Spy Octane – The Vehicles of James Bond (Volume I)

Signed by Matthew Field & Ajay Chowdhury

The definitive story of the vehicles of James Bond, covering the first seven EON films from 1962’s Dr. No to 1971’s Diamonds Are Forever – including the full story of the Goldfinger Aston Martin DB5.

Large format and more than 400 pages. Printed and bound in Great Britain.

'The definitive Bond car book.' The Telegraph

'This hardback is almost as good as streaming one of the repeats. Perhaps, in some cases, even better.' The London Evening Standard

• An in-depth look at every one of the vehicles in the first seven James Bond movies.
• Volume One covers the first Golden Era of James Bond – the 1960s – when Sean Connery’s portrayal of Ian Fleming’s super spy became a global phenomenon.
• Draws upon hundreds of exclusive interviews with the 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curators and private vehicle owners as well as countless motoring and entertainment periodicals, books, magazines and unpublished ephemera.
• Over 800 never-before-seen photographs.
• 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. 

Volume 1 covers the first seven EON films: Dr. No, From Russia With Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service and Diamonds Are Forever. It tells the fascinating story of the Aston Martin DB5, Toyota 2000GT, the autogyro Little Nellie, the Disco Volante, the spectacular two-wheeled Ford Mustang stunt and much more.

More about this book

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 iconic Aston Martin DB5 – which secured the most successful product placement deal in movie history and was described as ‘the most famous car in the world’.

Spy Octane presents for the first time the definitive, in-depth story of each of these vehicles – and many more. It draws upon hundreds of exclusive interviews with the filmmakers, actors, stunt-drivers, motor industry executives, museum curators and private vehicle owners, and countless motoring and entertainment periodicals, books, magazines and unpublished ephemera.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 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.

Specification

• Size: 315mm x 270mm
• Hardback with dust jacket
• 416 pages
• Over 800 images
• Price: £99.00
• ISBN: 978-1-913089-85-6
• Publisher: Porter Press International
• Publication date: November 2024
• Author: Matthew Field and Ajay Chowdhury

The author – Matthew Field

The world's leading authority on The Italian Job, Matthew Field is the author of Porter Press book The Self Preservation Society. In 2009 he co-produced and directed a feature-length documentary about the film for Paramount Pictures. Matthew has written numerous books on cinema, including the autobiography of Oscar-winning film producer, Michael Deeley. He has worked on feature films around the world producing behind-the-scenes marketing materials, and in 2019 completed work on Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again for Universal Pictures. Also in 2019, Matthew Field was presented with Motoring Book of the Year by the Royal Automobile Club.

The author – Ajay Chowdhury

Ajay Chowdhury was born in London and read law at university there and in the Netherlands. He has since provided legal advice on various motion picture, music, publishing, television, and theatrical projects. He was the associate producer on two feature films, Lost Dogs (2005) and Flirting with Flamenco (2006) and sat on the advisory board of Tongues On Fire – UK Asian Film Festival. Chowdhury is the spokesperson for The James Bond International Fan Club, established in 1979, and edited their journal, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. For the last two decades he has contributed to numerous books and magazines regarding the James Bond legacy. Chowdhury is regularly called upon by the worldwide media to commentate on all things 007. Field and Chowdhury collaborated on Some Kind of Hero: The Remarkable Story of the James Bond Films first 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. In 2023, they contributed to Icons Unearthed: James Bond – a six-part documentary on the 007 franchise.