BMW Z8, The World is Not Enough

Many baulked at the thought of Britain's secret agent driving anything but British sports cars, but it seems Q got an offer from BMW that was too good to ignore. BMWs feature extensively in a series of three films from the mid- to late-90s, BMW seeing the huge marketing potential of the Bond franchise. James debuted the Z3 roadster in Goldeneye and memorably drove a remote control BMW 750iL in Tomorrow Never Dies, but it was the Z8 that appeared in 1999's The World is Not Enough that is perhaps the most unforgettable.

The third and last cars to feature in BMW's three-film product placement deal, the Z8 production model wasn't actually ready for use for filming, so BMW and the production team had to build several mock-ups. As with any Bond car the Q department ensured this was no ordinary Z8, though even the Z8's remote rocket firing system couldn't stop it being cut in half by a metal cutter attached to a helicopter.

Kyle Fortune

Tuesday October 7