According to Reuters, actor Roger Moore passed away this morning. The news source reports he died of cancer at age 89. Moore has a place in automotive enthusiasts’ hearts thanks to his connection to some of the most famous onscreen cars in history. He portrayed James Bond in multiple films, perhaps most famously in
The Spy Who Loved Me, in which his Bond piloted an amphibious Lotus Esprit. That car inspired many, even
Elon Musk, who purchased the submarine version of the car. He also included it as
an Easter egg in the Tesla Model S.
That wasn’t the only memorable Moore automotive moment. In two other Bond films, his character was involved in some remarkable stunts. In
The Man with the Golden Gun, Moore’s Bond drives an AMC Hornet over a ramp and does a barrel roll. Although cheesy, the stunt did happen. According to
The Telegraph, a Cornell University aeronautical computer ran a simulation of the stunt and calculated the variables (such as the proper speed: 40 mph). Then British stuntman Loren “Bumps” Willard executed the roll on the first take, earning a £30,000 bonus. Which is a lot of money for a scene that uses a slide whistle as a sound effect. You can see the jump below.
Moore is also associated with a great car thanks to his other famous role on the TV show
The Saint. In that series, he drove the beautiful and unusual Volvo P1800 coupe. The car was enough of an icon that
Jay Leno featured it on his Jay Leno’s Garage series.
Related Video:
Video ID:
42f05c37-738e-3e28-8eda-03156f70c2f7
Playlist ID:
Autoplay:
false
Mute:
false
Continuous:
false
Ad Key:
Ad Value: