How to buy a James Bond car on the cheap

As we continue to wait for the new James Bond film, maybe it's time to buy one of his cars instead? And they needn’t be expensive

James Ruppert

by James Ruppert

2 October 2021

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There are priceless iconic James Bond vehicles, the Toyota 2000GTs and Aston Martin DB5s of this world, and then there are Leyland Sherpas and Citroën 2CVs.

Yes, some Bond cars you can actually afford. Names you can you can drop in a bar room, or dinner party conversation as genuine, 24 carat Goldfinger motors that Jimmy Bond drove. So as you recover from Christmas watching some old Bond films, look forward to 2021 with an affordable Bond car.

We have the light comedy Roger Moore years to thank for some of the best alternative Bond mobiles, so let’s see what affordable Bond oddities are out there. The qualification is that Her Majesty’s Secret Servant must have at least sat up front...
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Sunbeam Alpine

Dr. No (1962) was the first ever Bond film and you can see Sean Connery rocking around the Caribbean in a pretty, but somewhat sedate Sunbeam Alpine, equipped with all of 80bhp. The V8 Tiger derivative was still a few years away so the Alpine, which managed to outrun a hearse, was up to the job.
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Sunbeam Alpine - continued

Rusty barn finds are only a few grand, but tidy mid 60s (Bond had a Series II, but it doesn’t matter, at least it isn’t an MGB from The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)) examples are from around £8000.
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Ford Mustang Mach 1

The early ‘70s saw a whole bunch of American Theatre pleasing appearances by muscly American motors. These are cheaper Stateside of course, but the Diamonds are Forever (1971) Ford Mustang Mach 1s you can buy over there for £13,000 will be worth at least £5000 more once they cross the pond.
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Citroën 2CV

This one's for our amusement. After Roger Moore’s Lotus Esprit expired he went for a Citroën 2CV in For Your Eyes Only (1981). The great news is that you can buy an un-written off one for around £4000. That'll get an early to mid ‘80s Dolly. Bamboos are up to £4000 and you don’t need to pay £7000 for a early ‘70s import.
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Renault 11

Finding the Renault 11 Taxi in A View to a Kill (1985), which soon became decapitated, is rather more problematic. However it wasn’t a Turbo so you can have 1.4 GTLs for a few hundred pounds. But you’ll have to have a good look – only 40 are left on UK roads today, down from 10,000 in 2000.
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Alfa Romeo GTV6

Baddies in Alfa 159s were a feature of Quantum of Solace (2008) but in Octopussy (1983) an Alfa Romeo GTV6 is not the most obvious car to steal when you absolutely have to get to a Circus, then dress up as a clown to defuse a nuclear device.
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Alfa Romeo GTV6 - continued

However, Roger Moore could carry it off. Prices for GTVs have gone a bit classic car nuts and are five figures which is okay if the rust has been banished. But there are the odd £8000 examples from the ‘80s, which are worth snapping up.
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BMW Z3

First there was the BMW Z3 in Goldeneye (1995), gadget laden in Q’s lab, but it was only good enough for a short commute to a bush airfield. You can drive like Pierce Brosnan for £1000 which will get a 1997 1.9 Z3, which is rather cheaper than the priceless Z8 that was cut in half in The World is Not Enough (1999).
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BMW 750iL

Which brings us to the V12 BMW 750iL in Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), properly gadgeted up with back seat remote driving option. Obviously lesser 7s can be had for £500, but a 750iL is now firmly appreciating and you can't get one for less than £10,000 and up these days, and they may cost a fair few quid again to keep tyred-and-fuelled up…
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Triumph Stag

It must be stressed that these were not Bond’s first choice transportation. So in Diamonds Are Forever (1971) he borrowed a Triumph Stag which managed not to overheat.
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Triumph Stag - continued

This is one the nation’s most popular classics and you can find tidy runners in the £10,000 bracket. Fully sorted examples are £12,000+ and concours condition are now beyond £20,000.
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Leyland Sherpa

The Leyland Sherpa in The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) belonged to Jaws, then Bond nicked it and Jaws retaliated by pulling off the shoddy panels. It then overheated like a Stag in a desert. Tidy pickups are £4000, but wrecks are still hundreds, if that, though they’re fast dying off now.
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Ford Mondeo 2.5

This would be the product placement occasion in Casino Royale (2006) when a Ford Mondeo 2.5 Mk3 breezed into view. Daniel Craig could now buy a family friendly 2008 2.5 Titanium - with Volvo five-cylinder power - for £1500. Just watch out for the annual road tax, which is fairly ruinous for these thirsty machines.
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Bond on the bus

There was a double decker that Roger Moore took off route in Live and Let Die (1973) and lost the top fare payers. It wasn’t a Routemaster, but an AEC Regent RT Type. Wrecks like the one in the film will be a few grand, mint ones are £30,000 and up. You will need somewhere to park it, ideally under cover.

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