What car did James Bond drive?

BOND'S CARS

Sunbeam Alpine

Sunbeam Alpine, 1961

  • Manufacturer: Rootes Group
  • Model: Sunbeam Alpine
  • Variant: Series II
  • Years manufactured: 1959-1968
  • Type: convertible
  • Origin: UK

Dr. No

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In Dr. No, while on assignment in Kingston, Jamaica, James Bond hires a Sunbeam Alpine to drive to Miss Taro's home up in the hills

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Driving the Sunbeam Alpine up into the hills, Bond is intercepted and chased by villians 

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Bond drives the Sunbeam Alpine at high speed on unsealed roads to escape his pursuers

Cast

Much of Dr. No is set and was filmed on location in Jamaica, combined with movie-set filming at Pinewood studios in England. Movie production took place between January 1962 and March 1962. The car Bond hires while in Kingston is a right-hand drive Sunbeam Alpine with registration plate Z 8301.

The car used in movie production was either a Series I or Series II Sunbeam Alpine - these two models are visually indistinguishable as the main difference is the Series II has a larger engine - but based on production timing it widely assumed that it was a 1961 Series II model. The vehicle used in Jamaica was reportedly rented from a local physician on the island for 12 shillings per day as car manufacturers (including Jaguar and Aston Martin) that had been approached declined to provide cars for the movie. A comparable model Sunbeam Alpine must have been sourced in England for the studio scenes.

Sources