Stunt coordinators for the new James Bond movie, Spectre, destroyed seven specially designed Aston Martin DB10 sports cars and a variety of other vehicles at a cost of more than £24m, according to the Mail on Sunday.
Three further DB10s, all featuring the ejector seat made famous by 007’s classic DB5 from the 1964 film Goldfinger, were used in the 24th official Bond movie. A Land Rover belonging to one of the film’s villains was also destroyed for a key action scene involving a collision with an aeroplane piloted by Bond.
“We set the record for smashing up cars on Spectre,” Gary Powell, Spectre’s chief stunt coordinator, told the newspaper. “In Rome, we wrecked millions of pounds’ worth. They were going into the Vatican at top speeds of 110mph. We shot one entire night for four seconds of film.”
It is understood the Rome scene, which alone caused damage costing seven figures, features 007’s DB10 being chased by a villain in a Jaguar C-X75. The chase is said to have taken place in the Vatican, against the backdrop of the Colosseum and along the Tiber river; trailers have featured the famous Ponte Sisto bridge, which straddles the latter.
While the £24m accounts for more than 10% of Spectre’s £200m budget, it seems likely that the DB10s were obtained from Aston Martin for less than full cost, since the manufacturer has an ongoing deal to provide cars for the Bond movies. The film’s destructive production haul nevertheless pales somewhat when compared with the 230 cars reportedly destroyed during the 2013 shoot for Fast & Furious 7, which included several Mercedes-Benzes, a Ford Crown Victoria and a Mitsubishi Montero.
Spectre stars Daniel Craig in his fourth outing as 007, opposite the double Oscar-winner Christoph Waltz, who plays the villainous Franz Oberhauser. The cast also features Bond newcomers Monica Bellucci, Léa Seydoux and Stephanie Sigman, as well as the returning Ralph Fiennes (as the new M), Naomie Harris (Moneypenny) and Ben Whishaw (Q). Directed by Sam Mendes, Spectre – in which 007 visits Mexico City, Rome and Sölden in the Austrian Alps – will be released on 26 October in the UK and 6 November in the US.
This article originally appeared on The Guardian.
