Vehicles from the new James Bond movie, No Time to Die, are being displayed as part of the “Bond In Motion” exhibition at the London Film Museum in Covent Garden, which the museum calls “the largest official collection of original James Bond vehicles in the world.”
The vehicles newly displayed are an Aston Martin DB5 stunt replica with damage and bullet “hits;” an Aston Martin V8, a Land Rover Series III, a Land Rover Defender 110 with some damagesuffered during filming in Norway, a Triumph Scrambler 1200 XE and a Royal Alloy GT125 scooter.
The announcement quotes the movie’s special effects supervisor Chris Corbould, stunt coordinator Lee Morrison and stunt driver Mark Higgins.
“The action vehicles team consisted of approximately 20 technicians working in conjunction with numerous engineers from Aston Martin and Jaguar Land Rover,” said Corbould, a veteran of 15 007 movies, nine as special-effects supervisor.
“Aston Martin built eight bespoke DB5s along with an extensive spares package capable of completing the rapidly evolving action sequence in Matera, Italy. They also supplied three Aston Martin V8s as used in The Living Daylights and two of the latest DBS Superleggera.
“At the same time discussions were being held with Jaguar Land Rover to produce the first batch of eight New Land Rover Defenders, a mission shrouded in secrecy as the world had no idea at this stage of the design.
“A number of the DB5s and the Defenders were fitted out with complete roll cages, safety fuel cells, fire extinguisher systems, hydraulic hand brakes, battery isolators, rally seats and five-point harnesses. Q Branch gadgets on the DB5 include revolving M134 mini-guns appearing from the drop-down headlights, traditional smoke screen, mines dropping from under the rear bumper and an LED number plate creating a modern take on the Goldfinger revolving version.
“Other vehicles that played special roles in the film include Bond’s Land Rover Series 111, a Royal Alloy GT125 scooter used in Jamaica, and a Triumph Scrambler motorbike used in Matera.
“I think the audience will be thrilled to see the DB5 in full battle mode driving at speed through the streets of historic Matera in Italy. As the city is built on the side of a hillside, the balconies, roofs and gardens created a natural amphitheater, and the public clapped and applauded whenever the iconic Bond car was in action.”
Morrison noted that No Time to Die is his fifth Bond film, “and the stunts get bigger and more ambitious every time.
“We knew we wanted to achieve something off-road and the New Defender didn’t disappoint. We put the vehicles through the most extreme conditions in a chase sequence, and they were unstoppable.
“The three Triumph scramblers and the Tiger 900 we used were specially modified to handle the rigors of the action sequences in Norway and Italy, part of which can be seen in the first trailer. I’m really proud of the stunts we created, and I’m excited to see the audience reaction when the film is released.”
It was Higgins who drove the DB5s for the movie action footage.
“It was a great job to work on,” he said, “and I can’t wait to see the finished sequence in April.”
