6. BMW 750iL

Starred in:

• Tomorrow Never Dies (1997, Pierce Brosnan) — $159.7 million*

Under attack, a bullet-dodging Bond uses his cell phone as a remote-control device to drive this car from the backseat.

As usual, he survives to save the world, but he can’t keep the car intact. The BMW 750iL takes a memorable dive off a seven-story parking garage and lands on a car-rental office. But Bond is safely out of the car, using the remote control again.

This car might be a little bulkier than the usual Bondmobile, but it was more than the gadgets that made it Bond-worthy, with its combination of conservative good looks and performance.

Few large sedans are as well-proportioned and manage to be both restrained and alluring as the BMW 7 Series. The sporty handling that BMW does so well ensures this car is as lithe as it is imposing. And its 322-hp V12 has no problem motivating the sedan’s 4,553-pound girth.

The model that 007 tosses around via remote control is the stretched version, noted by the "L" in 750iL.

Brosnan and co-star Michelle Yeoh on a BMW R 1200 C

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Also noteworthy is the motorcycle Bond uses in a popular getaway sequence, a BMW Cruiser R 1200 C.

The Gadgets:

• Operable by remote control (via Bond’s cell phone)
• Elaborate security system, including an electric charge to shock would-be thieves who touch it
• A dozen Stinger missiles in a sunroof-mounted rack
• Re-inflating tires
• Retractable metal cutter behind BMW badge
• Tear gas mechanism
• Releases three-pointed nails from rear
• Body armor
• Bulletproof glass
• Front and rear video cameras
• Assorted hidden compartments

Did You Know …

• The mobile phone Bond uses when driving his car via remote control is an Ericsson, thanks to one of the film’s numerous product-placement deals.

• The Cruiser was BMW’s first chopper. Bond helped it become the company’s best-selling motorcycle in 1998.

• Bond drives the venerable Aston Martin DB5 in this film, too.

• Sheryl Crow sings the opening theme, which is the first to refer to Bond’s penchant for martinis in the lyrics.