It wouldn’t be a Bond movie without a thrilling cat-and-mouse car chase and, in honor of the franchise, SPYSCAPE ranks 10 of the most adrenaline-fuelled in 007’s history.
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10. Die Another Day (2002), Aston Martin V12 Vanquish v Jaguar XKR

Did Bond’s ‘invisible’ Aston Martin Vanquish jump the shark? No matter. Pierce Brosnan’s duel with Zao (Rick Yune) - who’s styling a Jaguar XKR on a frozen lake -  is awesome - even if 007 does suffer an ‘adaptive camouflage failure’. As Yune said: “You have these two powerful machines that are built for battle but they’re facing off against each other as if in a ballet, dancing on ice.” 

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9. Quantum Of Solace (2008), Aston Martin DBS V12 v two Alfa Romeo 159s 

Quantum Of Solace’s thrilling opening scene has Bond (Daniel Craig) speeding down the Lago di Garda mountain road en route to Siena, Italy in an Aston Martin DBS V12. Behind him? Two Alfa Romeo 159s and villains with machine guns. Italian police join the chase just for fun. 007 escapes, of course, minus a door, but there’s a surprise in the trunk. Unmissable.

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8. Skyfall (2012) Land Rover Defender 110, two Honda CRF250Rs‍

Moneypenny (Naomi Harris) is in the driver’s seat for a kickass turn behind the wheel of a Land Rover Defender 110 in Skyfall’s spectacular chase through Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar. Bond and a henchman rev up the action on Honda CRF250R motocross bikes across a terra cotta rooftop. Stunt double Robbie Maddison said the scariest part was driving without helmets. 

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7. The Man With The Golden Gun (1974), AMC Hornet X Hatchback

The insane 360-car corkscrew roll sets The Man With the Golden Gun apart. Bond (Roger Moore) is driving a stolen red AMC Hornet X with the film crew set up along the canal at Khlong Rangsit, Thailand. Stuntman Loren Willert (dressed in black) was in the driver’s seat with two dummies of Bond and Sheriff Pepper on either side. Willert had never tried the stunt before but wasn’t overly concerned. “As long as it had the run up, so long as it’s 48 miles per hour, the rest is automatic,” director Guy Hamilton said. “You hang on, cross your fingers, and bingo he did it in one take.”

6. Thunderball (1965), DB5 v 1957 Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner ‍

Stunt driver Bob Simmons had a brush with death during Thunderball. Bond (Sean Connery), in a silver birch Aston Martin DB5, is being chased by Count Lippe’s black 1957 Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner. SPECTRE’s Fiona Volpe (Luciana Paluzzi) launched rockets from her gold BSA 650cc A65L Lightning motorcycle to blow up the Ford. Simmons was supposed to leap out before the Ford crashed but the car hit a ditch. Simmons fell backward into the flaming car but escaped without injury.

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5. The Living Daylights (1987), Aston Martin V8 Vantage Volante Series II  

Bond (Timothy Dalton) is driving an Aston Martin V8 when Czech police U-turn to pursue him in a snowy mountain chase. It’s nothing the Aston Martin’s lasers can’t resolve, of course. Luckily, 007’s car has a few optional extras allowing 007 to bomb his way through a military roadblock. The pièce de résistance is still to come, however, with Bond’s figure skating twirl.

4. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969), 1969 DB5 and Mercury Cougar XR7 convertible 

Bond (George Lazenby) is driving a 1969 Aston Martin DBS in his first and only 007 film but it is Tracy (Diana Rigg) who’s behind the wheel of the red 1969 Mercury Cougar XR7 convertible during the memorable ice car race. She tries to shake off Irma Bunt and Blofeld’s henchmen. The film crew shot the race on a Swiss playing field flooded with water every night because the weather wasn’t cooperating. The set kept melting during daylight, causing headaches and delays.

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3. The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), submarine in the shape of a Lotus Esprit S1 

What’s not to love about a glamorous sub shaped like a Lotus Esprit S1? It’ll take more than a helicopter chase to stop 007 (Roger Moore) as he goes for a deep dive. ‘Wet Nellie’, as the car’s known, was initially bought by a Long Island couple who paid $100 for an unclaimed storage unit at a 1989 blind auction. Inside they found the Lotus Esprit - one of eight used in filming. And get this: ​​they’d never even seen a Bond film before and didn’t know what they’d bought. They learned quickly enough. Tesla chief Elon Musk offered to buy the Esprit for almost $1m in 2013.

And the winner is.... a tie.

Some races are too close to call and our Number One pick for the top car chase is a tie between two 007 thrillers: Goldfinger and GoldenEye.

1. Goldfinger (1964), DB5 Aston Martin v 1964 Ford Mustang convertible‍

It doesn’t get much better than a Swiss Alpine chase in a DB5 Aston Martin loaded with smoke bombs, tire slashers, and machine guns. The magical scene has even been turned into a book. Filmmakers invited photographers onto the set, giving them an insider’s view of the cat-and-mouse antics between 007’s Silver Birch DB5 and Tilly Masterson (Tania Mallet) in a 1964 Ford Mustang convertible. The explosive action carries on at Goldfinger’s factory with a magnificent night chase.

1. GoldenEye (1995), Aston Martin DB5 v Ferrari F355 GTS

GoldenEye’s chase in the hills above Monaco has to be the most feverish in Bond’s history. Pierce Brosnan’s memorable introduction to the franchise sees 007 driving a spectacular 1965 DB5 Aston Martin. MI6 psychiatric evaluator Caroline (Serena Gordon) is along for the ride warning Bond that she “enjoys a spirited ride as much as the next girl, but…” Her voice trails off as Xenia Onatopp’s (Famke Janssen) pulls alongside in a fiery red Ferrari F355 GTS. “Who’s that?” Caroline asks as Brosnan smirks: “The next girl.”