Podcasts
SpyCast
Ep 639
SpyCast 6.25.24
Ep 639 | 6.25.24

"The Real James Bond Cars" – with Top Gear's Jason Barlow

Show Notes

Summary

Jason Barlow (X; Biography) joins Andrew (X; LinkedIn) to discuss the iconic James Bond vehicles. Jason is the longstanding editor-at-large at Top Gear.

What You’ll Learn

Intelligence

  • How the “Bond car” phenomenon came to be
  • Ian Fleming’s love for cars
  • The different “nationalities” of Bond cars
  • What it’s like to be behind the wheel of some of these iconic cars 

Reflections

  • The making of pop culture
  • The “personality” of cars

And much, much more …


Episode Notes

This week on SpyCast, Andrew was joined by Jason Barlow, long-standing editor-at-large for BBC Top Gear. Jason has spent over two decades writing for Top Gear and British GQ, as well as appearing in many other publications and television programs. He’s the author of The Definitive Guide to James Bond Cars, which is the ultimate guide to every single vehicle ever driven by 007. Aston Martins, Jaguars, BMWs, you name it, Jason has probably sat behind the wheel.  

Tune in this week to round out your James Bond knowledge – Here on SpyCast we’ve covered everything 007: his creator Ian Fleming, the James Bond novels, and the cultural history of the films. Now, we bring you the final installment: The cars. Start your engines folks, this is a good one! 

And… 

To see a collection of some of these cars up close and personal, visit us here at the International Spy Museum to see Bond In Motion while it’s still here! If you’ve visited us before, you may have seen our very own Aston Martin DB5 in the lobby – This car was used in the promotional tour for Goldfinger in 1964. 

Quotes of the Week

“Something strange happens in popular culture, where worlds kind of collide and cars assume these sorts of statuses far in excess of what they're actually doing in the movies. I find it fascinating as a process. Nobody can predict how these things are going to go and it's wonderful when these things do happen.” – Jason Barlow.

Resources 

SURFACE SKIM

*Spotlight Resource* 

  • Bond Cars: The Definitive History, Jason Barlow (BBC Books, 2021)

*SpyCasts*

*Beginner Resources*

DEEPER DIVE

Books

  • Ian Fleming: The Complete Man, N. Shakespeare (Harper, 2024)
  • Ian Fleming’s War: The Inspiration for 007, M. Simmons (Rare Bird Books, 2021)
  • Licence to Thrill: A Cultural History of the James Bond Films, J. Chapman (I.B. Tauris, 2008)

Articles

Video

Cars Mentioned

*Wildcard Resource*

  • “Oh Lord, won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz …”
  • We’ve now firmly established that film can immortalize cars for decades to come. Well, it’s the same in music – Think “Little Red Corvette” by Prince, or “Ol’ 55” by Tom Waits. Perhaps one of the most iconic cars in music is Janis Joplin’s 1964 psychedelic Porsche, now remembered fondly through her 1971 song “Mercedes Benz.” 
SpyCast
Podcast Info
HOST(S):
Andrew Hammond
Erin Dietrick
Andrew Hammond, Ph.D. is Historian & Curator at the International Spy Museum, home of the world's preeminent collection of intelligence-related artifacts. Previous chapters have included seven years in the RAF, Public Humanities at the 9/11 Museum in NYC, Fellowships here, there, and everywhere, and academia. He is author of the forthcoming book: "Struggles for Freedom": Afghanistan & US Foreign Policy Since 1979. He loves bialys.
Erin Dietrick is the Programs & Podcast Assistant at the International Spy Museum. Erin is a Cleveland native and graduate of the University of Rochester in Rochester, NY, where she studied history. She also holds an MA in Museum Studies from the George Washington University. Erin is passionate about storytelling, inspiring critical thinking, and inciting joy through museum programming. She has a special place in her heart for music history and named her orange cat Ringo after Ringo Starr.
Schedule: Tuesdays, 7am EST (weekly)
Credits: SPY: Mike Mincey and Memphis Vaughn III, Co-Producers; Emily Rens and Emily Coletta, Graphics; Afua Anokwa and Ariel Samuel, Social Media; Erin Dietrick, Researcher, Scheduler, Editor, Co-Producer, Social Media; Andrew Hammond, Writer, Editor-in-Chief, Executive Producer. CYBERWIRE: Elliott Peltzman, Sound Design; Elliott Peltzman and Tré Hester, mixing; Jen Eiben, Co-producer, Social Media; SpyCast opening music: Wayne Jones, “Cypher” (2018).
Creator: International Spy Museum
SpyCast