If the reports are true, then James Bond will be back. Unfortunately, it’s not a new film, but it’s the next best thing. January 21st will see some – if not all – of the Bond movies added to Netflix.
To mark what’s almost certain to lead into a weekend-long Bondathon, we’ve compiled a list of EV Bond cars that 007 would – or in our minds, should – be driving in his next adventure.
And before you shout at us for being silly, this is a genuinely serious piece of work. By 2035, all UK Government employees will be required to make the switch from ICE to EV in line with Whitehall policy. Bond does, after all, work for His Majesty…
Polestar 5
Bond’s association with Aston Martin is almost as old as the film franchise itself (we’ll ignore the fact he drives a Bentley in the books) and had the E-Rapide made it to production, it would have been our top pick – swift, stealthy and stylish. But it didn’t. So what can replace it? Well, if any car brand oozes the kind of understated cool that the nation’s favourite secret agent demands, it’s Polestar. Not only that, but the Polestar 5 blends Scandi sophistication with henchman-thwarting performance and staggering levels of technology. From road-scanning suspension that reacts 1,000 times a second to an 871bhp all-wheel-drive powertrain and some of the fastest charging around, the Polestar is exactly the kind of cutting-edge electric car any 21st-century spy would covet. If you need any more convincing, just look at that blanked-out rear-window – it’s like the DB5’s bulletproof shield reimagined for the modern day.
Lotus Emeya
James Bond’s connection with Lotus is almost as famous and long-running as his association with Aston Martin. And while Gaydon’s finest have sworn off EVs for now, the lads and lasses at Hethel (or perhaps Hangzhou) have embraced electrification. So it only feels right that a cleaner, greener Bond embraces them once again. The Emeya is a handsome modern alternative to the Esprit, with plenty of high-tech gadgetry already installed and room for some lasers in those slimline headlights. It’s more than a match for his 1981 Turbo Esprit with its weedy 210bhp, too. In its most potent form, the Emeya will slingshot from 0-62mph in less than 3 seconds thanks to nearly 900bhp. Plenty quick enough to escape Spectre’s clutches.
Inverted Land Rover Series III
We know Bond loves a British icon, and in No Time to Die, the super spy opted for the timeless Land Rover Series III as his Jamaican post-retirement wheels. With a view to maintaining that link but going green, what better choice than Inverted’s conversion? This carefully considered update replaces the noisy old 2.5-litre petrol engine with a silent 160bhp/644lb ft motor that’s connected to the original transfer box to maintain off-road ability. It also adds a 62kWh battery good for 160 miles – plenty for pottering around the Caribbean island in peace.
Longbow
Over the years, Bond has driven a variety of sleek, sporty two-door coupes and convertibles – something that the EV world is still a little short of. Perhaps a Maserati GranTurismo would be a suitable replacement for a DB12, but that feels a little disloyal. Instead, MI6 should look closer to home at the Longbow Speedster and Roadster. Hard-top or topless, these British-built electric sports cars have classic good looks, super-light construction and potent power. Even before Q branch get their hands on them, they look like they’re bristling with hidden weapons And with 275 miles of range and a 0-62mph time of under four seconds, they’re perfect for posing on the Cote D’Azur before foiling an international criminal plot to turn the world’s gold into jelly babies, or something.
BMW i7
MI6’s defection to German brands in the late 1990s caused quite a lot of controversy, especially since Bond’s first BMW was the weedy four-pot Z3. Things didn’t really get better with his next ride – the BMW 750iL. But should Bond need a hulking long-wheelbase limo for some BiK-friendly undercover work, BMW still has him covered with the i7. With 537bhp it’s got plenty of punch, and the Protection variant’s armour plating should keep him safe from villains’ attention. What’s more, just like the 750iL in Tomorrow Never Dies, the i7 is remote control – for parking, at least. So Bond can improve its looks by pitching it off a multi-storey car park.
Renault Megane
No one can forget the sight of Roger Moore (or someone in a Roger Moore wig) hurtling around the streets of Paris in half a Renault 11 (a Renault 5.5?). Sure, it wasn’t an “official” Bond car, but it made an impact. So if the next Bond needs to steal a sensible all-electric French family hatchback in order to pursue a parascending assassin, then he need look no further. The Megane is spacious, stylish, has more than 200bhp and is front-wheel-drive, so can keep going even if the back end gets ripped off by a Parisian lunatic.
Audi S6 Avant
Bond has favoured not just one, but two Audis in the past. In The Living Daylights, Timothy Dalton uses an Audi V8 in the pre-sequence, and an Audi 200 Quattro Avant to wreak havoc – for reasons known unto himself – in and around Marrakesh. Understated, quietly menacing, and silly quick, the 543bhp Audi S6 Avant is the spiritual successor to the latter. With Audi’s fabled all-wheel drive Quattro system, heaps of grip mean that Bond will have no trouble in accessing a villain’s mountain lair or desert hideout. You can guarantee that whatever big-brained software Q-Branch adds to the S6 wagon, it will improve Audi’s current set-up.
Volvo ES90
Little-known fact, but in the ‘unofficial’ Bond novels penned by John Gardener, 007’s company car was a Saab 900 Turbo – a proper Trollhattan car, not a re-skinned Astra, FYI. With that in mind, Bond’s employers should consider doing the right thing and put its long-serving spy back behind the wheel of a Swedish car, because Swedish cars are rad. Very possibly the coolest Volvo since the 850 R, the twin-motor, 670bhp ES90 absolutely looks the part, and given it’s built around Gothenburg’s latest computer system, it can also be packed to the hilt with the latest gadgetry. Courtesy of a 26-tonne carbon footprint, the ES90 is also one of the greenest Volvos ever built, meaning it’ll fit nicely into MI6’s corporate social responsibility plans.
Alfa Romeo Junior Veloce
There’s very little to celebrate about Octopussy – the plot was weak, Roger Moore was at least 843 years old, and the villain was equally as wizened. A high point, however, was Sir Rog (RIP!) nicking an Alfa Romeo GTV6 – while dressed as a clown, naturally – and absolutely hooning it around rural Germany. To mark the occasion, we’d happily see the next Bond do exactly the same thing in an Alfa Romeo Junior Veloce, because that’s the proper way to drive that car. Anyone who says otherwise works for the FSB, and you shouldn’t trust them. Might be worth dropping the Coco suit, though.
Toyota Land Cruiser Electric
No Time To Die was an odd film. A particularly strange scene was when Bond – with mopey girlfriend and their kid in tow – was driving a battered Toyota Land Cruiser Colorado. He then showcased the ageing ‘Yota’s off-road prowess to outmanoeuvre some track-suited wrong’uns peddling much newer Range Rover Sports. Sadly, the Colorado gets through fuel as our hero gets through women and booze, so it’s a big no-no for 007’s next set of company wheels. Touted for release later this year, an all-electric Land Cruiser could well be a shoo-in for the next Bond car: Trekking through the Amazon to demolish a madman’s moon programme? No problem. Smashing through St. Petersburg after invoking the ire of the local secret police? Easy. The big Toyota’s interior can also be hosed down, meaning any car sick mishaps on the little ‘un’s behalf can be swiftly handled with the family Kärcher.
Tesla Model 3
This one caused a bit of a stir in the EV Powered office, but we decided to go with it. It’s no secret that Teslas are tech-centric, making them absolutely ripe for a super-secret Q-Branch skunkworks project. You can absolutely imagine SpaceX boffins strapping a set of wings to a Model 3 Performance, or even Elon The Musk Himself pre-loading the car’s software with ‘Boom Mode’ where the car self-destructs via a big red button hidden somewhere in a touchscreen submenu. Love ’em or hate ’em, the latest Model 3 is also a handsome, yet somewhat anonymous-looking piece of design, making it perfect for covert ops. They’re also cheap, meaning MI6 would have to pay around just £350 on the monthlies for a brand new one. In this economy…
Worthy mentions
Citroën Ami
Bond films are great for suspending reality, and the car chase in For Your Eyes Only was particularly daft. Hounded by a group of pistol-wielding, stout-looking Greek gentlemen driving Peugeot 504 V6s, Sir Rog manages to outdo his assailants driving a massively underpowered Citroën 2CV. How? I hear you ask! Well, by bashing through a load of Spanish vineyards. The serious profession of motoring journalism is thirsty work, and we’d hate to see a drop of Rioja wasted. With that in mind, we’d suggest that Amazon pay homage to the sequence, albeit swapping Spain for a multi-story car park in Birmingham with Bond hooning a Citroen Ami, while the bad lads or lasses – Rosa Klebb and Elektra King, anyone? – hunt him down using an equally slow Microlino.
Ford Mustang Mach-E
Like Audi, Ford has made a few stealthy appearances in the Bond series. The eagle-eyed among you will recall that Daniel Craig’s 007 briefly drove a third-gen Ford Mondeo Titanium (with the tasty, 2.5-litre turbo engine, no less!) in Casino Royale, while Sean Connery’s final outing as Bond proceeded to menace the Las Vegas constabulary in a Mustang Mach I. Yes, the one that went rightways on two wheels down an alley, and emerged unscathed on its left. Unfortunately, there’s no EV Mondeo or fastback Mustang, so Bond will have to settle for a Mustang Mach-E on his next Stateside jaunt. Naturally, he’ll have been co-opted by Felix Leiter to help the CIA take out an unhinged and increasingly despotic US President. Oh. Wait.
