Trio of JLR models to star in new James Bond film Spectre

Jaguar’s C-X75 supercar will feature alongside other models from Jaguar Land Rover’s Special Operations division in the upcoming James Bond film Spectre.

The film, which is Bond’s 24th outing on the big screen, also features the Range Rover Sport SVR and specially modified ‘Big Foot’ versions of the Land Rover Defender.

The C-X75, developed in collaboration with Williams Advanced Engineering, will feature in a car chase sequence set in Rome. Rumours of the cancelled million-pound, 850bhp hybrid’s involvement in the Spectre film were circulating in December 2014. Now the Jaguar supercar will make its on-screen debut in the new Bond film alongside the Aston Martin DB10.

Autocar UK understands that for filming purposes, the C-X75 will be fitted with Jaguar’s supercharged 5.0-litre V8 engine, instead of using its existing hybrid powertrain.

Scenes involving the 542bhp Range Rover Sport SVR and Land Rover Defender models – which have been fitted with 37-inch off-road tyres and feature bespoke suspension and body protection systems – have been filmed in Austria.

Expected to be used by the film’s villains, the JLR vehicles will be seen alongside the new Aston Martin DB10, which shows off Aston Martin’s new design direction and previews the firm’s DB9 replacement.

The managing director of the Special Operations division, Jonathan Edwards, said: "This is an exciting partnership for Jaguar Land Rover and an opportunity to demonstrate the fantastic capabilities of the Special Operations team."

JLR vehicles have precedent for appearing in Bond films. The Jaguar XJ8 and XKR both made appearances in 2006’s Casino Royale, while the XKR was also used in 2002’s Die Another Day.

The Land Rover Defender was also used in the most recent Bond film, Skyfall.

MEMORABLE BOND VILLIAN CARS

Ford Fairlane Skyliner – Thunderball
After Count Lippe’s failed attempt at killing Bond, Fiona Volpe used her motorbike-mounted rocket launchers to blow up Lippe’s Ford Fairlane Skyliner. The Skyliner had a complicated retractable hard-top that needed three roof drive motors driving four lift jacks, four door-lock motors, 10 solenoids and four locking mechanisms to work it.

Rolls-Royce Phantom III - Goldfinger
Auric Goldfinger drove a pristine black and yellow 1937 Phantom III, knowing that it was capable of holding the weight of the gold he was smuggling around Europe. The Phantom III was the final large pre-war Rolls-Royce and remained the firm's only V12-powered model until the introduction of the Silver Seraph in 1998.

AMC Matador Coupe  – The Man with the Golden Gun
Scaramanga’s car/jet hybrid was a modified AMC Matador Coupe that provided the villain with a handy escape route when fleeing Bond in The Man with the Golden Gun. The Flying Matador was 9.15 metres long, 12.8m wide and 3.08m high but was deemed not airworthy, so a remote-controlled meter-long model was used for the aerial sequences.

Ferrari F355 Spider - Goldeneye
Georgian temptress Xenia Onatopp pitted her Ferrari against Bond’s Aston Martin DB5 in the hills above Monaco during a scene in 1995’s Goldeneye. The Spider was the second most popular F355 model and the semi-automatic soft-top featured on it was the first in the Ferrari range to be powered electrically.

Jaguar XKR – Die Another Day
The 4.0-litre convertible was bejewelled henchman Zao’s car in 2002’s Die Another Day. Fitted with a Gatling gun, thermal imaging capabilities, mortar bombs and rockets under the front grille, it was part of a memorable gadget-riddled chase across a frozen lake in Iceland with Bond’s Aston Martin V12 Vanquish.