About This Quiz
Off the top of your head, how many British car manufacturers can you think of? Seven? Eight? Well, as of 2018, there were approximately 35 British car manufacturers and over 500 defunct British car manufacturers. While not all of these are major manufacturers, some of the most recognizable cars and automotive brands in the world are British — ever heard of a Mini Cooper?
Some British manufacturers dominate certain movie franchises, but none more so than Aston Martin. Out of the 24 Bond movies that have been produced over the years, at least one Aston Martin has featured in 12 of them. Although Bond has driven other brands, nothing is more synonymous with 007 than the DB series of cars. In fact, the James Bond franchise is a hub for British-made cars, featuring Jaguars, Bentleys, Rolls-Royces, and Lotuses over the years.
But once we get away from the famous movies and move into lesser-known ones or even lesser-known manufacturers, how will your knowledge stand up to the test? Are you as big a movie buff as you are a gearhead? There's only one way to find out if you know as much as you think — take this quiz now!
Few cars come close to being as iconic as the 1964 Aston Martin DB4 used in "Goldfinger." The model has been seen in subsequent Bond flicks where 007 uses it as his own personal car.
Auric Goldfinger, played by Gert Frobe, drove a black 1937 Rolls-Royce Phantom III around Europe. Although the model was 27 years old at the time, its sturdy chassis was perfect for what Goldfinger used it for — transporting vast amounts of gold around Europe.
To make the 1969 classic, "The Italian Job," producers would need 32 Mini Coopers. Six of the cars needed to be spotless, so these were bought at the trade price from British Leyland. The rest of the Coopers, which would be crashed, were purchased second hand.
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The TVR Tuscan is an exotic British handmade sports car, and its personality is as loud as John Travolta's character, Gabriel Shear, in "Swordfish." Unfortunately, this car eventually gets sprayed with bullets — Tuscan lovers should look away during this scene!
In the 1985 movie "A View to Kill," James Bond is driven around in a 1962 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud II by Sir Godfrey Tibbet, played by Patrick Macnee. In the movie, Bond and Tibbet are knocked unconscious and in the car while it's pushed into a lake. Bond manages to save himself by breathing air from the car's tire.
Who could forget the 1970 Jaguar E-Type used in the 1999 movie "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery"? Its Union-Jack paint job is far from subtle and took 4,000 hours to complete.
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The Lotus Esprit S1 used in the 1977 movie "The Spy Who Loved Me" was also known as "Wet Nellie." The car was actually a custom-built submarine and was piloted by ex-U.S. Navy SEAL, Don Griffin, in the movie.
The yellow Range Rover Sydney drives in the 2004 movie "Layer Cake" really stands out and is almost a character in itself. Fun fact — a similar yellow Range Rover was crushed in the 2010 film "Kick-Ass," which was also directed by Matthew Vaughn.
The 1977 Green Mini 1000 driven by Mr. Bean in the 1999 movie "Bean" is definitely one of the most recognizable Minis ever. This particular model was also used in the TV series and has since been sold.
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It was somewhat unusual for a 1935 Bentley 3.5 Liter Drophead Coupe Park Ward to appear in the 1963 Bond flick, "From Russia with Love." This model was likely used because Bond drove a 4.5 liter Bentley Mark IV in some of the Ian Fleming Novels.
Hit 88 mph in the DeLorean DMC-12 from "Back to the Future," and you can transport to any time you want. Fun fact — a custom speedometer had to be built for the car as the original only went up to 85 mph.
In the 2015 movie "Ant-Man," Michael Douglas' character, Hank Pym, drives a 1997 Triumph Spitfire in several scenes. Although this is a "sports car," it's rather slow by today's standards, taking 13.2 seconds to get to 60 mph.
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A Rolls-Royce Phantom is Tony Stark's vehicle in the first and second movies in the "Iron Man" franchise. Rolls-Royce doesn't pay to have their cars in the film. Instead, they are bought and owned by the production company. For "Iron Man 2," two Phantoms were needed, costing $1.2 million per car.
The 1969 "The Italian Job" was awash with classic cars, and a silver 1962 Aston Martin DB4 convertible was one of them. Fun fact — the DB4 was replaced by a Lancia Appia in the scene where it was pushed off a cliff.
An Aston Martin DBS was used in the 1969 Bond movie, "On Her Majesty's Secret Service." Unlike most Bond cars, this one didn't seem to have any gadgets except for a custom-built storage compartment.
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Three 2008 Bentley Continental GT Speeds were needed for the production of "Doomsday." Bentley didn't provide any of the vehicles, meaning the production company had to buy each one at $150,000 per car. Unfortunately, one of the three was mistakenly driven into a gorge.
Jaguar supplied seven examples of the C-X75 for "Specter." Although these models looked the same as the concept C-X75s, Jaguar's Special Vehicle Operations chief, John Edwards, said that the cars were "constructed around a spaceframe built to World Rally Championship spec."
Ten Aston Martin DB10s were specially made for "Specter." Although these models can't be driven on public roads, one of the DB10s was auctioned off £2,434,500 in 2016.
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A 2001 Jaguar XK8 Convertible replaced the 1961 E-Type that Powers drove in the first movie. The KX8 in "Goldmember" was also known as the "Shaguar" and featured bulletproof glass and an ejector seat.
A 1994 Jaguar XJ220 featured on the "Gone in Sixty Seconds" boost list known as "Bernadene." Just 50 exotic cars made this list, and it's hardly surprising to see the XJ220 on it, considering only 278 were ever made.
For the 2000 movie "Tomb Raider," three Defender TD5 110 vehicles were converted by Land Rover Special Vehicles. These weren't intended for road use or sale, but there was a massive interest in this model. Land Rover introduced a Tomb Raider Limited Edition TD5 90 and TD5 110, which would become the most popular limited edition Land Rover ever produced.
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The 1985 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Volante used in "The Living Daylights" was dripping with gadgets. Some of the most memorable are the lasers in the front-wheel hubcaps and retractable outriggers.
The McLaren 12C Spider made a somewhat brief appearance in "Furious 7." The crew drives through the Abu Dhabi desert before parking outside Eithad Towers: Brian is driving the McLaren MP4-12C Spider.
From Lotus' to Ferraris, there are plenty of classic cars in "The Man From U.N.C.L.E.," but the one we're interested in is Jaguar's D-Type. The D-Type was written into the racing history books when it won the 1955 Le Mans 24 Hours race. During this race, it hit a top speed of 156.868 mph.
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It's usually only 007's car which is loaded gadgets, but the 1998 Jaguar XKR that featured in "Die Another Day" had a few of its own. This model had an M134 Minigun, two ramming spikes, and 18 miniature rockets, to name a few of its weapons.
Anyone who loves Morgan 4/4s should probably avoid watching "The War of the Roses," as one meets a gruesome end in the movie. Fun fact — the 4/4 was the first Morgan car to have four wheels. Its name indicates that the model has four wheels and four cylinders.
Some of you might remember the scene in the 1996 movie "SuperCop" where Jackie Chan jumps into a red MG Midget. Chan takes off to chase villains who have kidnapped his partner.
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Two 1980 Lotus Turbo Esprits featured in "For Your Eyes Only." The first was a white one that blew up thanks to an anti-theft self-destruct system. The second was a replacement Copper-colored one, which was used to travel to Cortina, Italy.
In "Transformers: The Last Night," Cogman can transform into a 2017 Aston Martin DB11. In real life, this DB11 has a stomping 5.2-liter twin-turbo V12 under its hood, which produces 500 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque. All this power gives the DB11 a 200 mph top speed.
Handsome Rob, played by Jason Statham, gets his dream car at the end of the 2003 movie "The Italian Job" — a 2002 Aston Martin Vanquish. Rob got pulled over by a female cop at the end of the film but got away with a warning and was even on the receiving end of a seductive smile.
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There was no end to the impressive vehicle seen in the 2015 Bond movie "Specter." A chase in the Austrian mountaintops featured some 2015 Land Rover Defender SVXs. Bowler converted 10 of these models for "Specter."
In Martin Scorsese's 2013 hit, "The Wolf of Wall Street," Donnie Azoffs drove a 1986 Rolls-Royce Silver Sprint. When you go from having nothing to more cash than you'd ever dreamed of, you're going to buy a Rolls Royce, of course!
In the 1969 flick "On Her Majesty's Secret Service," Bond was kidnapped and escorted at gunpoint in the back of a 1968 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow Drophead Coupe. The model was finished in Astral Blue Metallic with black leather interior and featured red temporary French plates.
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In the 1989 classic "Batman," Bruce Wayne's primary form of transportation is a Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith Hooper Empress (when he's not in the Batmobile). Alfred, played by Michael Goff, was usually found behind the wheel.
The 1989 Mini Mayfair MkV Jason Bourne drives in "The Bourne Identity" wasn't powerful but it was incredibly nimble. This was perfect for the narrow alleys and staircases Bourne traversed.
In the 2002 movie, "Austin Powers in Goldmember,"Powers drove a 2001 Mini Cooper. Much like the E-Type Powers drove in the prequel, the Cooper sported a Union-Jack paint job.
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The 2006 Aston Martin DBS V12, which features in "Casino Royale," set a new Guinness World Record for most cannon rolls in a car. An 18-inch ramp and a gas-powered nitrogen ram were needed to set the record.
In the 2004 horror comedy "Shaun of the Dead," Phillip, played by Bill Nighy, has a prized 1986 Jaguar XJ12. After Phillip gets bitten, the XJ12 becomes the gang's new getaway vehicle.
In the 1999 hit, "Cruel Intentions," Sebastian drives a 1956 Jaguar XK140. Sebastian wagers this immaculate Jag in the movie in the hope to win a night of passion with Kathryn.
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The 2002 Aston Martin V12 Vanquish in "Die Another Day" is one of the most memorable Bond cars. This model had adaptive camouflage, which made it virtually invisible, leading Q to call it the "Vanish."