The James Bond films have a rich history, as the movies have consistently been box office hits over the past fifty years. Trained in the special forces and intelligence, the character of James Bond uses special gadgets and goes undercover in movies to take down a number of villains. The character has been portrayed by many famous screen actors since the 1960s including Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Pierce Brosnan, Daniel Craig, and others.

So far there have been twenty-four Bond films released and although each one is different, many have striking similarities that make up the character of 007. He always has fast cars, Bond girls, spy gadgets, and his classic martini – shaken not stirred. Throughout Bond films, the character has also had a fair share of brands associated with him too. Some of the brands that make James Bond have been Tom Ford, Omega, and Turnbull & Asser.

Cars

From Sean Connery to Daniel Craig, there have been a lot of different fast, sporty, and classic cars that Bond has driven, crashed, and stolen in 007 films. Some of the most iconic James Bond cars have been from well-known car brands such as Bentley, Aston Martin, Lotus, BMW, and many more.

Sunbeam Alpine

The Sunbeam Alpine was the first car driven by Sean Connery in the 1962 film Dr.No. This lake-blue car was manufactured in the West Midlands and featured in a mountainside car chase during the film.

Bentley Mark IV

This Drophead 3.5 Ltr 1935 model was featured in the film From Russia With Love in 1963. Bentley Mark IV being about 30 years old at the time, was an unusual choice for the movie – many Bond films tend to advertise newer cars of the time. The inspiration behind this choice is believed to be linked to the Bentley 4.5 litre used in the Ian Fleming novels.

Aston Martin DB5 & DB10

The 1963 DB5 model was featured in the classic Goldfinger and Thunderball movies. In all of cinema history, this is the most famous Bond car. In the novel, a DB Mark III was used, but at production, the producers chose the newer DB5 model, which has seen its launch at least three months to the release of the film. Gadgets such as machine guns, a tire slasher, a smokescreen and an ejector seat were added to the car.

The Aston Martin DB10 is a 2-door bespoke coupe that was featured in the Spectre movie in 2015. Aston Martin DB10 was specifically manufactured for the movie alongside eight others used in the film. Like the DB5, it was also equipped with many bad-guy fighting features. Some of the features included were a driver ejector seat, a roof that flies away, body armour, flamethrowers and a digital imaging system.

Toyota 2000 GT

This Toyota model was featured in the film You Only Live Twice starring Sean Connery in 1967. It was a Japanese first supercar, and went well with the setting of the film in Japan. During this time, there were only 351 models, making the car rare to find. It had a low roof, which created major restrictions for Connery who is tall. Toyota, however, made quick modifications for the film.

Classic Villains

Since the first Bond film, James has been up against a variety of different villains from all over the world. He has been captured, imprisoned, and even had a few close calls. Over the last five decades, there have been some Bond villains that have been more memorable than the rest.

Ernst Stavro Blofeld

Every Bond film enthusiast knows this villain, and knows who he is by his white pet cat. Blofeld has played a significant part as a villain in the 007 series over the years and has starred in over seven of the films. His latest appearance was in Spectre in 2015 where Academy Award winning actor Christoph Waltz played the mastermind behind the SPECTRE organisation.

Jaws

Jaws was an iconic villain that featured in the 1977 Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me and the 1979 film Moonraker. He worked as a henchman and assassin for other bigger villains, but was still a classic character in Bond history. With superior strength and deadly metal teeth, James wasn’t quite the match for Jaws a lot of the time.

Dr. No

One well-known Bond villain has to be the very first one; Dr. No in the first bond film in 1962. Actor Joseph Wiseman portrayed the character, a half Chinese half German crazy scientist. Dr. No was an eccentric villain with bone-crushing metal hands who was to use a radio beam to interrupt a US space launch. In the 25th Bond film set to be released later this year, Rami Malek plays mysterious character Safin in No Time To Die and might not be who he seems. In Esquire earlier this year, Rami Malek responded to rumours around whether his Bond Villain in the new film was actually the iconic Dr. No.

Casinos

Throughout Bond film history, 007 has played against other characters and villains in a variety of games. Many of these have been casino table games and some have even been video games too. In Never Say Never Again (1983) Sean Connery’s Bond plays against villain Largo in a 3-D video game called Domination, where the loser receives an electric shock or pays a cash bet. However, most of the time Bond is seen donning his black tuxedo to take a turn at casino card games instead.

Casino Royale

In the 2006 release, Daniel Craig enters a high-stakes Texas Hold’em game at the glamorous Casino Royale in Montenegro. Playing against his rival Le Chiffre, Bond plays well and also not so well. At times he plays great hands but at one point he falsely guesses Le Chiffres bluff, making him lose. If you want to see whether you can do better than Bond, there are a range of casino games that can be played live at sites like LeoVegas.com which also feature some glamorous casino backdrops.

Diamonds Are Forever

In 1971, Sean Connery played a game of Craps in Diamonds Are Forever. Following a lead, Bond goes to Whyte house, a casino-hotel that is owned by billionaire Willard White. At the casino, Bond plays a game of Craps and this is also where he meets Bond girl Plenty O’Toole played by Lana Wood.

Dr. No

In the 1962 release, Bond is seen engaged in a game of Baccarat (Chemin de Fer) in a classic gambling club, Le Cercle. This scene is one of the most iconic Bond scenes ever as James Bond is officially introduced for the first time on film. After Sylvia Trench loses a hand of Chemin de Fer to 007, she asks him his name. He casually lights a cigarette and answers with his trademark statement, “Bond, James Bond”.