What car did James Bond drive?

BOND'S CARS

Lotus Turbo Esprit

Lotus Turbo Esprit, 1980

  • Manufacturer: Lotus
  • Model: Turbo Esprit (Type 82)
  • Variant:
  • Years manufactured: 1981-1987
  • Type: coupe
  • Origin: UK

For Your Eyes Only

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Bond drives his Lotus Turbo Esprit to Hector Gonzales' villa outside of Madrid, Spain

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Gonzales' henchmen, find Bond's Lotus Turbo Esprit and attempt to break into it, triggering the car to self-destruct

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Q Branch rebuild the Lotus Turbo Esprit and it is reissued to James Bond for him to pursue villian Emile Leopold Locque to the ski resort of Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy

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Actor Roger Moore reportedly enjoyed driving the Lotus Turbo Esprit around Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, during movie production

 

 

Cast

In the movie For Your Eyes Only, James Bond is issued a Lotus Turbo Esprit. In the early scenes, set in Spain but filmed on location in Corfu, Greece, the car is white in colour and carries British registration plate OPW 654W. After being blown-up, the car is rebuilt by MI6's Q Branch (Bond to Q: "I see you've managed to get the Lotus back together again,") and reappears in scenes set and filmed on location in ski resort Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, then being bronze in colour and with British registration plate OPW 678W.

For Your Eyes Only was filmed between September 1980 and February 1981. Lotus Cars supplied the movie production company with two complete Lotus Turbo Esprits - one was the Turbo Esprit prototype used by company founder Colin Chapman. They also supplied an empty bodyshell used for the self destruct explosion scene. Both cars were reportedly originally white in colour, but the production company had Lotus repaint one (to the bronze colour) so that it would be more visible against the snow backdrop.

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