Modified Land Rover Defender Is A Bona Fide Bond Villain

Movie cars almost always look epic on the big screen, but they tend to be disappointing in real life. Producers often build faux versions of the real thing to save a few bucks. The Fast & Furious franchise is particularly good at this. The RX-7 used in the first film is a horrible piece of junk that only ever looked good on film.

We'd never buy an ex-movie car unless it came from a James Bond set, and now there's an opportunity to do just that.

The Bond movies don't half-ass things. When they destroy a car, it's the real thing. We had the pleasure of talking to Bond's stunt coordinator, who doesn't mess around. The latest installment in the franchise, No Time To Die, killed multiple Land Rover products, but not this one.

The product in question is not from the latest movie but the one before, Spectre, which also destroyed a few old-school Defenders. According to the rumors, 10 Land Rover Defender 110 pickup trucks were purchased for the movie, and only seven survived filming.

One of these survivors will be auctioned by Bonhams at the upcoming Goodwood Festival of Speed, taking place this week from Thursday 23-Sunday 26 June.

It only has 296 miles on the clock, but it's worth keeping in mind that those were all movie miles. The car is not in the best shape as it has scratches everywhere. This is one time where that's a good thing. If nothing else, it's a truly unique conversation starter.

The Defenders were not used by Bond. Instead, this is a baddie car, making it even more desirable. You can watch the full chase scene in the video embedded below.

To ensure the cars lasted, the production handed them over to Bowler. Bowler, which Land Rover recently purchased, equipped the vehicles with lift kits, Billstein dampers, and 37-inch off-road tires. Other excellent features include a Warn winch, Recaro bucket seats with harnesses, and loads of underbody protection.

Sadly, Bowler did not do much to the 2.2-liter turbocharged diesel engine borrowed from the Ford Transit van. Bowler upgraded the turbo and intercooler, but a Chevy crate engine would have been better.

It's the ultimate movie accessory. If you buy it, remember to find an arch-nemesis with a slow car. This Defender ain't catching an Aston Martin anytime soon.