Bond Fans Choose the 2CV

17-10-2006 09:32

A Citroen 2CV plays the leading role in the greatest James Bond chase sequence of all time, a survey revealed today.

Roger Moore’s classic escape in the 1981 film, “For Your Eyes Only”, topped a poll conducted by motoring website, 4Car (www.channel4.com/4car), for Jeremy Clarkson’s auto-fest MPH Show ’06.

With Casino Royale premiering next month, Clarkson and small-screen co-host, James May, will conduct a daily theatrical tribute to Bond and his love-affair with the car in front of a live audience of 12,000 each day at Birmingham’s NEC (26-29 October) and London’s Earls Court (2-5 November). Other acts on the £1m MPH stage will include a Ninja fighting a Vauxhall Monaro, a 3D helicopter gun chase and ‘Parkour’ experts defying gravity by jumping over moving cars.

The infamous 2CV sequence, which helped rake in a cool $194m in the box office originally, saw Bond abandon his venerable Lotus Esprit for a bright yellow 2CV in order to escape hitman Hector Gonzales and his henchmen.

Moore easily out-ran Sean Connery and his Aston Martin DB5 chase in Goldfinger, together with Pierce Brosnan’s destructive tank chase in the 1995 smash-hit, Goldeneye. Both polled 13 percent for joint second place.

Bond’s car of choice, the Aston Martin, featured in three of the top ten shortlisted sequences – the last being the invisible Vanquish V12 in Die Another Day.

Other memorable moments included the underwater Lotus Esprit in The Spy Who Loved Me at Number 5 and the first ever Bond car chase, Sean Connery and his Sunbeam in the 1962 classic, Dr No.

Cars, stunts and explosive action insured to the tune of £1bn will take centre stage at
the end of this month MPH Show in Birmingham and London.