The best Bond villain cars

The enduringly popular James Bond films are loved for many reasons – not least the many wonderful cars that feature throughout the series.

Of course, Bond gets to drive many of these himself, from the iconic Aston Martin DB5 to the otherworldly, ocean-going Lotus Esprit. But his evil nemeses get some decent wheels too.

If you’ve got one of these beauties sitting in your garage, you don’t need any booby traps to protect it - just specialist classic car insurance.

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service: Mercedes-Benz 600 'Grosse' (1963-81)

The vast, opulent and imposing Mercedes 600 'Grosse' was famously the vehicle of choice for a number of dictators of dubious stripe, including Idi Amin, Robert Mugabe and Saddam Hussein. It simply oozes power and, dare we say, a certain menace.

Appropriate, then, that it's how Irma Bunt, the devilish assassin from George Lazenby's only Bond, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, chooses to get around. Indeed, she actually shoots Bond's new wife, Diana Rigg's Contessa di Vicenzo, from the back seat of the big Merc. It's arguably the big 600's iconic on-screen moment – that, or Jack Nicholson crashing out of the back of one during The Witches of Eastwick.

The 600 had a long shelf life (1964-1981): however, during that time only 2,677 examples were built. This was not a car that you built in a hurry. It was loaded with tech, much of it powered by hydraulic systems. That, plus the car's huge size and weight, meant that none of Mercedes' existing engines were able to haul the car around, and a new 6.3-litre V8 behemoth was developed for the 'Grosse'.

Fancy owning one yourself? You'll need deep pockets. These cars typically change hands for between £100,000 and £200,000, although the stretched Pullman and Landaulet versions can go far higher. And don't forget to leave a little behind for the collector car insurance that a big, legendary jewel of a car like this is crying out for.

Goldfinger: Rolls Royce Phantom III (1936-39)

So, you're a fortysomething Latvian expat, and the richest man in Britain. You've made a considerable portion of that wealth by smuggling illicit gold across Europe. What vehicle do you choose for that purpose?

Well, for the third Bond film Goldfinger, the vehicle used by Bond's precious-metal-worshipping arch nemesis Auric Goldfinger is a Rolls-Royce Phantom III, the late 1930s iteration of the British marque's iconic luxury car. Introduced in 1936, the III was in fact the last Rolls that co-founder Henry Royce would work on before his death in 1933. Another distinction it bears is that of being the last V12 Rolls-Royce for half a century, until the 5.4-litre Silver Seraph arrived in 1998.

The Phantom III was a mighty powerful and sophisticated car back in the 1930s, with its 7.3-litre engine and no fewer than 24 spark plugs. A suitably robust workhorse, then, for despatching contraband bullion around Europe.

Interestingly, Rolls-Royce were responsible only for the chassis and mechanical parts: the actual bodywork was built and fitted by a variety of coachbuilders, as specified by owners (or dealers, for their showrooms). A list of the companies that supplied bodies for the Phantom III reads like a who's who of premier-league coachbuilders of the era: Park Ward, Mulliner, Thrupp & Maberly. You could have your Phantom in saloon form as Goldfinger did – or as a limousine, coupé, or convertible.

You Only Live Twice: Toyota Crown Deluxe (1962-67)

The bad guys may get some of the best lines – but, as far as the Bond franchise is concerned, they don't always get the best cars. In You Only Live Twice, they don't even get the best Toyota.

That honour goes to Aki, the Japanese agent who assists Sean Connery's Bond and who gets to zoom around Tokyo in a Toyota 2000GT, possibly the most beautiful and sought-after car to ever come out of the Land of the Rising Sun.

Meanwhile, the baddies get around in a second-generation Toyota Crown Deluxe – the marque's full-size saloon for several decades from its introduction in 1955. Memorably, the big Japanese four-seater keeps up with the 2000GT pretty competently – until it is seized by a helicopter carrying a massive magnet, and unceremoniously dumped into the ocean.

Fun fact: this second-gen Crown was the first Toyota to crack the European marketplace: some 190 examples found their way to Denmark, after a major Danish importer saw the car at the Tokyo Motor Show.

The Spy Who Loved Me: Ford Taunus TC2 (aka Ford Cortina MkIV, 1976-79)

Mention 1977's rather splendid The Spy Who Loved Me and one particular car will always come to mind: Roger Moore's awesome, amphibious Lotus Esprit. And that's as it should be: the car looks wonderful, and achieves some eye-watering feats in the film.

When Bond and his Russian ally Triple X discover that shipping tycoon and scientist Karl Stromberg is up to something shifty in his submarine base, Stromberg gets his goons to pursue the duo. Bond and Triple X get behind the wheel of the Esprit – in terrestrial mode for now. Stromberg's henchmen, meanwhile, set off in pursuit in a… what supercar was it again? Ah yes, a fourth-generation Ford Cortina. Or, because we are in Italy (Sardinia to be precise), a TC2 Ford Taunus, as the Cortina was dubbed over on the Continent.

The choice of a Cortina, that familiar workhorse of the UK's 1970s road network, may have seemed a little banal. This was a top-spec Ghia model, though (as evidenced by the vinyl roof and chrome wing mirrors), with a 2.3-litre, V6 engine. The white front indicators and orange side repeaters, meanwhile, indicate an Italian-market vehicle.

For Your Eyes Only: Peugeot 504 (1968-83)

The scene in which Melina Havelock and Roger Moore's Bond flee, in the former's lemon-yellow Citroen 2CV, from the bad guys in their sinister black Peugeot 504s has to be one of the best chase sequences in the entire Bond series. Bond and Havelock, with their pursuers just metres behind, slalom down a series of hairpin bends in the idyllic countryside: at one point our heroes' car tumbles down a steep hillside, only to right itself at the bottom and continue its escape.

Part of the irresistible charm of the scene is the unlikely nature of the vehicles. If you were choosing a couple of cars for a high-speed chase sequence, Citroen's tiny, bulbous supermini and Peugeot's big, soft and heavy family saloon would be unlikely entrants. And yet here they are, pinballing around the lanes with thrilling abandon.

The 504, for its part, had been in production since 1968 (indeed, it was the 1969 European Car of the Year), so by this time was approaching the end of its life. At least the baddies will have enjoyed a relatively comfortable high-speed chase up and down the hills and dales, thanks to the car's long-travel suspension. This feature made the 504 an extremely comfortable ride – and a popular car in many countries with less-than-pristine road surfaces.

Tomorrow Never Dies: Range Rover (1994-2001)

The above chase sequence in For Your Eyes Only stretches credibility with the number of tumbles Bond, Havelock and the yellow 2CV take while remaining unscathed. The chase from 1997's Tomorrow Never Dies, the second to feature Pierce Brosnan as the suave super-spy, is amusingly implausible in a slightly different way.

This time, it's the sight of two large, luxurious Range Rovers keeping pace with a high-powered BMW motorbike, through the crowded streets and narrow alleys of Saigon, that pushes realism to its limits.

That is, until you remember that the baddies were probably driving Rangies with the 4.8-litre Rover V8 engine under the bonnet, rather than the more common but less fire-breathing 2.5-litre straight-six.

We hope Bond's antagonists kept hold of their Range Rovers, as these second-generation cars are now picking up nicely in value. Depending on spec and mileage, the MkII Range Rovers are now typically selling for somewhere between £3,000 and £10,000. These are robust and sturdy cars, but in many cases will have done high mileage, and suspension may have been put to the test over some rough terrains. If you're thinking of picking up a retro Rangie, make sure you have some classic Range Rover insurance in place to safeguard against any repairs and restoration lying in wait.

Licence to Kill: Maserati 425i Biturbo (1986-89)

1989's Licence to Kill stands slightly apart in the Bond canon. For the storyline of this one (Timothy Dalton's second and last outing in the main role), Bond is acting not under the auspices of MI6, but as a lone agent. Suspended from MI6 for refusing his latest commission, he instead pursues drug lord Franz Sanchez, who has Bond's CIA friend Felix Leiter in his sights.

With Bond acting on his own, the film unsurprisingly features few of the gadgets that fans had come to love and expect from the franchise. Bond doesn't even get to swan around in an Aston Martin for this one. Sanchez, though, does get a rather exotic choice of vehicle: a Maserati 425i Biturbo.

A product of the period when Maserati was owned by fellow Italian outfit De Tomaso, the Biturbo was basically a (relatively) affordable rival to the 1980s' most popular sporting saloon, the BMW 3 Series. As the name indicates, the car's highlight was a twin-turbocharged V6 engine, the first to feature in a mass-market car.

Eventually shifting around 40,000 units, the Biturbo was a relatively successful model for Maserati, if aesthetically not in the same league as previous efforts such as the Ghibli, Bora and Khamsin.

If you’re hankering after Maserati ownership, an '80s Biturbo is one of your most accessible ways in. Be aware that ownership won't be without its risks and challenges. However, if you look after those turbocharged engines with some regular servicing, and have some classic car insurance handy for whenever anything does arise, some enjoyable and stylish motoring could be awaiting you.

Die Another Day: Jaguar XKR (1996-2006)

Famously, James Bond has always been sent out to fight the planet's evildoers in some seriously tech-loaded cars. Thanks to the efforts of Q and his team, Bond's cars have always been packed with clever gadgets to help him do battle.

In 2002's Die Another Day, the bad guys got their own bit of high-tech automotive engineering. Yes, the Jaguar XKR grand tourer driven by Bond's nemesis, the evil terrorist Tang Ling Zao, had an impressive array of after-market features including missiles, machine guns, mortars and a Gatling gun. During the chase sequence across the ice, we all had our hearts in our mouths, wondering whether the weight of all that firepower was going to drag the Jag down into the murky depths. In fact, for the filming of this sequence (which took place in Jökulsárlón, Iceland, fact fans), four Aston Martins and four Jaguars were required – all of them converted to four-wheel drive.

Back in the real world, the XKR was one of the best grand tourers of its time: a stylish, mile-munching cruiser with a lovely interior and some cutting-edge technology such as satellite navigation and radar-guided cruise control. Small wonder we've earmarked it as a modern classic.

Classic car insurance: for a life less risky

The sheer impossibility of tracking down and eliminating the elusive Mr Bond meant that a lot of these villains put themselves (and their cars) in considerable danger. We'd like to think that today's owners of classic cars will be a little less reckless.

If you own a classic vehicle, we suspect that you like to keep it in excellent condition, and to lavish care and attention upon it. And a crucial step you can take towards safeguarding your classic is to take out some classic car insurance.

Benefits of insuring with Lancaster can include:

• Car Club member discounts up to 25%
• Static show and historic rally cover
• Choice of repairer
• Salvage retention
• Two-year Agreed Valuation
• Laid-up cover
• 24-hour claims helpline
• UK-based call centre
• Limit mileage discount

Why not contact us today to find out more?

Policy benefits, features and discounts offered may very between insurance schemes or cover selected and are subject to underwriting criteria. Information contained within this article is accurate at the time of publishing but may be subject to change.