt Ekland reveal her favourite vehicle in the exhibition. It was the red Mercury Cougar XR7 from On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) which coincidentally is a vehicle yours truly helped the IFF to acquire. (It used to reside in Sweden for over 25 years.)

Meg Simmonds, Archive Director at EON Productions Ltd, said they had come up with the idea for the exhibition in late 2010 with the importance of 2012 in mind. "This is a really fitting celebration in an important year for Bond movies. It marks the 50th anniversary of the start of filming the first Bond movie, Dr. No (1962), and in October we will release the latest movie, starring Daniel Craig."

It was nice to see other familiar faces from the Bond community attending the launch. Apart from the IFF folks mentioned above; Ajay Chowdhury (editor of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang), Andrew Lycett (author of Ian Fleming: The Man Behind James Bond), Gareth Owen (Roger Moore's PA and proprietor of Bondstars), George Martin (proprietor of GHM Photographics), Matthew Field (author of 'The Making of The Italian Job', 'Michael Caine: You’re a big man', and 'Blade Runners, Deer Hunters And Blowing the Bloody Doors Off'), Paul Kenny (author of The Man Who Supercharged Bond) and Vipul Patel from MI6 Confidential.

Below is a full list of the films represented, and the associated vehicles that feature in the exhibition - from cars to boats to planes, and even a few unorthodox ones that only James Bond could carry off! (All vehicles owned by EON Productions except where noted.)

• From Russia with Love (1963)
Fairey Huntress
Owner: Michael Dezer

• Goldfinger (1964)
Aston Martin DB5 (Owned by Louwmann Museum)
Rolls-Royce Phantom III
Parachute

• Thunderball (1965)
Tow Sled
Owner: The Ian Fleming Foundation

• You Only Live Twice (1967)
Little Nellie (Still owned by Ken Wallis)
Burial-At-Sea Bed

• On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)
Mercury Cougar XR7
Owner: The Ian Fleming Foundation

• Diamonds Are Forever (1971)
Ford Mustang Mach 1
Bath-O-Sub
Honda ATC
All three owned by: The Ian Fleming Foundation

• Live and Let Die (1973)
Glastron GT-150
Owner: The Ian Fleming Foundation

• The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)
AMC Hornet
Owner: The Ian Fleming Foundation

• The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
Lotus Esprit S1 (Owned by IFF)
Wetbike (Owned by IFF)
Speargun Sled

• Moonraker (1979)
Glastron CV-23HT
Owner: The Ian Fleming Foundation

• For Your Eyes Only (1981)
Citroen 2CV
Owner: The Ian Fleming Foundation

• Octopussy (1983)
Acrostar BD-5J Jet
Tuk-Tuk Taxi (Owned by IFF)
Crocodile Mini-Sub

• Never Say Never Again (1983)
Underwater Tow Sled
Owner: The Ian Fleming Foundation

• A View to a Kill (1985)
Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud II
Renault 11 TXE (Owned by IFF)

• The Living Daylights (1987)
Aston Martin V8 Volante
Cello Case Sled
'PIG'

• GoldenEye (1995)
Cagiva 600 W16
Owner: The Ian Fleming Foundation

• Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
BMW 750iL
BMW R1200C (Owned by IFF)

• The World Is Not Enough (1999)
Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow II
Parahawk
BMW Z8
Q Boat

• Die Another Day (2002)
Aston Martin V12 Vanquish
Jaguar XKR
Ford Thunderbird
Osprey Hovercraft
Surfboard
Switchblade Glider
Bell-Textron Jet Pack
Bombardier MX Z-Rev Ski-Doo (Owned by IFF)
Ice Dragster
Union Jack Parachute

Bond in Motion Beaulieu 2012 event

Vic Armstrong next to the the Jaguar XKR from Die Another Day

• Casino Royale (2006)
Skyfleet S570
Aston Martin DBS
Roll-damaged Aston Martin DBS

• Quantum of Solace (2008)
Aston Martin DBS
Quarry-damaged Aston Martin DBS
Montesa Cota 4RT
Ford Ka

So, what is our review of this exhibition? Well, it is a must-see for all James Bond fans (no matter the age), car enthusiasts, and collectors interested in genuine film props. It is much more comprehensive than The World of James Bond 007 exhibition in Portsmouth 1997 and better displayed than the Bond, James Bond exhibition at London's Science Museum for the 40th Anniversary in 2002.

Unfortunately, there are no vehicles from the first 007 adventure, Dr. No (1962), as no one knows where all of those ended up. All in all, a fascinating collection worth visiting for the entire family as there are also many other things to see in the area.

Editor's note:
Collectors of James Bond memorabilia will be pleased to discover that, apart from a 32-page souvenir brochure about 'Bond in Motion', the museum's gift shop has a very large section of 007 merchandise for sale.

Also, drive down to Beaulieu in your "James Bond car" this summer and become part of the first Simply Bond – a gathering of Bond cars of all shapes and sizes. This rally is open to any vehicle which has featured in a James Bond film.

For the latest information about 'Bond in Motion', visit the official website.

Copyright © 2012 From Sweden With Love. All rights reserved.

Tags:

#50th_film_anniversary

#ian_fleming_foundation

#james_bond_museum

#jenny_hanley

#vic_armstrong

Tag Cloud

Bond In Motion exhibit in Beaulieu: 50 years. 50 vehicles.

Tag Cloud