Spy Octane: The Vehicles of James Bond

Spy Octane: The Vehicles of James Bond celebrates the gadget-laden Aston Martin DB5 and dozens more vehicles used by 007, his allies and his foes through the air, on land and in the sea.

Written by acclaimed Bond historians Matthew Field and Ajay Chowdhury this is the first of three volumes that take an in-depth look at every one of the vehicles in the James Bond movies - which have become the longest-running film franchise of all time.

Pre-order Spy Octane: The Vehicles of James Bond – Volume 1 now for £99.00 at Porter Press.

First 400 copies signed by Matthew Field and Ajay Chowdhury!

About the book

The iconic Aston Martin became the film’s iconic four-wheeled star. Yet this, the first of three volumes, reveals that it was one of more than 100 vehicles to feature in the James Bond movies produced by EON Productions, the longest-running film franchise in cinema history.

A must for Bond fans and followers worldwide, Spy Octane, written by acclaimed Bond historians Matthew Field and Ajay Chowdhury, presents for the first time the definitive, in-depth captivating story of each and every one of these vehicles – and much more besides. It is unauthorised and unofficial.

Through incredible detective work the authors have unearthed undiscovered and ground-breaking secrets behind the vehicles such as the autogyro Little Nellie, the Toyota 2000GT Convertible, the Moon Buggy and of course the Aston Martin – which secured the most successful product placement deal in movie history and was described as ‘the most famous car in the world’.

Spy Octane draws upon hundreds of exclusive interviews with filmmakers, actors, stunt drivers, motor industry executives, museum curators and private vehicle owners, as well as countless motoring and entertainment periodicals, books, magazines and unpublished ephemera.

Some of these cars and crafts embarked on glamorous promotional tours around the world, others ended up on the race track, in museums, in the hands of collectors – or abandoned to rot, only to be rediscovered decades later.

Hundreds of never-before-seen period photographs take the reader on a journey through the golden age of James Bond in the 1960s, exploring Bond creator Ian Fleming’s passion for exotic travel and individualistic motor cars before detailing the array of vehicles which propelled 007 through the first seven Bond films on land, sea and in the air.

Author Matthew Field said: “We have been so fortunate to have been granted access to a great number of private archives from around the world as well as those of Ford and Toyota who have shared a wealth of incredible, never-before-published photographs and documents.”

Author Ajay Chowdhury said: “We have been blessed with the cooperation of so many who have entrusted us with their stories for the first time. We have also unearthed 007 vehicles which were thought to have been lost forever.”

Former Aston Martin executive Mike Ashley, who took James Bond’s DB5 on a world tour to promote the release of Goldfinger in 1964, said: “It has been an absolute honour to share my story in Spy Octane, and the book is a wonderful 60th anniversary celebration of Aston Martin’s collaboration with James Bond. Flicking through this incredible volume and seeing all the other 007 vehicles beyond just Aston Martin – it is a great reminder of what an extraordinary cultural phenomenon the world of James Bond has become and the role it has played in automotive history and beyond.”

About 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 curated and wrote the special edition bookazines 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 Field’s Porter Press book The Self Preservation Society: 50 Years of The Italian Job won the Royal Automobile Club’s Motoring Book of the Year.

Spy Octane: The Vehicles of James Bond – Volume 1
Author: Matthew Field and Ajay Chowdbury
Publication November 2024
Jacketed hardback | 317mm x 270mm|
416 pages
RRP £99.00 
ISBN 978-1-913089-85-6