Thoughts from the Curb

Jul 2, 2008 - Countdown to Bond: Sunbeam Alpine in "Dr. No"

Welcome to a new feature here on Thoughts from the Curb. With the release of "Quantum of Solace" only 18 weeks away, I thought I'd take a look at the many cars that have appeared in the 21 James Bond films. Cars and Bond go hand in hand, with the venerable British spy making legends out of cars that could have easily been forgotten today. Just two weeks ago, a young boy pointed at my Z3 in excitement because it was "the James Bond car," completely dismissing the Ferrari 599 in front of me. My kinda kid.

For my first entry in the Countdown to Bond, I'll start at the very beginning in 1962's "Dr. No" and the very first Bond car. While in Jamaica to investigate the murder of several British intelligence officers, Sean Connery's 007 drives this Sunbeam Alpine roadster. This era Alpine featured a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine that produced 90 horsepower and 97 pound-feet of torque, while its body was 155 inches long (the same as the first and second generation Miatas).

In the movie, a leisurely drive through Marley-land turns into a high-speed chase from Dr. No's goons known as the Three Blind Mice. The Alpine is certainly the forgotten car from the Connery era thanks to a certain other British car, although one could certainly argue that the Z3's color combination in "Goldeneye" was inspired by this original Bond car.

-James Riswick

Ignore the music, whoever did this video for YouTube overdubbed the original music with parts from the "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" score.

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