The latter part of Octopussy is set in Germany; however most scenes were filmed on location in England, including the railway scenes which were filmed on location on the Nene Valley Railway in Cambridgeshire, England, between August 1982 and January 1983. The Mercedes-Benz 280S used in filming was a left-hand drive 1968 or later model with registration plate BT 36-72. The car's usual model identification badges are obscured in the movie, so it cannot be determined conclusively whether the cars used were 280S or 280SE models.
The Mercedes-Benz 280S in Octopussy participates in a high-speed car chase that involves stunt-driving on two wheels, driving without tyres, driving on rail tracks, collision with a railway locomotive which throws the car from a bridge into a river and finally being lifted from the water. Such stunts would have required multiple vehicles, at least two, as separate vehicles were used for the collision with the locomotive and for the drop into the river.
