My boyfriend is a massive James Bond geek. He's seen all the films, owns them all on DVD and I've definitely seen some posters knocking around in the back of his wardrobe.
Some people love all the fancy gadgets, martinis & sharp suits but for Tom it's all about the cars. Be it the DB5 in Goldeneye or the hovercraft in Moonraker, if 007 has driven it - Tom knows all about it.
I'd seen a poster on the tube advertising the James Bond in Motion exhibition which showcases all the cars, vans, motorcycles, planes and vehicles from the movies so I decided to take Tom for a little Sunday afternoon treat.
Tucked away just behind Covent Garden, you'll find the Film Museum which feels like stepping into a James Bond film set.
..and the original sketches from the prop designers on movies like Moonraker, Dr No and Goldfinger.
You can also get up-close and personal with some of James Bond personal effects including his infamous Omega watches and dodgy passports...
If you've seen the movies you might even recognise a certain headquarters as depicted in this model showing just the level of detail the creative teams go through when dreaming up the movies.
Once you get downstairs, you find the real fun stuff. The actual cars from the moves can be found dotted around the space - complete with the movie clips in which they feature projected on to the wall.
Everything from Tracy Draco's red Mercury convertible in On Her Majesty's Secret Service...
to the Q boat as driven by Pierce Brosnan in the World is Not Enough...
or little Nellie from You Only Live Twice or the mini aeroplane glider in Octopussy.
James Bond has driven all kinds of planes, trains and automobiles but I especially loved his array of motorbikes. From the Honda Daniel Craig drove across the rooftops in Skyfall to the BMW R1200C which 007 picked Wai Lin up on in Tomorrow Never Dies.
But I've saved my favourites till last. The iconic Bond car. The Aston Martin. It's hard to imagine James Bond behind the wheel of anything else.
In The Living Daylights, James drove an Aston Martin V8 Vantage which back when it was released in 1977, was billed as Britain's first Supercar. It could reach top speed of 170mph and could do 0-60 in 5.3 seconds...
Compare that with the Aston Martin DBS V12 from Casino Royale which can now clock up a top speed of 190mph and get from 0-60 in just over 4 seconds! Only 3,400 DBS were made and would set you back £175,000 - an eye-watering price when you see the state that this one got into....
But the ultimate Bond car will always be the DB5. It's been driven by Sean Connery in Goldfinger & Thunderball, Pierce Brosnan in Goldeneye & Tomorrow Never Dies and more recently Daniel Craig in Casino Royale and Skyfall. Did you know a version of the DB5 even appears in Grand Theft Auto as the JB 700!
Since Tom and I visited, the exhibition has added the cars from the 'Spectre' movie so it's well worth going to check out if you are or you have a James Bond fan in your life. I'm not even a massive fan but I found myself really excited by all the beautiful cars on display...now I just need to save up £175K..
45 Wellington St, Covent Garden, Greater London WC2E 7BN
Tickets are priced £14.50 for an adult and the museum is open seven days a week!
Tickets are priced £14.50 for an adult and the museum is open seven days a week!
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