By: Dave Abrahams
Frankfurt, Germany - James Bond may be forever associated with Aston Martin but the bad guys (and some of the good guys) in the latest instalment of the series, Spectre, drive Land Rovers, and a very special Jaguar.
Jaguar Land Rover invited guests of honour Naomie Harris, who plays Moneypenny, and David Bautista (Hinx) to present some of the four-wheeled stars of the 24th James Bond adventure, led by Jaguar's sexiest concept car ever, the C-X75.
The original silver C-X75 was the sensation of the 2010 Paris motor show and a later version, finished in glamorous metallic bronze, was provided by Jaguar's Special Vehicles Operations, in collaboration with Williams Advanced Engineering, for Spectre villain Hinx to drive in the film.
‘BEAUTIFUL BEAST’
That included one of the iconic car-chase sequences for which Bond movies are justly famous, through the moonlit streets of Rome.
Bautista said: “To be a part of a chase scene in a Bond movie and to drive the C-X75 supercar was like a dream come true for me. It truly is a beautiful beast of a car that will go down in movie history.”
Special Vehicles Operations also built a number of specially modified Land Rover Defenders with enhanced body protection and huge 37 inch off-road tyres, as well as a Range Rover Sport SVR, the fastest and most powerful Land Rover yet, for a major action sequence shot on snow-covered mountain roads in Austria.
Naomie Harris made her Bond-film debut in a Defender in Skyfall.
“I have so many fond memories of shooting that sequence in Istanbul,” she said. “Bond is such a special franchise to be a part of.”
Spectre will be released worldwide from October.