James Bond's Alpine
The first 'Bond' car in Dr. No
The Sunbeam Alpine was the very first 'Bond' car in the first James Bond film 'Dr. No', made in 1962. Opposite is James Bond (Sean Connery) driving the Lake blue series 2 Alpine in a scene from the film. Some may say the action is tame by to days standards, but It's hard to imagine what a sensation the film was at the time, setting new benchmarks in editing and production.
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In the first car chase in a Bond film, 007 is chased by a hearse on his way to meet Miss Taro in the mountains. The hearse rams Bond's Alpine several times but then explodes as it crashes off the mountain road. The Alpine escapes relatively unscathed and is seen briefly, later in the film.
The scenes with the Alpine were filmed in Jamaica. The car was loaned by a local owner who received fifteen shillings a day while filming took place. In the book, I believe author Ian Flemming has Bond in a Hillman Minx, Having lived in the area and seeing Rootes cars around. Producers probably thought the Alpine better suited Bond's Image.
Bond's Alpine picture gallery: Film clip of Bond in Alpine.
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