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One of the gadget cars built for the diamond-faced
villain Zao in "Die Another Day" is going
up for auction
this month...
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Zao's XKR Up For Auction
23rd October 2010
One of the original gadget/stunt cars built
by the EON Productions special effects team for the diamond-faced
villain Zao to battle James
Bond in "Die
Another Day" is going
up for auction on 27th October in London. The sale
is part of the same auction that includes the Aston
Martin DB5 driven by Sean
Connery in "Goldfinger" and "Thunderball".
The Jaguar XKR body (chassis SAJDA42POYP00598)
was modified with a Ford Mustang 302 cu. in. V-8 engine, modified
Ford Explorer front suspension unit, subtly flared rear wheel
arches, unique offset Detroit 20-inch road wheels and highly
modified front under-bonnet body structure. The vehicle was dubbed "Special
Effects Car 1 (SFX1)" and was one of only four built with
four-wheel drive and driven in ice chase scene.
In typical Bond fashion, Brosnan was shown driving
an Aston Martin Vanquish. The villain Zao, played by Rick Yune,
drove a highly modified Jaguar XKR equipped with a Gatling gun
mounted centrally behind the seats, missiles firing from the
front grilles, rocket launchers in the doors and mortars in the
boot. No less than eight XKRs were used for filming, all of which
were formerly Jaguar Cars engineering development fleet vehicles
that were converted by Jaguar’s own Special Vehicle Operations
(SVO) in conjunction with Pinewood Studios’ in-house special
effects team.
Half of the XKRs were standard two-wheel drive
XKRs (some supercharged, some normally aspirated XK8s) with cosmetic
modifications. In order to prepare for the dramatic car chase
on ice, however, the other four XKRs were built on a completely
bespoke four-wheel drive chassis. All eight cars were painted
the same green as Jaguar’s Formula 3 racing team with Dorchester
grey body kits, an R-performance option interior with Recaro
bucket seats, 20-inch silver Detroit-style road wheels and Brembo
brakes.
The XKR presented here is one of these eight cars built for
filming and has been on loan to the famous National Motor Museum
in Beaulieu from Jaguar Cars since December 2003. It is “SFX1,” one
of the four Special Effects Cars built on the four-wheel drive
chassis. It is powered by a 302 ci (five-litre) Ford Mustang
engine and transmission, which was smaller than the regular Jaguar
engine and could therefore be moved rearward in the chassis to
accommodate the modified Ford Explorer front suspension and four-wheel
drive system necessary for filming in Iceland. The car is original
and unmodified since the end of filming, as built by Jaguar SVO
and Pinewood Film Studios. Being sold directly from Jaguar Heritage,
this is the very first time that this blue-chip piece of Bond
memorabilia with unquestionable provenance has been offered for
sale.
It is a unique piece of movie history
and one of the most stunningly designed and dynamic villain’s cars
in the history of the Bond franchise. So if you are not the successful
buyer of the
DB5 from Goldfinger, then perhaps owning this might give you
a chancing of obtaining it via other, more sinister means! Please
note, however, that this car was built as a film stunt vehicle
and is offered on bill of sale only. Bids are estimated to reach £25,000-£35,000.
