In 1962, Albert Broccoli started a phenomena which would span decades and generations, and would gain millions of followers. There are urban legends of people who watch the movies to get an eyeful of his gadgets and cars, and of girls who watch the films to get an eyeful of him. Be shaken, but not stirred. We're looking at none other than Bond, James Bond.
He has his brands. His Martini is always Smirnoff, his bags Samsonite. And then there are the gadgets and the cars.
The first movie, Dr. No, wasn't much of a gadget paradise. Set in the Bahamas, the plot follows Bond in the trail of a dead agent, who later encounters Dr. Julius No.
The car Bond has is a Sunbeam Alpine. Unlike the later movies, this car is a bog-standard rented out deal, and not MI-6 spec. The car is featured in a dramatic car chase, being chased around the island in a pre-war hearse.
The lightweight two-seater Series II Alpine manages to outrun the hearse, driving under a truck in the process.
The original Alpine Mk II was produced from 1959 to 1968 by British manufacturer Sunbeam, ranging four "Series." It was a two door, two-seater, with engines ranging from 1.5-litre four pot, to 1.8-litre four pot.
Bond wasn't well equipped in the gadget department either, only having a Geiger counter in his hand. But in the following movies, it changed. We'll follow those in the coming stories in this series.
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