Bond in Motion: Remembering London’s Extraordinary James Bond Exhibition

There are certain exhibitions that stay with you long after you have left, and for me, Bond in Motion at the London Film Museum in Covent Garden was certainly one of them.

For anyone with even the slightest interest in James Bond, cars or cinema, it was a remarkable place. This wasn't simply a collection of replicas or loosely connected film memorabilia. Many of the vehicles and objects on display were genuine pieces of James Bond film history.

Sadly, the Covent Garden exhibition is now part of that history itself.

Bond in Motion opened at the London Film Museum in March 2014, bringing together what was billed as the world's largest collection of original James Bond vehicles. After several years in the heart of London, it permanently closed in January 2021.

I was fortunate enough to visit while it was still open, and looking back, I am very glad that I did.

Walking into the World of 007

From the moment I entered, there was an unmistakable feeling that this was something rather special.

James Bond has been part of British popular culture for generations. The cars, gadgets, aircraft and elaborate action sequences are every bit as recognisable as many of the actors who have played 007.

Bond in Motion brought that side of the films together under one roof.

What impressed me was the sheer variety.

This wasn't simply a line of Aston Martins sitting behind ropes. There were cars, motorcycles, boats and other vehicles alongside props, models and production material from across the history of the Bond films.

For somebody interested in photography, engineering and transport, there was almost too much to look at.

The Aston Martins

Of course, it is virtually impossible to talk about James Bond without mentioning Aston Martin.

Few partnerships between a film character and a car manufacturer have become quite so famous.

The sight of a Bond Aston Martin immediately brings to mind ejector seats, hidden weapons, revolving number plates and some of the most memorable car chases in cinema.

Seeing these vehicles close up was completely different from seeing them on screen.

On film they flash past the camera in a matter of seconds. Inside the museum you could actually stop and study them — the bodywork, interiors, modifications and small details that would normally be missed.

It also made you appreciate the amount of work that goes into creating a Bond action sequence.

More Than Just Cars

Despite the name Bond in Motion, the exhibition went far beyond the famous cars.

James Bond has travelled by almost every conceivable form of transport over the years, and the exhibition reflected that wonderfully eccentric history.

There were motorcycles and boats, as well as vehicles created or adapted specifically for particular films.

That was one of the things I enjoyed most about the exhibition. You could walk from something elegant and unmistakably Bond to something completely outrageous within a few steps.

Yet everything had a connection to the films.

Some vehicles were pristine. Others carried the marks of their working lives on a film set, which I actually found more interesting. These weren't necessarily museum pieces when they were created. They were working props designed to survive filming, stunt work and repeated takes.

The scratches and imperfections were part of their story.

Behind the Camera

Another aspect I found fascinating was seeing how some of the Bond magic was actually created.

We normally only see the finished film. Everything has been edited, the music has been added, and the action appears seamless.

Standing beside the vehicles and production pieces strips some of that illusion away.

You begin to appreciate the engineers, designers, mechanics, model makers, stunt teams and countless others working behind the scenes.

Some of the most spectacular moments in a Bond film might last only a few seconds, yet an extraordinary amount of planning and engineering could be required to create them.

For me, that made the exhibition much more than a collection of film memorabilia.

It was also an exhibition about filmmaking.

James Bond and British Cinema

There was also something particularly appropriate about seeing the collection in London.

Although Bond's adventures have taken him all over the world, the character remains strongly associated with Britain and British cinema.

Walking around the exhibition was almost like travelling through different eras of filmmaking.

The early Bond films have their own distinctive appearance and style. Move through the decades and everything changes — cars, technology, fashion, production techniques and the scale of the action.

Yet somehow it still remains recognisably Bond.

That continuity was particularly noticeable when so many objects from different films were gathered together in one place.

The London Film Museum

The location in Covent Garden worked extremely well.

Outside were the crowds, shops, restaurants and street performers of central London. Inside was this surprisingly extensive collection of vehicles from one of cinema's most successful film series.

Bond in Motion remained there for several years and became a well-known attraction in its own right.

The London Film Museum was subsequently acquired by Warner Bros., and the Bond in Motion exhibition finally closed its doors in January 2021.

At the time, it was easy to assume that exhibitions such as this would always be there.

They aren't.

That is another reason why I value having photographed and documented places like this when I had the opportunity.

Looking Back at My Visit

Looking through my photographs now, the exhibition feels almost like a time capsule.

I can still remember walking around and recognising vehicles from films. I had watched over the years. Some needed no introduction whatsoever.

You simply looked at them and knew exactly what they were.

That is quite an achievement when you think about it. Very few film franchises have created objects that have become so firmly embedded in popular culture.

And there was something genuinely enjoyable about being able to get close to them.

No dramatic soundtrack. No explosions. No high-speed chase through some exotic location.

Just the vehicle sitting quietly in front of you.

In some ways, that made it even more impressive.

A Museum Exhibition Worth Remembering

Bond in Motion may no longer exist at the London Film Museum, but I think it deserves to be remembered.

It brought together an extraordinary collection and allowed visitors to see a side of James Bond that normally disappears once filming is completed.

For me, it combined several things I have always enjoyed documenting — cinema, history, engineering, photography and transport.

It was entertaining, certainly, but it was also a fascinating look behind the scenes of one of Britain's most successful contributions to world cinema.

I'm pleased I had the opportunity to experience it while it was still in Covent Garden.

Museums change, exhibitions move on and collections are dispersed or reinvented. Photographs therefore become increasingly important because they preserve what a place looked and felt like at a particular moment.

Bond in Motion was one of those places worth preserving — a remarkable collection of vehicles and objects that helped create more than half a century of James Bond on screen.

By Daren Frankish

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