There is an enormous amount of information out there about the Bond cars. The combination of a dashing hero and the automobile makes for a great deal of fan-generated content. Spend ten minutes on Wikipedia or the IMCDB and you’ll quickly get your Bond car fix.
For many of us, when we think about James Bond and Auric Goldfinger, two cars come to mind. One is Bond’s divine Aston Martin DB5 and the other, Goldfinger’s 18K gold Rolls Royce. While I initially planned to focus on these two vehicles, that ten minutes of research showed me there might be another story to share.
All images courtesy the Internet Movie Car Database (IMCDB).
If you consider yourself a gear head and always spot that cool car in the background during the movie, you will LOVE spending time on the IMCDB.
Every time I watch Quantum of Solace, I find that I can’t help but notice the obvious product placement by Ford. Before I got to know people at Ford like Scott Monty or Sam DeLaGarza, and saw how their organization demonstrated forsight and innovation, I was dissapointed to see all the Fords in the latest Bond flick. Turns out, however, it might actually be something of a tradition! Let’s take a trip back to 1964 and check out some of the supporting cast from Detroit in the third ever Bond movie, Goldfinger.
1964 1/2 Mustang
While following Goldfinger and Oddjob through the mountains of Switzerland, Bond encounters Tilly Masterson, sister of the recently deceased Jill Masterson. Initially, Bond keeps his mind on the mission, letting her fly past in the new-for-64 pony car, but after dodging a bullet meant for Goldfinger, he catches back up, passes her, then utilizes a classic, Q-branch accessory to deflate her tires. Tilly gets a ride to the nearest garage, where she and Bond part ways.
1964 Country Squire
The Country Squire had been around since 1950 and this particular wagon, in which Bond is escorted to Goldfinger’s Kentucky stables by miss Pussy Galore, is halfway through the third generation of the line. While the Squire wasn’t the newest iteration of the model, the Country Squire was considered to be the very top of the line when it came to Ford station wagons. With unique seating arrangements capable of seating up to nine people, this was the sport utility vehicle of the late sixties.
1963/1964 Lincoln Continental
After Goldfinger shares his diabolical plan to break into Fort Knox and steal all the gold, only one of his investors feels he isn’t interested. Unfortunately for Mr. Solo, unless you’re the good guy, leaving after hearing the masterplan is a bad idea. Oddjob drives him out towards the airport, shoots him in the backseat, and then has the entire car (a less expensive, but brand new ’63 model) crushed with his body still in it. As Bond said, Solo “had a pressing engagement.”
1964 Thunderbird
Bond’s CIA counterpart, Felix Leiter, and an associate were following the homing beacon Bond slipped into Mr. Solo’s jacket to warn of the impending attack on Fort Knox in this, the newest of the Thunderbirds. ’64 was the first year for the fourth generation of T-bird and this was the only other car in the film to have any spy gadgets on it; specifically, a radar screen to track Bond. Once the Continental was crushed, however, the signal went dead.
1964 Falcon Ranchero
Here we see Oddjob taking delivery of a recently traded-in “clunker.” He’s used his $3500 government handout to buy a sharp Ranchero! (Sorry. Bad joke.) Another Ford product well into its third generation, the Ranchero could be considered the first crossover vehicle. Before there was the more widely known El Camino from General Motors, there was the Ranchero and we see here what is left of the Continental now fits squarely in the fully functional pickup-style bed (along with Mr. Solo and, presumably, a million dollars worth of gold bullion).
Did Ford achieve their own “Operation Grandslam” in Goldfinger?
This author reconized last night, while watching Goldfinger again for the umpteenth time, that product placement might seem like a relatively new concept, but so long as there’s been money to be made, there’s likely been people in Hollywood (or Pinewood, in the case of 007) finding subtle ways to get products in front of audiences like this. I’m suddenly reminded of all the AMCs in The Man with the Golden Gun (to be featured in the future on this site), but for now, let’s just wrap this post up by saying…
Bond (and Ford cars) will return in Thunderball.