I wondered whether James Bond would deserve an article on our blog. Well, looking at his fleet of cars, it’s hard not to wonder.
When we went on holiday, we decided to add two special locations to our trip. We were going to visit the James Bond exhibition 007 Elements in Sölden and later we passed Maranello and so the Enzo Ferrari museum could not be missed. We will tell you all about it in the next article.
Elements 007
Elements 007 is not just a passive exhibition. Here, you are truly immersed in the world of James Bond. It starts already in the valley of Sölden where you have to take the cable car that takes you with a short stop to 3040 meters. In the valley is one of the stunt Range Rovers that had an important role in Spectre. This Range Rover Sport has a driver’s seat on the roof.
Amazing location
At the top of the Gaislachkogel, an entire building is incorporated into the mountain. A part of Spectre takes place here, so it is not illogical that a part of the exhibition is dedicated to this film. Fortunately, the entire history of the Bond films is portrayed.
Outside, you can admire one of the Land Rover Defenders in a beautiful location.
Barrel of the Gun
Once upstairs, you can enter the building within your booked time slot, and you do this by walking down the barrel of a gun (although to me, it is more round than square). You walk straight to a large screen where you already see some film fragments. These are all from the intros of the films in which you often see the barrel of a gun.
Plaza
Before you know it, you are outside again :-). The Plaza, as they call it here, gives you a breathtaking view of some mountain peaks of more than 3600 metres high. We were lucky with the weather because it was extremely clear and every now and then a cloud would pass by and make its way up.
Lobby, Lair, Briefing Room & Valley Passage
After you have had plenty of time to take in all these impressions, you are kindly invited to discover the rest of the exhibition. As mentioned before, the exhibition spans a large part of the James Bond films. For example, you see stunts from The Man with the Golden Gun in which you see Roger Moore doing a corccrew with his AMC Hornet. We also see the crazy ice ride from the film Die Another Day with the Aston Martin Vanquish against the Jaguar XKR. Bond’s favourite car is of course the Aston Martin DB5, which Joris recently mentioned in another article on our blog. Or how about the specially converted BMW 750IL from the film ‘Tomorrow Never Dies’, which we have already written a detailed article about?
Tech Lab
James Bond without gimmicks, they wouldn’t be the same films. So there is a special Tech Room where you can discover all this stuff with your own eyes. You can see the Omega Speedmaster watch but also the ‘Golden Gun’ from the film with the same name. The Walther PPK pistol with palm reader is also on display. Furthermore, there are some interactive applications with which you can do small tests.
Action Hall
One of the largest rooms is the Action Hall where the body of the plane piloted by Daniel Craig is suspended. The scene when the plane crashes through the barn is shown here. There are also numerous scale models showing film sets. The focus here is on how the action scenes are portrayed.
Legacy Gallery & shop
After a good hour, you enter the Legacy Gallery, which is combined with a shop. Several interactive screens offer you the possibility to watch a lot of film scenes at your own pace. The shop offers the real James Bond fan lots of memorabilia and gadgets.
Conclusion
The average James Bond fan will be in his or her element after visiting the 007 Elements Expo. The fantastic view outside (in good weather) is certainly a bonus but it is not cheap. A combi ticket will cost you € 54; per person. This includes the trip to and from the cable car and entrance to the Expo.
More information can be found on the website of Elements 007
Report @ photos: Patrick Verheeken
