That we at Wheels-and-things.com are fond of books may not have escaped you. As a James Bond fan (speaking for myself), I really couldn’t resist the book ‘Spy Octane, the vehicles of James Bond’. I am happy to review and discuss it for you guys.
To mark the 60th anniversary of Goldfinger and the Aston Martin DB5 that became one of 007’s most important cars after all, Spy Octane: The Vehicles of James Bond is published. This book is the first in a series of three.
Written by acclaimed Bond historians Matthew Field and Ajay Chowdhury, this is the first of three volumes that take an in-depth look at all the vehicles in the James Bond films. Currently, the James Bond films are the longest-running film franchise of all time.
Extensive sleuthing
Through extensive research, the authors have uncovered undiscovered and countless secrets about the vehicles used by James Bond. So we see the autogyro Little Nellie, the Toyota 2000GT Convertible, the Moon Buggy and, of course, the iconic Aston Martin DB5. Here, by the way, the DB5 secured the most successful product placement deal in film history and was described as ‘the most famous car in the world’.
Spy Octane
Spy Octane presents for the first time the definitive, in-depth story of each of these vehicles and more. The book series is based on hundreds of exclusive interviews with filmmakers, actors, stunt drivers, auto industry executives, museum curators and private car owners, as well as countless magazines, books, journals and unpublished details about cars and entertainment.
While some of these cars and other vehicles embarked on glamorous promotional tours around the world, others ended up on the race track, in museums, in the hands of collectors or were left to rot, only to be rediscovered decades later.
In this first book, hundreds of photographs take the reader on a journey through the golden age of James Bond in the 1960s. Bond creator Ian Fleming’s his passion for exotic travel and individualistic cars is discussed in detail. This even before the range of vehicles that propelled 007 through the first seven Bond films on land, sea and air are described in detail.
Why should you buy this book?
You get a detailed look at all the vehicles in the James Bond films.
Volume one covers the first Golden Age of James Bond – the 1960s – when Sean Connery’s portrayal of Ian Fleming’s super spy became a worldwide phenomenon.
The book is based on hundreds of exclusive interviews with filmmakers, actors, stunt drivers, car industry executives. Museum curators and current car owners are also featured.
You get excerpts from countless magazines, books, journals and unpublished details about cars and entertainment.
More than 1,000 never-before-seen photos.
The authors
Matthew Field and Ajay Chowdhury collaborated on Some Kind of Hero: The Remarkable Story of the James Bond Films, published by The History Press in 2015. They compiled the special issue and wrote the books Remembering Roger Moore and Sean Connery: A James Bond Journey for MI6 Confidential. Their work has appeared in James Bond articles and publications around the world. In 2019, Fields’ book The Self Preservation Society: 50 Years of The Italian Job from Porter Press won the Royal Automobile Club’s Motoring Book of the Year.
Buy the book, of course!
The book has 416 pages and measures 315mm x 270mm. It contains more than 800 photos.
It is published by Porter Press and has ISBN number 978-1-913089-85-6
Here is the link to the Porter Press International website.
You can find more of James Bond on Wheels-And-Things in our article on Bond in Motion.