James Bond Vehicle Display Now Open
Beaulieu is delighted to report that since the launch of its BOND IN MOTION exhibition in mid-January it has attracted a huge amount of interest from the press and public on an international scale. Beaulieu’s Commercial Director, Stephen Munn explains:
“There has been an extraordinary amount of interest in this exhibition, from the general public and press alike, which is incredibly exciting. We have seen a dramatic rise in website hits and an increase of over 100% in our visitor numbers since the opening, at what is normally a quiet time of year. We hope the exhibition will continue to have a significant impact on our visitor numbers throughout the rest of the year.”
The exhibition is the largest of its kind staged anywhere in the world and celebrates the 50th year of James Bond films. It features a whole range of vehicles which have appeared in Bond films over the years including cars, boats, motorbikes, sleds, jets and many more. Amongst the vehicles on show is a 2006 Aston Martin DBS in pristine condition, used during the filming of Casino Royale, which stands alongside a severely damaged Aston Martin DBS stunt car which rolled seven and three quarter turns to set a Guinness World Record. Also on display is a BMW 750iL used in the memorable car park chase scene in Tomorrow Never Dies where Pierce Brosnan’s Bond was seen driving the vehicle remotely from the back seat, using his Ericsson cellular phone. This vehicle was one of 17 cars supplied by BMW for this film.
Visitors can also watch exclusive behind-the-scenes footage showing just how some of the most memorable stunts in the films were created, including interviews with stunt co-ordinators and members of the stunt teams.
Visitors to Beaulieu’s sister attraction of Buckler’s Hard can now see the indigenous boat used by Daniel Craig’s Bond in the latest film, Quantum Of Solace. The boat was used in a sequence where the villain, Greene, ‘gifts’ Bond girl Camille into General Medrano’s custody. Bond intervenes by flying a motorcycle onto the boat in an attempt to rescue Camille from the General which leads to a gunfight at high speeds on choppy water before Bond finally throws off pursuit in a dramatic water chase scene. Although it appears to be driven by Bond in the film, the real steerage is hidden within the boat where a stunt driver is also concealed. The boat can be seen as part of a visit to Buckler’s Hard, where it is displayed on the banks of the Beaulieu River at the bottom of the picturesque village street.
BOND IN MOTION will run to December 2012 and can be seen as part of a visit to the whole Beaulieu attraction. Advance tickets, at a special rate, are available to buy online at www.beaulieushop.co.uk. For further information on the exhibition visit www.bondinmotion.co.uk