James Bond always drove gorgeous and potent vehicles from famous luxury brands like Aston Martin, Alfa Romeo, Rolls Royce and others. But the real Bondmobile, the car that Ian Fleming first “gave” to his character, was a Bentley. The Bentley Continental Rs were built between 1952 and 1955 and one of the only 208 examples ever made was (fictionally) Bond’s third personal car.
Mulliner bodied most of these vehicles, whose details and specifications changed during the limited production run. They were all hand-built and were powered by 4.5-liter engines. Today’s continental GT draws its inspiration from this classic which can still drive easily at 90 mph, if in good condition. Its original price was of $15,000, but today you won’t get a good Continental R for less than $250,000-$350,000.
- Claim to Fame: It’s the real Bondmobile
- Ideal Passenger: James Bond himself, giving you driving tips.
- How to Get Behind the Wheel: You can either wait until someone eventually decides to sell their Continental R, or become friends with an owner and ask them nicely.
- Where to Drive It: To the movie theater to see a classic James Bond movie.
- Did You Know? This model’s prototype was named “Olga”.
