Tuesday 27th July 2004

007's Esprit still No 1

It's the most popular car from the big screen

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Despite Lady Penelope’s pink Rolls-Royce from Thunderbirds dominating recent headlines, a recent survey has revealed it is James Bond’s classic Lotus Esprit from The Spy Who Loved Me, which is the nation’s most desirable screen vehicle.

Over 1,000 people voted for their favourite screen vehicle in the Yahoo! Search survey and the white Lotus Esprit car was the clear favourite securing almost a third of the vote followed by David Hasslehoff’s car Kit from Knight Rider (17%).

Patrick Oqvist from Yahoo! Search commented: "Although there’s loads of classic film vehicles out there, our search for the favourite has shown James Bond’s modified Lotus Esprit from The Spy Who Loved Me a worthy winner. With rear firing mud sprayers, an underwater kit that changes the car into a fully operative submarine, surface-to-air missiles, underwater smoke screens and torpedoes the most desirable screen vehicle has to be Bond’s."

The full results were as follows:

• Lotus Esprit from The Spy Who loved Me (29%)
• Kit from Knight Rider TV film (17%)
• De Lorean from Back To The Future
• Batmobile from Batman (10%)
• Mini from The Italian Job (9%)
• Gran Torino from Starsky & Hutch (6%)
• A-Team Van from The A-Team TV film (5%)
• Danny Zucko’s Greased Lightning from Grease (2%)
• Herbie from Herbie Goes Bananas (2%)
• Reliant Robin from Only Fools & Horses TV films (2%)

[spartacus]

A quite shocking result I would say, sureley most of the votes were from children under the age of ten!!!
How could such a survey have excluded.....

1. The Porsche 917 driven by Steve McQueen in the film Le Mans????

2. If were talking James Bond sureley the Aston Martin DB5 in Gold Finger????!!!!! or am I just showing my age?

3. Never mind the Mini's in the Italian Job (original film) what the about the Lambourgini Miura????

4. The Mustang GT390 and the black Dodge Charger in another Steve McQueen film, Bullit????!!!!!

5. The wierd black Holden thing in the original Mad Max film with the GMC blower poking out of the bonnet?

6. The yellow model B Ford hot rod in American Grafitti???

7. Not even a mention of poor old inspector Mores's red Mk II Jag from the TV series!!!

Pah! what is this world comming to!!!
[/old scrote mode]

[h2dca]

I think it has more to do with artistic value than the actual cars ability etc, lets face it James Bond could drive a Reliant Robin and if it went underwater, popped a few missiles then no doubt that would be the ‘Most Popular Car on Screen’

[dinkel]

spartacus said:

A quite shocking result I would say, sureley most of the votes were from children under the age of ten!!! ( . . . )

Lots of kids use internet . . . But listed movies are older then they are . . .

[Quentin1]

Shame, that.

I totally agree with the order, only
missing the red E-Type S1 Coupé from Jerry Cotton.


>> Edited by Quentin1 on Tuesday 27th July 11:16

[guydw]

I'm sorry - but the DB5 IS the definitive James Bond car - no question. This is even a factor in its value ....

Any post after this that tries to disagree is simply displaying ignorance.

My word is final !

(mind you the last one was practically an ad for the Vanquish .... my mates sister liked the car, and thought it was cool that it could go invisible...)

[guydw]

Oh and obviously Porsche 917 ... how could any PHer disagree as the 917 is practically the definition of what we all aspire to ....

and of course the Miura - I rate it as most beautiful car ever, minis... pah !

[spartacus]

Guydw said:

Oh and obviously Porsche 917 ... how could any PHer disagree as the 917 is practically the definition of what we all aspire to .... and of course the Miura - I rate it as most beautiful car ever, minis... pah !

Top man Guydw, man who obviously knows his onions!

[spandexx]

Claim to fame. My girlfriend’s dad briefly owned the Esprit from 007. The company he worked for (i think it was called Sports Motors of Manchester) supplied the cars for that film.

[IPAddis]

Pistonheads said:

Kit from Knight Rider TV film (17%)

KITT! Knight Industries Two Thousand. Don't you people remember the 80s? Now where's my coat.

[Cotty]

spartacus said:

6. The yellow model B Ford hot rod in American Grafitti???

Not forgetting The California Kid from the film of the same name.

[Cotty]

Which batmobile



>> Edited by Cotty on Tuesday 27th July 13:40

[adrianmugridge]

Are you not all missing the point ?

The survey is your "favourite screen vehicle", not "Whats the best screen vehicle" - so, everyone likes Del's 3 wheeled van, but no one on here wants to actually drive one !!

Lighten up people !!

[rob.e]

spandexx said:

Claim to fame. My girlfriend’s dad briefly owned the Esprit from 007. The company he worked for (i think it was called Sports Motors of Manchester) supplied the cars for that film.

I thought the two road going esprits supplied for the film were direct from lotus (with roger becker supplied also for some of the driving scenes)?

[dinkel]

adrianmugridge said:

Are you not all missing the point ? The survey is your "favourite screen vehicle", ( . . . )

Time for a PH poll. Ted!!!

[v8thunder]

Actually, even though I've seen all the Bond films, I'd still say I prefer the Esprit to the DB5. I mean, the DB5 is hardly the most lightweight, efficient or technological thing to escape some villains in is it? And the Esprit was highly advanced, whereas the DB5, nice car it may be, was outdated even by the time of Goldfinger.

[v8thunder]

rob.e said:

spandexx said: Claim to fame. My girlfriend’s dad briefly owned the Esprit from 007. The company he worked for (i think it was called Sports Motors of Manchester) supplied the cars for that film. I thought the two road going esprits supplied for the film were direct from lotus (with roger becker supplied also for some of the driving scenes)?

The Manchester-supplied Esprits were the ones used in For Your Eyes Only

[Autocross7]

v8thunder said:

Actually, even though I've seen all the Bond films, I'd still say I prefer the Esprit to the DB5. I mean, the DB5 is hardly the most lightweight, efficient or technological thing to escape some villains in is it? And the Esprit was highly advanced, whereas the DB5, nice car it may be, was outdated even by the time of Goldfinger.

Agreeeee. Hey! If it drives...I'm interested. But mt favorite Bond cars will always be the Loti...even if the following cars were used very little in the films.

As an 80's gen guy... what about the Testarossa or Daytona from miami Vice? No 308GTS from Magnum PI? Then there was the EM-50 urban assault vehicle from Stripes.... ahhh... there we go back to the ability to blow things up with rockets again!

Note to self: install RPG launcher on Esprit this weekend!

Drive topless!!!
Cameron

[Watership Down]

I'd rather sail around the world in a Lotus than an Amphicar (remember those)

[wedg1e]

Watership Down said:

I'd rather sail around the world in a Lotus than an Amphicar (remember those)

Aye. But do you recall the Africar?

Incidentally, I have thought that the Esprit would be an ideal car for adding gadgets to: there's not much space to start with so you may as well fill it with DVD screens, CCTV cameras etc... the pop-up glovebox lid is begging to have an electronics pod hung from it! I was actually almost kind of half-seriously thinking abut maybe perhaps one day when I get bored... revolving number plates? Or concealed paintball guns for those who will insist on driving too close...

[douglap88]

I own a 99 White Lotus, so I may be a bit biased....and don't get me wrong Aston's are quite defining in the realm of all that is Bond, but the people have spoken, and they have said .....Lotus.