Motor Culture Bond Girls Galore On Display In “Bond In Motion” Petersen Museum Exhibit

Title exhibit of the "Bond In Motion" exhibit at the Petersen Automotive Museum's Mullin Grand Salon 1st Floor exhibit space. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2021)

Motor Culture Bond Girls Galore On Display In "Bond In Motion" Petersen Museum Exhibit

This month, the long delayed and anticipated 25th edition of the 007 Bond feature length movie series "No Time To Die" was released to be shown in theaters only opened on Friday, October 8th, 2021. The worldwide opening came to a very successful $330,000,000 box office weekend and marked the end of the Daniel Craig era of the 007 Bond saga.

Just one week in advance of this 25th film in the series was released, the Petersen Automotive Museum opened a new exhibit of the 007 Bond movie franchise titled "Bond In Motion" which features more than 30 cars, motorcycles, boats, submarines, helicopters and even scale filming models of aircraft from an array of both classic and contemporary Bond films. This exhibit represents some of the most memorable and indelible 3D vehicle art that, in their own way, delivered "Bond, James Bond" through motor culture creations (some custom, and some just perfect for the time of Bond) as strong as the story lines themselves.  

007 graphic from the exhibit hall floor. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2021)

Bond 007 graphic from the top of the exhibit hall staircase. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2021)

This exhibit is impressive on many levels, from the detail of the exhibit descriptions to the general display throughout the environment itself. One of the initial exhibits upon entering the hall that will command one's attention is the Bond defining 007 gun-enhanced graphic (above) placed in a two-story three-dimensional exhibit in the middle of the signature circular staircase that is a defining structural element of the Mullin Grand Salon.

This 1964 Silver Birch Aston Martin appears as the repeat signature motor culture Bond Girl ever since it first appeared in EON Productions' 1964 film Goldfinger. This heart-warming beauty went on to appear in Thunderball (1965), GoldenEye (1995), Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), Casino Royale (2006), Skyfall (2012), Spectre (2015) and No Time To Die (2021). In addition, the vehicle has appeared in the video-games 007 Racing (2000), Agent Under Fire (2001), From Russia with Love (2005), Blood Stone (2010), James Bond: World of Espionage (2015) and the Best of Bond DLC for Forza Horizon 4 (2018).Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2021)

As one might guess, an Aston Martin, especially a DB5, is never too far from one's gaze. The very first vehicle happens to be just that - a perfect DB5 in every way as shown in many of the 007 Bond films as a reoccurring friend - even in the last No Time To Die installment.

But enough about the easy hits ... what about the "Nellie" factor? A vehicle title that shows up twice - one is an up armored. assemble on demand, aircraft and the other is a luxury sports car that doubles as a submarine.

LITTLE NELLIE

Bond flying Little Nellie in You Only Live Twice - Image Credit: JamesBondMemes.blogspot.com

Little Nellie (Wallis WA-116 Series 1) - Featured in You Only Live Twice (1967). A heavily armed gyrocopter that could be transported in several cases and quickly assembled in the field. Little Nellie, was designed and built by Wing Commander Ken Wallis and flown by him in the film, is one of the most celebrated vehicles in the James Bond series. In the film, James Bond uses the autogyro, supplied by Q Branch, to give reconnaissance of the Japanese landscape to find out where SPECTRE’s rockets might be launching from. A cine-camera fixed to Bond's helmet allowed him to photograph every inch. Image Credit Edmund Jenks (2012)

SPECTRE security used this Bell Helicopter to chase off James Bond flying Little Nellie. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2021)

Exhibit description on a patrol helicopter model used in filming You Only Live Twice (1967). Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2021)

Q's Wet Nellie as it appears on exhibit with a moving light splashed over the exterior so as to emulate the Lotus Esprit S1 as a submarine under the water. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2021)

1971 HONDA ATC-90. Image Credit : Edmund Jenks (2021)

Dean Jefferies crafted Moon Buggy. Image Credit: MGM/EON Productions via The James Bond Dossier (2015)

James Bond (Sean Connery) escapes Tectronics Laboratory located in the desert outside of Las Vegas in an experimental bubble-domed Moon Buggy that was in the laboratory's warehouse. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2021)

Nellie candidate Bath-O-Sub with SPECTRE logo on the nose. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2021)

Exhibit description of Bath-O-Sub. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2021)

Exhibit description of Bath-O-Sub scene with image. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2021)

PORPOISING NELLIE (Q Boat)

 

Featured in The World Is Not Enough (1999), PORPOISING NELLIE (Q Boat) was created by Q as a "fishing boat" for his retirement. 

 

 

Q Boat as displayed on the floor of the Mullin Grand Salon. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2021)

 

 

This unique craft came with missiles, torpedos, and a GPS tracking system. It could also submerge (porpoise) although the pilot either needed to have his own breathing apparatus or surface quickly before he drowned. However, this feature wasn't exactly finished when James Bond (Pierce Brosnan) took it for the defining opening action sequence which could account for why the pilot was exposed to the water when using that function.